Latest Educational News
Ethnic groups get schools' pack
by BBC, June 15, 2007
A new welcome pack has been launched to help children from ethnic minority backgrounds settle into NI schools.
It has been compiled by the Catholic Council for Maintained Schools in response to a growing ethnic community.
The number of children from different countries attending Catholic schools has doubled in the past two years.
The pack, produced in four languages, contains a range of information for parents and children, including school addresses and registration forms.
The CCMS found that families from ethnic minority backgrounds, especially those from Catholic countries, were relying on the church to help them find suitable schools.
The publication was launched in Lisburn where representatives from the education sector were joined by those from the American, Lithuanian, Portuguese, and Filipino consulates.
Schools scrap GCSE homework
by RaisingKids, June 15, 2007
Coursework at home is to be scrapped in GCSE subjects in two years time. This follows a Qualifications & Curriculum Authority (QCA) report which says such homework has become 'less valid.' There have been widespread concerns that coursework has been affected by pupils cheating either via help from parents or via the internet. Two-thirds of teachers surveyed said they thought coursework was unreliable. Nine subjects, including English literature, history and geography, will be covered by the change which affects schools in England, Wales & Northern Ireland. Science courses changed last year and much of their coursework is already done in school.
Maths boffins on fast track
by Times Educational Supplement, June 15, 2007
Pupils gifted at maths have completed an AS-level statistics exam two years early with less than half the tuition of sixth-form candidates.
The opportunity to receive after-school coaching at St David’s Catholic College was given to 15 pupils with a flair for number-crunching from Corpus Christi Catholic high school and two from St Illtyd’s RC high school under a city-wide faith school initiative.
Caroline Morgan, head of maths at St David’s, said: “A lot of schools have stopped offering pupils the chance to take exams in certain subjects early. Maths is a subject that has been dying a bit over the years but I think that youngsters who are good at it just want more of a challenge.”
Ms Morgan and maths teacher Jo Halloran visited the two secondary schools and asked 14-year-old GCSE pupils if they wanted to study for the exam.
Around 30 signed an “extended opportunities agreement” to attend a weekly, two-hour maths lesson after school on Mondays. Their schools agreed no maths homework on this day.
Just under half the pupils dropped out but the remaining pupils achieved six A grades, six Bs, four Cs and one E in their first AS statistics exam in January.
Borderline raids
by Times Educational Supplement, June 15, 2007
Pupils 'yanked' from classes to boost GCSE maths and English
Teachers are protesting over pupils being taken from their classes to be given GCSE booster lessons in English and maths.
Staff believe other subjects are being marginalised because of the pressure of league tables.
Secondaries have been ranked on the proportion of their pupils gaining five good GCSEs including English and maths since January, forcing schools to focus on the two subjects.
David Lambert, the chief executive of the Geographical Association, said he was aware that humanities subjects being “squeezed out enormously”.
Ofsted tells grammar 'you are outstanding'
by icKent, June 14, 2007
Dover Grammar School for Girls has been hailed as one of the best schools in Kent after receiving top marks from Ofsted inspectors.
In a report published last week, the education standards watchdog applauded DGSG as "an outstanding school".
Reporting inspector Helen Hutchings said: "The school's success is a result of excellent teaching and a rich curriculum that provides students with an outstanding range and quality of learning activities.
Onwards and upwards
by Guardian, June 14, 2007
A menacing portrait is painted in this speech. It is a picture of a group who experimented on the poor, keeping them in towers and punishing their children. It is also a group that has lavished what is deemed to be extravagant attention on their own young. David Willetts was not ferried around to tennis coaching or music lessons.
Ah, the middle classes. So easy to broad-brush that even a Conservative politician makes a stab at their extracurricular activities. Given a chance he could have made up a name for the viola-wielding progeny. Little Oliver perhaps. On the basis of responses to this thread there's certainly an appetite for bashing middle England.
Which is where, exactly? Attempts at defining the middle classes tend towards gentle comedy , perhaps because sincere investigation means treading such muddy waters. Ask a historian to discuss the origins of England's middling sort and they might hark back to the Reform Act of 1832, industrialisation under Queen Victoria and the growth of the suburbs. Ask a politician and you might get an answer in letters (ABC1) based on occupation. A marketing type will ask you to fill in a survey about where you go on holiday and what you think of Celebrity Love Island.
Lessons for life
by Guardian, June 14, 2007
The popular story about education these days is that it has gone to the dogs. Academies don't work, students are out of control and kids leave school without having learnt anything. On Monday however, we reached a new crescendo of gloom. The "independent" think-tank Civitas claimed that the curriculum has been "hijacked" and ripped apart by "trendy causes" such as "anti-racism". This has led to inexorable decline.
