Key Quotes - Education

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Last update: Wednesday 25th March




Government plans to test 11 year olds on spelling and grammar drew fierce criticism from school leaders yesterday, who warned the move is a waste of tax-payers money. The National Association of Head Teachers raised the prospect of a boycott as they voted to explore ways of making sure the exam does not take place. From next year, pupils in the final year of primary school will sit an externally-marked spelling, punctuation and grammar paper.
Education	The Sentinel – 7th May 2012



GCSEs and A-levels in key subjects have become easier following a 10-year dumb¬ing down of exam papers, according to the standards watchdog. Ofqual said that changes made to tests over the past decade had "reduced the demand" of qualifications taken by hun¬dreds of thousands of schoolchildren. In a series of reports, it emerged that teenagers were facing more multiple-choice exams and short, structured ques¬tions that prevented bright pupils from displaying their knowledge. Many exams had been stripped of core academic content, with students required to study less of the syllabus to pass.
Education	The Daily Telegraph May 2 2012



Teachers won millions of pounds in compensation last year after accidents, injuries, assaults and discrimination at school new figures show. In one case, a teacher was awarded more than £222,000 after suffering a brain injury when a pupil hit her on the head with a bus door. Another was handed almost £175,000 after being punched in the head by the parent of a pupil. Others were given settlements of thousands of pounds after tripping or slipping at school, the figures show.
Education	The Sentinel – 6th April 2012



The Government has declined a request from the Religious Education Council of England and Wales (REC) for a significant review of RE alongside the current National Curriculum review, it has emerged. The council, which is concerned that RE is being marginalised by its exclusion from the EBacc and other government decisions, made its proposal in a letter at the end of October. The refusal was refused late in January in a response from Schools Minister, Nick Gibb.
Education	The Church Times – March 2012



Church of England Schools face the challenge of maintaining their ‘distinctive’ Christian character says a report by the church. The Church School of the Future recommends that church schools should strongly assert their Christian ethos in an increasingly fragmented educational system and amid attacks from secularists. The report argues: “High quality religious education and collective worship should continue to make contributions to the church schools ethos.” Dioceses, school leaders, politicians and other stakeholders with an interest in education, contributed evidence to the report, which was launched at a conference at Lambeth Palace.
Education	The War Cry – March 2012



Schools which fail to teach pupils to read and write should be fined, an independent panel investigating the causes of last year’s riots said today. About a fifth of school leavers have the literacy skills of an 11-year-old or younger, leaving many with no stake in society, and no reason to stay out of trouble, the Riots, Communities and Victims Panel said. The report added “Every child should be able to read and write, if they cannot, the school should face a financial penalty equivalent to the cost of funding remedial support to take the child to the appropriate standard.
Education	The Sentinel – 28th March 2012



More than a third of the Government's academies are overhauling the school year and reducing the long summer holiday, according to research. In an attempt to raise standards, 36 per cent of schools have altered, or are planning to alter, the academic year, a study by the think tank Reform found. One academy has cut the summer break from six to three weeks. Others are to impose four-week breaks. The changes enable schools to introduce more regular term dates and give pupils longer half-term holidays. Around 17 per cent of the schools have also lengthened, or plan to lengthen, the school day, the study found.
Education	The Daily Telegraph - March 28 2012



Trainee teachers face having to sit higher tests in literacy and in numeracy before being allowed to enter the classroom following concern about poor standards in the three Rs. Students will be required to pass rigorous exams to qualify for training places as part of reforms designed to attract the brightest graduates into the profession. An expert panel, led by top head teachers, will draw up new assessments of basic skills in an effort to root out poorly qualified candidates. Ministers have also proposed raising the pass mark for existing tests and cutting the number of times students can re-sit exams.
Education	The Daily Telegraph - March 28 2012



Oxford University is admitting more teenagers from poor performing state schools and deprived backgrounds amid government pressure to create a more diverse student body, it has emerged. New figures show a 75 per cent increase in offers made to disadvantaged students who were fast-tracked for interview this year. It follows a series of high-profile attacks by the Coalition on the most selective universities. Last year, Nick Clegg accused Oxford and Cambridge of being effectively biased against poor pupils, saying they had to ensure "British society is better reflected" in their admissions to justify state funding.
Education	The Daily Telegraph - March 28 2012



The last-minute scramble for university places by candidates who fail to achieve their expected A-level grades is to disappear, admissions chiefs have decided. The clearing system, under which those without a place race to apply by telephone to universities with course vacancies, will be scrapped in two years’ time. Instead, there will be a short ‘cooling off’ period between the issuing of A-level results and the opening of applications for places by universities. Once applications open, prospective students will apply online and have to wait for an offer rather than the current system of a telephone interview, which may be followed by the offer of a place and a rapid deadline within which to accept. The changes, which are subject to consultation with universities and schools, come after a massive rise in the number of applications through the clearing system, which peaked at a record of more than 50,000 last year.
Education	The Times - March 28 2012



Exam boards were today ordered to tighten up GCSE’s in fours subjects, amid fears that they were becoming easier. The exam regulator Ofqual is making changes to GCSE’s in English Literature, Maths, History and Geography to ensure students study the whole curriculum. It is understood that it comes after concerns were raised that pupils were sitting papers and only studying topics that were likely to come up in the exams. The changes will be fully implemented by September 2013.
Education	The Sentinel – 24th February 2012



Representatives of religious groups, the British Humanist Association and teaching associations have joined together to support a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on RE, chaired by Stephen Lloyd MP. The group aims to focus on safeguarding the inclusion of religious education in schools and to explore how the subject can continue to be useful to young people. A poll by the REC revealed that 80 per cent of young people studying RE say that it promotes better understanding of religion and beliefs.
Education	The War Cry – February 2012



Almost 11,000 fewer students have applied for degree places at the area’s three universities in the first concrete evidence that higher tuition fees are deterring young people. Keele, Staffordshire and Manchester Metropolitan universities today played down the significance, saying there are still plenty of candidates chasing places for this September. But across England, a similar picture has emerged as applications for full-time degrees fell by 9.9 per cent. These students will be the first to be charged up to £9,000-a-year, almost treble the previous fees rate.
Education	The Sentinel - January 31, 2012



Growing numbers of teenagers will consider studying overseas in the future to find wide-ranging courses and good value for money, it has been suggested. The United States and European nations such as the Netherlands are already becoming increasingly popular among students who are “savvier” in their university choices, according to private school leaders. With fees for English universities set to rise to £9,000, value for money is high on the agenda.
Education	The Sentinel, December 30, 2011



Schools are being urged to compete with local takeaways by offering special meal deals in a bid to encourage more pupils to eat healthy lunches. Ministers have announced that schools will be able to offer price promotions in the hope that more youngsters will try school dinners. Schools currently have to charge the same price for the same item for every pupil, but now they could offer cut price meals to a different year group each day, special prices for siblings that regularly eat at school, or £1 meal deals.
Education	The Sentinel, December 29, 2011

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