Welfare Reform on the Web (July 2002): Education - UK - Schools
£620M "MISSPENT" ON CUTTING CLASS SIZES
L. Lightfoot
Daily Telegraph, May 2nd 2002, p.4
One Matthew Taylor, former Labour Party Director of Policy, has argued that the money spent on reducing infant class sizes to less than 30 pupils was totally wasted. Mr Taylor, who helped draw up the Party's 1997 manifesto which contained the pledge to reduce class sizes, now says that the money should have been spent on massively reducing class sizes in the worst schools.
(See also Independent, May 4th 2002, p.10)
BARRED FROM LEARNING?
A.U. Sale
Community Care, May 2nd-8th 2002, p.34-35
Contrasts educational provision for children in local authority secure units and young people in youth offenders institutions. While secure units spend £16,079 a year on education per child, YOIs spend a barely comparable £1,810.
THE BEACON SCHOOLS EXPERIENCE: DEVELOPING THE CURRICULUM
N. Burton and M. Brundrett
Norfolk: Peter Francis Publishers, 2002
Drawing together successful strategies and principles used in achieving excellent teaching and learning, this book illustrates how schools can take control of the learning experience, motivate staff and enhance student activities. By examining examples of different beacon schools it discusses the knowledge and systems used to advance teaching and learning.
CAMPUS VOLUNTEERS URGED TO TEACH
P. Wintour
Guardian, May 23rd 2002, p.12
Describes a scheme being developed by London First under which graduates would be offered the chance of building links with blue chip firms while undergoing teacher training. They would then teach for two years in tough inner city schools before beginning a business career. Firms would be encouraged to give preferential treatment to those participating in the scheme.
(See also Times, May 23rd 2002, p.2; Daily Telegraph, May 23rd 2002, p. 4)
CHRISTIAN COMPANY TO TAKE OVER STATE SCHOOL
R. Garner
Independent, May 10th 2002, p.6
The Church Schools Company, a Christian charity, has been chosen to take over Ducie High School, a comprehensive in a deprived area of Manchester. The school will be relaunched as the Moss Side City Academy, specialising in business and enterprise.
THE COST OF LEARNING
C. Ryan
Public Finance, May 10th-16th 2002, p.24-25
Bids will be submitted to the 2002 Comprehensive Spending Review for extra funding for schools, further education colleges, and universities, amid fears that education spending will be squeezed as health is given priority.
DELAYS IN VETTING SUPPLY TEACHERS EXACERBATES CLASSROOM SHORTAGES
J. Kelly and A. Felsted
Financial Times, May 8th 2002, p.6
Delays at the newly launched Criminal Records Bureau in vetting supply teachers are leading to greater classroom shortages in state schools.
EDUCATION POLICY AND CONTEMPORARY POLITICS
J. Demaine (ed)
Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2002
Tracing important political developments during the long years of Conservative administration and the response of New Labour, this book examines issues of selection and educational opportunity; gender and racism; school effectiveness and school improvement; lifelong learning; and information and communications policies, to name but a few.
HOW THE TYRANNY OF AS - LEVELS CAN STUNT ACADEMIC GROWTH
N. Darbyshire
Daily Telegraph, May 10th 2002, p. 26
AS-level examinations were intended to widen the base of learning in the sixth form. Instead they have led to a greater load of less interesting work, a rigorous timetable of deadlines for coursework, and more public examinations.
IMPROVING LEARNING: PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS
D. Glover and S. Law
Buckingham: Open University Press, 2002
This book considers the action being taken to enhance the environment of classroom and school. It looks at the development challenge in teaching and learning; considers learning styles and the use of teaching strategies to meet these; analyses the nature of successful staff-student relationships; examines how to help students identify the rationale for, and importance of, integration in the curriculum; chronicles endeavours being made to achieve gender equality; and takes into consideration the relationship between culture and achievement.
INCLUSIVE CURRICULA? PUPILS ON THE MARGINS OF SPECIAL SCHOOLS
M. Nind and S. Cochrane
International Journal of Inclusive Education, vol. 6, 2002, p. 185-198
Based on an inclusion initiative and action research project involving the special schools and services of an education administration (local Education Authority) in the UK, this paper reports on the part of the project which makes use of Intensive Interaction, an interactive approach that emphasizes the quality of teacher-learner interaction, as a vehicle for reviewing and transforming practice.