Apparently my colleagues in the geography department are ruining any chance of real knowledge acquisition by teaching about global warming and English teachers like myself, are having the misguided temerity to teach similes and metaphors penned by a lesbian poet. Instead we should teach the cannon, make sure students aren't allowed to give personal opinions and above all impart knowledge about important things. It seems that educational conservatives are so upset about loosing their grammar schools that they are now trying to push curriculum back to the mythical "good old days".
In reality the curriculum is necessarily in constant flux. It's an obvious point but the history and politics courses need to change in light of the war in Iraq. This isn't about lowering standards; it's accepting that the world moves on. Climate change wasn't an issue when I went to school; it certainly is now. It would be absurd to exclude it from geography and science, not least because it is the current generation of school children who need to make up for our lack of knowledge in this area. Indeed, if the curriculum doesn't reflect what is important now, how will we have the understanding to function in the modern world? Equally, contemporary doesn't equal intellectually deficient. Presumably ancient Greek students weren't told "don't bother with this new Sophocles guy; he is far too much of an urbane fop with a passion for sexual perversion. Stick to Heraclitus."
Hong Kong's schools The $1m question
by Economist, June 14, 2007
What is the price of a good education?
Among the most commercial of cities, Hong Kong follows many markets; but none more intently than the trade in debentures tied to admissions to the city's international primary and secondary schools. These non-interest-bearing bonds are typically issued to pay for construction or other costs. Bought by parents anxious to do the best by their children, or by employers anxious to attract the best staff, they are then traded at prices set by the city's volatile economic fluctuations.
Recently, slots in international schools have become precious. The economy is booming in China's tailwind, attracting well-paid expatriates. Prosperous local residents, meanwhile, are deserting local schools because of what is seen as deterioration in English-language teaching since the reversion to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. It is not just the very rich who are worried: early this month a small group of not very well-off South Asian residents marched through central Hong Kong, demanding more schooling in English, arguing their children were suffering from having to attend classes conducted in Chinese.
Demand is high, supply is limited, and the results, at the top end of the market, are predictable: soaring prices. In 2004, the price of a debenture at the Chinese International School, possibly the most sought-after institution, sold for HK$600,000 ($77,000). On June 9th the South China Morning Post splashed on its front page a report that a family had paid HK $1m for a debenture, and then entered its child in the school's first grade. Similar, if less dramatic, price increases were reported at other international schools.
The schools all treat the debentures differently. The Chinese International School stresses that theirs does not guarantee a school place. Applicants sit a merit-based test, and some debenture-holders are rejected and some non-holders accepted. Still, holders must feel their children gain some advantage. Hong Kong International School, popular among Americans, gives debenture-holders more rights. If an applicant meets the school's standards, a debenture places him at the head of the queue. Most schools lie somewhere in between these two approaches.
All the international schools have lengthy waiting lists for all ages. So companies scoop up debentures for their staff—some expatriates are refusing jobs in Hong Kong because they cannot find schools for their children. Resale rights exist, with schools in some cases sharing the profits. Alternatively, two years ago Hong Kong International School bought back all its debentures and then reissued them at a higher price—much as a company might when business is good.
Coursework at GCSE is axed to stop Net cheats
by This is London, June 14, 2007
GCSE students will face tighter controls on coursework and harder exam questions to stop widespread cheating, watchdogs said yesterday.
Instead of writing up coursework at home, pupils will complete projects in class under the supervision of teachers.
The change, which will affect more than 600,000 schoolchildren, will see coursework scrapped in nine of the most academic subjects, including maths, English literature, history and geography, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority revealed.
Exam papers will also be made more demanding, after complaints that predictable' and narrow' questions allowed pupils to question-spot' and prepare answers beforehand.
The shake-up follows last year's damning report, which revealed the coursework system was open to widespread abuse. It found many pupils
were cutting and pasting answers from the Internet, asking their parents for help or using essay plans prepared by teachers.
But the Tories claimed yesterday that the clampdown does not go far enough, after it emerged pupils will still be able to research assignments on the Internet with low levels' of supervision.
Graduate charge announcement due
by BBC, June 13, 2007
The Scottish government is expected to announce plans to scrap the £2,000 students' graduate fee.
However, Scottish Labour has refused to support such a move, which the Scots Tories branded a "populist stunt".
The endowment, brought in by the previous Scottish Executive, was set up to help less well off students.
Up-front university tuition fees were abolished for students in Scotland, but critics have described the replacement as "tuition fees by the back door".
Higher education body Universities Scotland said it took a relaxed view to scrapping the endowment, while the National Union of Students in Scotland has supported cutting the student debt burden, but warned that universities needed sufficient funding.
Exam results boosted by the grammar effect
by Daily Mail, June 13, 2007
Building more grammar schools could boost exam results, research suggests.
Extra grammar places for pupils in areas which already operate the 11-plus examination could improve academic achievement in those authorities.
