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Education Journal No.87 (2005-6) Editorial Baroness Warnock has ignited a passionate debate on provision for special educational needs. While a renewed debate may well be timely, as Lady Warnock says, the political and media input so far is not necessarily illuminating. Features section 'All change' or 'Plus ca change…'? Chris Waterman, our Children's Services Editor, gives his progress report on the Children's Agenda, launched two years ago. |
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Just How Independent is Ofsted? Ron Glatter, Visiting Professor in Education at the Open and Warwick Universities, suggests that if Ofsted wants to sustain an image of independence, it should draw more openly on other research to place its reports in a wider context of knowledge-building. What is Happening in Wales Our Wales Editor, Professor Ken Reid, outlines recent developments in Welsh education against the background of the growing divergence between England and Wales following the creation of the Assembly. Wales Gerson Davies, Director of Education at Pembrokeshire County Council, explains the three propositions that underpin the education service in Wales: it is a community of educators; it relies on the full contribution of its stakeholders; its future lies in building on this education community and strengthening its capacity. Jobcentre Plus Peter Marshall, a training officer at North Devon College, exposes the flaws in the Government's policies concerning provision of work-based learning, especially concerning the New Deal for Disabled People. Short reports A new website from the Anti-bullying Alliance; the launch of a new research institute, IRIS; a support network for NQTs; the extended schools prospectus; and a new development programme from NCSL. Letter from Scotia Our Scotland Editor, John Dobie writes about reaction to the Scottish Executive's consultation on the draft Scottish Bill, Making the difference - improving parents' involvement in schools. Media Watch A-levels, parental involvement, literacy and special needs are all in the media spotlight. General section Conference Our Scotland Editor, John Dobie, reports on a major conference in Scotland, "Education Reform: Ambitions for Young People", organised by Holyrood Events. Opinion John Izbicki talks about the PricewaterhouseCoopers report on Academies and pays tribute to David Hart, as he retires as General Secretary of the NAHT. Times Were When The question of whether Greek should be retained as a part of the requirements for a degree in arts, from a British Medical Journal of 1905. Fun Page Jokes and quotes and cartoons on the lighter side. Reference section Document reviews The documents reviewed this month are Spiritual and Moral Development across the Curriculum in Catholic Schools from CRDCE and HIV in Schools: good practice guide to supporting children infected or affected by HIV from the Children and Young People HIV Network. Document Digest Reports Digest Reports from LEAs include Oxfordshire's strategy for school improvement; Warwickshire advice on partnership in primary school governance; governor recruitment in Brent; and involving young people in a mandate for change in Surrey. Obituary We record with regret the death of Baroness Emily Blatch, former deputy leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords. People Two former Secretaries of State for Education go to the House of Lords; the Queen's birthday honours; a new director of children's services at Redbridge London borough council; and a new trustee for the Trident Trust. Research section Research Digest Research Notes Our Research Editor, Michael Marshall, on the debate concerning the reliability of statistics used by Government as evidence of improving standards. Annual Survey of Primary Trends Sarah Knight, Lesley Kendall and Claire Easton report on the independent survey from NFER, which collects and shares up-to-date information from primary school headteachers and tracks changes in headteachers' opinions. Short Research Reports Brief reports on obesity, smoking and professional learning communities. Private Tuition Judy Ireson, of the London University Institute of Education, looks at the statistics on private tuition in evaluating its effectiveness. Parliamentary section Westminster: the Queen's Speech Debates Nick Kent, editor of Education Parliamentary Monitor, reports on the debates on the Queen's Speech in the Commons and the Lords. Wales: School Transport Helen Grimmett, Editor of EPM Wales, reports on the Welsh Assembly's debate about school transport. Wales: School Funding Now that the Opposition parties have a majority of one in the Welsh Assembly, they defeated the WAG and forced it to accept a new committee to investigate school funding. Scotland: Children's Services Arabella Hargreaves reports on the Deputy First Minister's statement on the development of children's services in Scotland. Scotland: Barnardo's The centenary of Dr Barnardo's death gave an opportunity for the Scottish Parliament to debate the needs of children today. Parliamentary Questions Answers to written parliamentary questions from the House of Commons include bullying, faith communities and foundation schools. Questions from the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly include assaults on teachers and the Welsh Baccalaureate. Phoenix A 90-minute feature film of The Trojan Women from students at a Manchester sixth form college. Lords and Ladies and Knights. |