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Education Journal No.89 (2005-8)
Editorial |
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Mind the Gap between Expectation and Reality As the DfES consultation on the draft code of practice on school admissions comes to an end, we look at how the system of school admissions works, how it can be improved and potential problems that the Government has failed to address. Standards in Primary Schools - Part 2 In the second of a two-part article on standards, Professor Colin Richards asks questions about the definition of standards which have to be asked before a judgement can be made on whether standards are rising or falling. Could Activity-led Staffing Deliver? Our children's services editor, Chris Waterman, looks at a new approach to staffing schools as they adapt to the new role of 'extended school', delivering the Every Child Matters agenda. Summer Recess Our Wales editor, Professor Ken Reid, discusses education issues from Wales over the summer, including falling pupil numbers, extra tuition and the establishment of a committee to examine whether the Welsh Assembly Government spends as much on schools and pupils as in England. Standards for Classroom Teachers The TDA is inviting every teacher in England to take part in its widespread consultation on standards for classroom teachers and career progression. Mary Doherty, director of teachers' programme at the Training and Development Agency for Schools, explains why clear standards are important for classroom teachers. Northern Ireland The Government is proposing to merge the five education and library boards in Northern Ireland into one authority, after a report criticised the financial management of the existing boards. Scotland Glasgow is undertaking a major reorganisation of its primary schools that will see many of them close. Wales The Welsh School Workload Advisory Panel (SWAP) has published its first annual report. Letter from Scotia Our Scotland editor, John Dobie OBE, looks at what has happened over the last seven months concerning the re-organisation of local government in Scotland. Media Watch The exaggeration of truancy figures in The Times and the Independent, the decline in state school students continuing into higher education and increased drop-out rates and the draft code of practice for school admissions. Literacy Special This issue includes a four-page supplement giving details of the new look Literacy Today magazine. Every Child Matters: getting literacy on the agenda for change Viv Bird, social inclusion director at the National Literacy Trust, highlights the importance of home and community literacy and looks at how the introduction of Every Child Matters has provided a unique chance to incorporate a home and community literacy strand into the local authority's Children and Young People's Plan. The Best Method for Teaching Literacy Masha Bell, author of Understanding English Spelling, addresses the misconceptions surrounding the success of phonics and recommends a closer scrutiny of current research. General section Conferences We report on the NUT's National Education Conference in Nottingham; David Bell, HMI Chief Inspector's speech to the Principals' Professional Council in September; Ken Clarke's speech to the Centre for Social Justice; and Aspect (formerly NAEIAC)'s annual conference in the shadow of tower bridge. Opinion John Izbicki on summer disasters natural and man-made, counting swear words in the classroom and Tony Blair's new "respect task force". Fun Jokes, quotes and cartoons. References section Document Reviews The documents reviewed this month are Work-related Learning: the story so far from Ofsted; Academies Evaluation: 2nd annual report from PricewaterhouseCoopers; Changing Lives: adult literacy and numeracy in Scotland from HMIE and Learning Disability Taskforce: annual report 2004 from the Learning Disability Taskforce. Document Digest Documents covered this month include Working with 14-16-year-olds with Basic Skills Needs in FE Colleges from the Basic Skills Agency; Becoming a Teacher: student teachers' motives and preconceptions, and early school-based experiences during Initial Teacher Training, Guidance for Local Authorities on Target Setting at Key Stages 2, 3 and 4, and for Minority Ethnic Groups, Looked After Children and School Attendance, Implementation Review Unit: annual report 2004-05 - reducing bureaucracy in schools, Implementing Aimhigher: excellence challenge - the experiences of ten partnerships and Pupil Absence in Schools in England: 2004-05, Pupil Absence in Schools in England: 2004-05, all from the DfES; Changing Lives: adult literacy and numeracy in Scotland from HMIE; Sins of Admission from Iris; Breaking down the Barriers from LSDA; Every Child Matters: framework for the inspection of children's services, Every Child Matters: framework for the inspection of schools in England from September 2005, Improving Behaviour and Attendance in Primary Schools and Improving Behaviour and Attendance in Secondary Schools, all from Ofsted. Reports Digest Reports include those from Warwickshire LEA on giving a voice to pupils with special needs and an autistic spectrum disorder toolkit for teachers, and other reports on self-evaluation of special educational needs and setting up, running and evaluating projects with parents. Research section Research Digest Research papers and articles from the latest academic journals. Research notes Our research editor, Michael Marshall, looks at recent publications that examine where and how to look for good teaching practice on which to base policy. How Good Are Our Educational Statistics? NFER's Ian Schagen and Kate Ridley describe the results of a review of the ways in which educational statistics are collected, used and presented and the adequacy of the data for these purposes. Short Research Reports This month's brief reports on research projects cover research from Australia on a more student-centred approach to teaching and learning; evidence from HEPI that the Government will miss its 2010 target of 50 per cent of young people in higher education; vocational skills and evidence that ability grouping does not raise GCSE attainment. Pupil Mobility Feyisa Demie, head of research and statistics at Lambeth Education, reports on research that found mobile pupils were performing less well than stable pupils, but that this was not the only factor in their underachievement. State of School Leadership We report on Follow-up Research into the State of School Leadership in England, which shows how school leadership has changed. Parliamentary section Government Responses to the Education and Skills Committee Government responses to the Committee's second report (Education Outside the Classroom), sixth report (National Skills Strategy: 14-19 Education) and eighth report (Teaching Children to Read) of session 2004-2005. Scotland: Family Law Arabella Hargreaves reports on a debate on family law and children's services that took place during Stage One of the Family Law (Scotland) Bill. Wales: Questions to First Minister Education Parliamentary Monitor Wales editor, Helen Grimmett, reports on questions to the First Minister on priorities in education, debt among medical students and the future of sixth forms. Parliamentary Questions Answers to written parliamentary questions include those covering the Education Maintenance Allowance for Wales, and school spending and individual learning accounts in Scotland. Phoenix Chris Waterman's Sins of Admission; the many recent name changes of education organisations; and Rupert Murdoch's sale of the TES and THES. |