The findings, from researchers at the respected Centre for Economic Performance, cast doubt on Conservative policy on grammar schools after the party abandoned support for selective education.
David Cameron has said he will not expand grammar places unless population growth demands it.
Labour has barred grammar schools from expanding despite insisting popular and successful schools should be allowed to take in more pupils.
The centre's study took place in Northern Ireland, which retained the 11-plus as grammars schools were dismantled across the rest of the UK during the 1960s and 1970s.
It found sending more pupils to selective schools dramatically raised achievement.
Major reforms to school admissions in the province in the late 1980s boosted the proportion going to grammar schools from 31 per cent to 35 per cent.
I don’t believe in school league tables
by Times, June 13, 2007
Head teacher and schools chief Pat Langham thinks life’s more important than grades.
A girl, maybe 14, comes around a corner in the corridor, finds herself within eyeshot of the headmistress and instantly tucks her shirt into her skirt. Shirt-tucking may be counterintuitive to teenage fashion but it is what Pat Langham, headmistress of Wakefield Girls’ High School, in West Yorkshire, calls the first level of discipline. “We have very few discipline problems,” she says. “We don’t expect them.”
Is this why so many parents are sending their children to independent schools? It’s a factor, Langham agrees. “It’s to do with Tony Blair’s education, education, education – parents are more aware and more knowledgable about what they want and they’re prepared to work to pay. And it’s because of what we offer. We’re not constrained by the government. Our girls can do more than one foreign language, they can still do Latin and Greek, team games, foreign exchanges. Discipline is strong, which is a big thing now. Nobody is allowed to get away with anything. It ticks every box that parents want for their child.”
Schools lottery decision to be made in weeks
by The Argus, June 13, 2007
The final decision on a city's controversial catchment areas and lottery secondary school admissions system will be made within weeks.
Schools Adjudicator Canon Richard Lindley said today he would reach his conclusions about what was best for Brighton and Hove as quickly as possible.
He said: "We are aware of the need for an adjudication to be reached speedily but because of the complexity and delicacy of the city's situation I will need several weeks to ensure the decision is correct."
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Canon Lindley declined to name an exact date when he would publish his findings on an issue which has again attracted national attention.
He made his announcement at the end of a public meeting at Hove Town Hall tonight at which dozens of parents and teachers spoke passionately to him about why they thought the planned system was right or wrong.
Exam results boosted by the grammar effect
by This is London, June 13, 2007
Building more grammar schools could boost exam results, research suggests.
Extra grammar places for pupils in areas which already operate the 11-plus examination could improve academic achievement in those authorities.
The findings, from researchers at the respected Centre for Economic Performance, cast doubt on Conservative policy on grammar schools after the party abandoned support for selective education.
David Cameron has said he will not expand grammar places unless population growth demands it.
Labour has barred grammar schools from expanding despite insisting popular and successful schools should be allowed to take in more pupils.
The centre's study took place in Northern Ireland, which retained the 11-plus as grammars schools were dismantled across the rest of the UK during the 1960s and 1970s.
It found sending more pupils to selective schools dramatically raised achievement.
Major reforms to school admissions in the province in the late 1980s boosted the proportion going to grammar schools from 31 per cent to 35 per cent.
This, according to researchers, resulted in an increase of 17 percentage points in the number of pupils achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C across Northern Ireland overall.
There was also a 12 point increase in the numbers achieving at least one A-level.
They believe there is "something positive" about grammar schools which raises attainment - possibly their ability to attract good teachers or teach bright pupils together.
But the findings will do nothing to quell Conservative infighting over policy on selective education since the researchers also found evidence that grammars can have negative effects.
The findings also suggested selection at 11 disadvantages poor families, as Tory education spokesman David Willetts has claimed, with a potential cost to the economy.
Researcher Dr Sandra McNally, a CEP fellow based at the London School of Economics, said the study suggested grammar schools should become "less elitist" to raise attainment across the board.
Grammars in the ten remaining fully-selective authorities in England typically take just 25 to 30 per cent of their local populations.
Expanding the number of places in these areas could raise overall achievement, just as it did in Northern Ireland, Dr McNally said.
A bad report for academies
by Guardian, June 13, 2007
Alarm bells must have rung in the heads of all Labour politicians when the Tories embraced academies so wholeheartedly. The mess that David Cameron has now got himself into over grammar schools has obscured the story of the "cross-party consensus" on academies. But does this consensus really exist?
Outside the Westminster bubble there is another story waiting to be told. It is the story of parents, teachers and governors in local campaigns the length and breadth of the country. It is the story of people who have serious, considered reservations about the key aspects of the academy programme.
People are motivated to oppose academies for a variety of reasons. But don't think for a moment that they are against spending money on schools. In most circumstances £35m is "manna from heaven". Every council in the country would love that sort of money to spend on all their schools and hopefully the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme will go some way to delivering that.
