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Education Journal No.101 (2007-2) |
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What should a future government do to ensure a good local school for every child? Alison Murdoch, editor and advice worker at the Advisory Centre for Education, on why the Government should take steps to enable parents and schools to work together in real, positive partnership. Making the case for accountability The Campaign for State Education presents its argument for an education system which is fully accountable to the local community through annual reports and transparent information. Every Child Matters, not just those in my school Steve Richardson and Tim Bartlett, of the Centre for Supporting Comprehensive Schooling, explore how a cluster of schools could take responsibility for and be accountable for the education, achievement and progress of all children within an area. Councils hold the key to success Martin Rogers, of the Children’s Services Network, explains why local authorities hold the keys to the success of further improvements in provision for children and young people. Giving Students a Voice Jack Lewars, Y13 student and Eastern Council representative for the English Secondary Students’ Association, calls for more pupil participation in education policy decision-making. Parental involvement and educational attainment Professor Alma Harris and Janet Goodall of the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations, detail research demonstrating the importance of parental involvement in children’s education. Fighting social segregation Comprehensive Future details its campaign for a comprehensive secondary school system with fair admissions criteria to all publicly-funded schools. The benefits of smaller learning communities Mary Tasker, chair of Human Scale Education, on how a human scale school allows children and young people to learn in communities where they are known and valued as individuals. The primary school’s place in the community John Coe, information officer for the National Association for Primary Education, on why the current under-funding of primaries must be urgently addressed. Working as a team The New Vision Group explains why inclusive public education, providing high-quality education for all, is essential for a participatory democracy in which society and government work together for the benefit of all. Addressing the demands of the 21st century Alison Johnston, Principal Officer, Education, of the Professional Association of Teachers, and Geraldine Everett, National Vice Chairman, write about the features that combine to create a good local school. The key to success Christina McAnea, National Secretary for Education and Children’s Workforce at Unison, on how the changing role of support staff and other professional staff is key to creating a good local school. ADCS launch We report on the launch of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, formed through a merger of Confed and the children’s side of the Association of Directors of Social Services. New ministerial advisory group in Wales Our Wales editor, Professor Ken Reid, reports on recent education developments. Who’s still afraid of the big bad wolf? We report on the UK Wolf Conservation Trust’s work with school children. Obituary We record with regret the death of Peter Clarke, children’s commissioner for Wales. Children’s Health Higher Ground John Izbicki casts an eye over recent events in higher education. Media Watch Grammar schools, autistic children in Scotland being let down by mainstream education, high Academy exclusion rates, and the growth of multi-faith schools. Fun Page General section Conferences Our children’s services editor, Chris Waterman, reports on the final Confed Winter conference and AGM. We also report on the Fulfilling their Potential libraries conference hosted by Chelsea Football Club. Conference Round-up The Education Alliance conference on providing a good local school for every child, on 24 March at the Institute of Education. Opinion John Izbicki writes about tolerance in modern society. Reference section Document Reviews Reviewed this month is Out of Authority Placements for Special Educational Needs from the Audit Commission. Document Digest Reports Digest Research section Research Digest Research Notes Our research editor, Michael Marshall, looks at what counts as evidence in the school choice debate. Comparisons between PISA and TIMSS Ian Schagen and Dougal Hutchison of NFER examine differences between the results of the two surveys. How effective are primary schools at KS2? We report on a research project that compared the effectiveness across key stage 2 of all English primary schools for three successive years Parliament Parliamentary section Skills – the Leitch Report Our parliamentary editor, Nick Kent, reports on a debate on skills in the Commons. Children Commissioner’s last report Helen Grimmett, editor of EPM Wales/Cymru, covers a debate on the fifth annual report of the Children’s Commissioner. Disabled young people report We report on a debate on the Welsh Assembly Equality of Opportunity Committee’s policy review on service provision for disabled young people. Higher education funding Arabella Hargreaves, editor of EPM Scotland, on a debate on the funding of higher education in Scotland. Home Smart campaign on homelessness We report on a debate on the Home Smart campaign of the Scottish Council for Single Homeless. Parliamentary Questions Average class size for each age group for every LEA in England. School buildings in Scotland. Sustained improvement in Wales. Phoenix ILEA rides again? Turkey dinosaurs. The NCPTA and its research into parental involvement projects. Literacy Today reaches its 50th issue. |