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Education Journal No.84 (2005-3) Editorial The massive gap in manpower the country faces over the next ten years and the expected skills gap in the workforce present education with a huge challenge. Features section 14-19 reform Ron McLone, Director General of Assessment at UCLES, looks at the 14 to 19 area post Tomlinson. He argues that radical reform is not the English way. It will have to be evolution, not revolution. |
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The Education Bill, schools and LEAs Raphael Wilkins looks at the Education Act 2005 and what it means for schools and LEAs. Some of the big changes foreshadowed in the Five Year Strategy are not in the Act, but will come through regulations. LEAs and schools need to be proactive if they are to make the changes work for them. Extended schools Julian Piper, National Programme Director of ContinYou, argues that the Five Year Strategy means that all schools are now expected to provide extended activities, rather than just being encouraged to. He sees sound evidence that such a policy works. Media watch It was widely reported in the media that Ruth Kelly had been jeered by heads and deputies at the SHA conference. But had she? This came as a surprise to those at the event. What lay behind the way the press reported the conference? And was it just coincidence that a select committee report highly critical of the Government was published - and buried - on the same day as the Budget? Letter from Scotia Scotland Editor John Dobie's column reports on Scotland's Ambitious, Excellent Schools reforms. He asks whether the Scottish Executive's briefing paper Schools of Ambition heralds specialist schools by any other name? Education and the law Education specialist barrister Lloyd Williams writes a three-page article outlining the present position of the law relating to liability for assaults against teachers. He looks at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and civil claims for compensation. The article, which includes brief descriptions of recent cases, is based on his paper to the NUT Wales education and the law conference. General section Conference report Demitri Coryton reports from the Secondary Heads Association conference in Brighton, that gave Ruth Kelly such a hard time. Fun A page of jokes and quotes from pupil essays. The best of the month is this quote from a history essay. "Sir Frances Drake circumcised the world with a 100 foot clipper." Book review Michael Marshall reviews Teachers Behaving Badly? By Kate Myers with Graham Clayton, David James and Jim O'Brien. Opinion John Crossman, Assistant Chief Executive of ContinYou, thinks that the Government has fudged the Tomlinson report. Their response on this vital 14-19 initiative is an opportunity only half grasped. Max Morris, in a trenchant critique of Labour government policy, asks where now the comprehensive ideal? Reference section Document reviews Single page reviews of the following documents appear in this issue: The HMI report Literacy and Numeracy Strategies published by Ofsted; the HMI report Specialist Schools: a second evaluation, published by Ofsted; and the School Teachers' Review Body 14th report. Document Digest Short reviews of documents from the DfES, the Labour Party, the National Audit Office, NFER, Ofsted and the Scottish Executive Education Department. Reports Digest Reports from LEAs, prepared by the EMIE section of NFER, cover stewardship of school premises (Cambridgeshire), accessibility strategy for disabled access (Glasgow), SEN policy and provision (Glasgow), drug education and the management of drug-related incidents (Gloucestershire) and the evaluation of educational inclusion (Derbyshire). Research section Research Digest During the course of a year this digest lists the research papers published in over a hundred academic journals published in Britain, the Commonwealth, Europe and the USA. All the papers published in each issue are listed, giving the title of the paper and the author. This month the following 15 journals are listed: British Educational Research Journal, British Journal of Educational Psychology, Education Economics, Educational Management, Educational Psychology, Educational Psychology in Practice, Educational Research, Educational Review, Educational Studies, European Journal of Special Needs Education, Journal of In-service Education, Journal of Research in Reading, Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, School Leadership and Management and Theory and Research in Education. Research notes In his monthly column Education Journal's research editor, Michael Marshall, reports from across the education research community. In this issue he looks at the subdued debate taking place within the British Education Research Association, through the pages of its journal, the British Educational Research Journal, on the use of academic research to inform policy-making decisions. Neuroscience and education John Hall, of the Scottish Council for Research in Education at the University of Glasgow, writes about his review of brain-based learning and what is currently known of its implications for learning. In this major research article, he gives a brief overview of the neuroscientific literature and considers some of the facts, assumptions and 'neuromyths' which have arisen. New NFER Director We report on the appointment of Mrs Sue Rossiter as the new director of the NFER. (This report can be found on the NFER website at www.nfer.ac.uk) School funding Michael Marshall reports on NFER research, funded by the Local Government Association, into the effects of the Government's revision of school funding arrangements in 2003/04. The LGA was concerned that the changes might exacerbate the unfair aspects of the present system. Research reports Brief reports on research into the effectiveness of random drug tests in schools, the effects of different types of student feedback from marking papers, neuroscience in adults and gifted students in the 14-19 range. Parliamentary section School Transport Bill Nick Kent, editor of Education Parliamentary Monitor, reports on the committee stage of the School Transport Bill in the House of Lords. Concern was expressed about the cost to parents who at present receive free transport for their children and on provision for special needs children. Select committee attacks UKeU fiasco The House of Commons Select Committee on Education and Skills attacked the Government's UK e-University, which was wound up last year. It failed to get anywhere near its target for student recruitment, partly because it failed to form an effective partnership with the private sector. Early years Arabella Hargreaves reports on the debate in the Scottish Parliament on early years provision, initiated by the Scottish National Party. School meals and obesity The Scottish Socialist Party chose school meals and obesity as the subject for their debate in the Scottish Parliament. The SSP believe that the main cause of obesity in children was poverty. Children's Commissioner for Wales Arabella Hargreaves reports on the Welsh Assembly statement by Jane Davidson, Welsh Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, on the annual report of the Children's Commissioner for Wales. The statement was followed by a debate. School breakfasts Labour's promise to provide free breakfasts for all primary school children in Wales has proved controversial. Opposition parties say that the Welsh Assembly Government has neither the power nor the money to implement such a policy. The issue was raised at First Minister's questions in the Welsh Assembly. Answers to written parliamentary questions Answers to written questions from the House of Commons, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly covered the number of pupil referral units in each LEA, faith based schools, bullying, the Capita SIMS System, the Children Act 2004, data collection, the number of sixth form pupils per Welsh LEA, school closures in Wales, student loans in Scotland and schools in Scotland. Phoenix Our diary column reports the retirement of former Education and Education Journal editor George Low and of Val Gee, head of EMIE at NFER; the Nick Tester Fund; and the SHA conference, Ruth Kelly and a cat. |