However, many are concerned that there is not a level playing field. Where local authorities need a new school, academies seem to be the only thing the DfES is interested in. It was encouraging to see in Haringey, north London, that in a "competition" for a new school, the community school bid won over two academies and a trust. But in many cases, councils have been told academies are the only game in town, and if you want BSF money then you better include an academy in your bid.
This sort of pressure marks the subtle shift in emphasis that has taken place. Originally conceived as replacing failing inner city schools, the drive to achieve 400 academies means that local authorities are encouraged to find any reason to create an academy.
This suggests the academy programme has favoured status for ideological reasons, not evidence-based reasons. Claims about the success of academies are spun in the media, implying the sponsors are the secret ingredient for success. But had each local authority been given £35m to build a new school, would they too have had success?
Pupils in 'walking bus' record
by BBC, June 13, 2007
More than 80,000 pupils from 520 schools across the UK are hoping to set a new world record for a "walking bus".
The event, organised by the road safety charity Brake, saw pupils aged five to 11 walk around their school.
The record attempt is part of Brake's campaign to make road safety education and 20mph speed limits near schools compulsory.
The charity says, every day in the UK, six children are killed or seriously injured by traffic while out walking.
The organisation says, after cancer, death on the road is the biggest killer of children aged five to 14.
Christine Bradford whose son, Michael, was killed in 2001 at the age of 14, said drivers must think more carefully about road safety.
Hay fever link to poorer GCSEs
by BBC, June 13, 2007
GCSE candidates who suffer from hay fever are 40% more likely to drop a grade between their mock and final exams, research has found.
This figure rises to 70% if they are taking a sedating anti-histamine treatment, which can cause drowsiness.
The study said one way to combat the problem would be to change the times of the year when exams are sat.
The survey, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, looked at 1,834 pupils aged between 15 and 17.
The researchers compared exam performances in mock and final GCSE exams for the core subjects of maths, English or science to questionnaires on hay fever symptoms on the day of the exam.
As many as 63% of those surveyed reported hay fever symptoms.
Yours views on enterprise education
by BBC, June 13, 2007
Education analyst Mike Baker discussed enterprise education and whether young people can be taught business flair.
Consultation on GCSE exams launched
by Bucks, June 13, 2007
public consultation on draft revised GCSE qualifications and subject criteria has been launched by the exams watchdog.
The new criteria include controlled assessments in which coursework is removed in some subjects, such as mathematics, and in others teacher-marked assessments are taken under supervised conditions.
The consultation comes after the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) announced sweeping cuts to GCSE coursework in October 2006 as part of the drive to stamp out cheating in schools.
Controlled assessments would replace coursework in business studies, classical subjects, economics, English literature, geography, history, modern foreign languages, religious studies and social sciences, it said.
Dr Ken Boston, QCA chief executive, said: "Controlled assessments will increase public confidence in the GCSE and allow the integration of new sources of data and information, including the internet, under supervision.
"QCA will ensure that the standards and comparability of the GCSE is maintained as we develop the qualification for the future."
Shadow education secretary David Willetts said: "Any move to strengthen assessment is welcome, but the spin claiming this is the abolition of coursework is seriously misleading. This exercise is largely about tightening up controls on coursework, and the
report admits that it is largely a renaming exercise. Use of the internet will still be permitted, and work can take place without teacher supervision outside the classroom - it's just it won't be called coursework.
A question of ambition
by Guardian, June 13, 2007
Despite what the high-minded commentary suggested, the recent Tory party spat over grammar schools wasn't really about differing ideas.
Time for a quick search through the stats. Grammar schools in Wales, Scotland, the North of England, and the great industrial towns have long since been abolished - a Labour initiative followed up by Tories keen on an easy life. Those left linger in leafy suburbs - and it's therefore easy to show that the poor don't go to them. Stats on free school lunches are duly deployed in the hope of showing a liberal Tory social concern. No more grammar schools, therefore, as we all turn towards the academy of the future.
Willetts got his headlines but much more than he bargained for. The speech was confused in content though clear in its career objective of preserving the shadow education secretary's place in Dave's domain -socially and intellectually. Was he really saying that grammar schools were bad because they were academically successful? And if so, how exactly did they differ from Labour's academies which are also selective institutions? And had everybody forgotten that months earlier the Tory whips got their MPs to vote for the clause in Labour's education bill which allowed academies to select on the basis of ability?
Like all high politics this was about the ambitions of a small number of key players and not about "ideas" at all. Willetts did send his speech to Cameron's office for clearance but the Old Etonians failed to spot the hand grenade. Willetts himself genuinely wanted to please but was clumsy in his positioning. He had created a mess and also annoyed another David (Davis) but the shadow home secretary wouldn't come out for a fight to defend grammar schools.