MODELS OF LEARNING - TOOLS FOR TEACHING
B. Joyce, E. Calhoun and D. Hopkins
Buckingham: Open University Press, 2002
By examining an array of models of teaching which have been developed over the last thirty years, this book demonstrates how they have accelerated rates of learning and brought pupils in reach of conceptual control and models of inquiry that were almost impossible to generate through chalk and talk teaching.
OFSTED'S NEW CHIEF GETS TOUGH ON WEAK SCHOOLS
J. O'Leary
Time's May 1st 2002, p.6
David Bell, the new Chief Inspector of Schools, discusses his plans. He is in favour of more intensive monitoring of schools which are in danger of failing, and of extending the new short visits that will constitute a standard inspection to cover a wider range of subjects. He intends to focus on the 14-19 age group, which is one of the government's key concerns.
(See also Guardian, May 1st 2002, p.6)
RAISING STANDARDS IN LITERACY
R. Fisher, G. Brooks and M. Lewis (editors)
London: Routledge Falmer, 2002
This book examines current initiatives in the UK and discusses the relevance of such initiatives to the literacy needs of the twenty-first century.
SCHOOL COUNCILS AND PUPIL HEALTH
G. Lyons and H. Freedman
Community Practitioner, vol. 75, 2002, p. 167
Discusses the role of school and classroom councils in developing health-related school policy that is in line with pupils' needs and is relevant.
SCHOOLS MORASS
J. Morris
Community Care, Apr. 11th-17th 2002, p. 38-39
Local authorities are failing in their duty under the Children Act 1989 to protect the human rights of disabled children placed in boarding schools. It is rare for disabled children to be consulted when decisions are made about sending them to boarding school; there is no monitoring of care standards in the majority of such placements; there is rarely any consideration of disabled children's rights to "active participation in the community" and parents generally receive no help in maintaining contact with their children.
SECRET GARDEN TO PUBLIC STREET: IS THERE A THIRD WAY?
T. Brighouse
Gifted Education International, vol. 16, 2002, p. 111-117
Discusses the impact of new technologies, especially electronic access to information, on the UK curriculum and the organisation of learning. Developments in the learning technologies is revolutionising access to courses, the means of study, the nature of assessment and teaching itself as e-tutoring becomes a reality.
SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS
Ofsted
London: 2002 (HMI: 433)
Report on sex and relationships education in primary and secondary schools covers strengths and weaknesses of teaching, the role of parents and the media, support for individual pupils, including pregnant schoolgirls, and recommendations for improvement. It is important that SRE is taught by specialist teachers; that coverage of HIV/AIDS is enhanced; that assessment processes are improved; that more advice is provided for parents on how to talk to their children about sex; and that pupils are given better access to individual advice.
SPECIAL REVIEW OF APPROACHES TO REDUCING TEACHER WORKLOAD
School Teachers' Review Body
London: TSO, 2002 (Cm 5497)
Warns that excessive workload is damaging the recruitment and retention of teachers. Recommends that the average working week of teachers should be reduced from 52 hours to 45 hours over the next four years. This should be done by transferring a invigilating exams and collecting dinner money to classroom assistants. This would also enable a certain amount of time each week to be set aside for marking and preparation. There should also be a contractual limit on the number of hours per year a teacher is expected to cover for absent colleagues.
STARTING SCHOOL: YOUNG CHILDREN LEARNING CULTURES
L. Brooker
Buckingham: Open University Press, 2002
An analysis of ways in which parents, children and teachers strive to cross cultural and linguistic boundaries to accommodate and help children to adapt and succeed at school.
TEACHER SHORTAGES ARE GETTING WORSE
J. O'Leary
Times, Apr. 25th 2002, p.4
The annual schools census showed a rise of 9,400 teachers working in the state sector in 2002 compared with 2001. Vacancy rates have fallen in London and the South East, but have continued to rise elsewhere. Head teachers claim that these figures disguise the true extent of staff shortages, as schools resort to overseas recruitment and use of unqualified staff to fill posts.
(See also Independent, Apr. 25th 2002, p.4; Guardian, Apr. 25th 2002, p.5)
TRUANCY: SHORT AND LONG TERM SOLUTIONS
K. Reid
London: Routledge Falmer, 2002
This book provides a practical and accessible guide to dealing with the problem of truancy and non-attendance.
WE'VE FORGOTTEN OUR FIRST PRIORITY: EDUCATION
P. Mandelson
Independent, May 23rd 2002, p.17
Expresses a fear that spending on education may be squeezed following the announcement of £40bn extra investment in the NHS. Argues that spending on education needs to continue to rise in order to reduce social inequality.