|
|
Education Journal No.94 (2006-4) |
|
Pandemic Flu: Our Finest Hour? Tim Stephens gives a view on avian flu from the USA and warns us not to rely only on medicine. Good planning is the key to survival. The Further Education White Paper George Low writes about the Further Education White Paper, which is all about skills and has very little to do with education. Legal Gaps in Exclusion Guidance Education Specialist, Mark Blois, writes about the case of an excluded student’s failed claim for damages against his school and the gaps in legal guidance this revealed. ‘Coasting’ to Intervention – New Rules for ‘Moderate’ Schools Our Children’s Services Editor, Chris Waterman, on local authorities’ new powers to intervene in ‘coasting’ schools and how this appears to contradict the Education and Skills White Paper’s vision of more autonomy for schools. Health Arabella Hargreaves provides an overview of current news and research in the field of children’s health, covering such issues as multitasking, the benefits of standing in class, ADHD and allergies. Letter from Scotia Our Scotland Editor, John Dobie OBE, makes no apologies for returning once again to the progress of the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Bill and the Education Committee’s Stage One Report. Wales Our Wales Editor, Professor Ken Reid, writes about the increasingly unique Welsh education system; the launch of initiatives to improve pupil transition; behaviour and attendance; and 16-19 provision. Media Report We report on the media reaction to Labour’s cash for honours scandal, as well as the redesign of the history curriculum and coverage of the conference season. General section Opinion John Izbicki remembers the ugliness of youth riots, police violence and the NUT conference in 1981. The final loss of teacher autonomy? Professor Colin Richards writes about the end of teacher autonomy following the Government’s announcement that primary schools must teach synthetic phonics. People Sir Menzies Campbell’s latest appointment. Fun Page Jokes, quotes, proverbs and a cartoon. Book Review: Understanding School Leadership Richard Beale reviews Understanding School Leadership, by Peter Earley and Dick Weindling. Conferences We report on the ASCL and NAS/UWT conferences in Birmingham; the major conference, A good local school for every child – Will the Education Bill deliver?; the TUC conference in London; the NUT conference in Torquay; and the ATL conference in Gateshead. Reference section Document Reviews The documents reviewed this month are Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances and Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading: final report from the DfES; and Annual Performance Assessment (APA) of Local Authority Children’s Services 2005: Report on outcomes and Good School Libraries: making a difference to learning from Ofsted. Document Digest Documents covered this month include Getting Equal: proposals to outlaw sexual orientation discrimination in the provision of goods and services from the DTI; Every Child Matters: primary capital programme, Further Education, Work-based Learning for Young People and Adult and Community Learning: Learner numbers in England on 1 October 2005, National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 2 to 3: Value added measures in England - 2004-05 (revised), Safer School Partnerships: Mainstreaming guidance and Youth Matters: next steps from the DfES; Tackling Child Poverty in Wales: a Good Practice Guide for Schools from ECPN; A Report on Welsh Immersion and Intensive Language Teaching Pilot Projects in Schools from Estyn; Budget 2006 Report: A strong and strengthening economy - Investing in Britain’s future from HM Treasury; Codes of Practice for Student Accommodation: Responses to consultation on approved codes from the ODPM; Early Years Leaflet: information for parents and carers using childcare services, Food for Thought: a survey of healthy eating in registered childcare and Healthy Eating in Schools from Ofsted. Reports Digest Reports from LEAs in this issue include those covering school attendance in Southampton; a town learning partnership in Northampton; building schools for the future in Sunderland; and an evaluation of the key working process in Warwickshire. Research section Research Digest Research Notes Our Research Editor, Michael Marshall, on claims that policy is often an “epiphenomenon”, recognising the ongoing changes that are actually its stated purpose. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has serious and immediate implications Samuel Chamberlain and Barbara Sahakian write about current scientific understanding of ADHD and why we need to raise awareness of it to facilitate improved treatments. Short Research Reports The A-level system, group work in primary schools, the brains of polyglots, government micromanagement and school meals. Parliament section Education and Inspections Bill Our Parliamentary Editor, Nick Kent reports on the debate on the Bill in the Commons. Wales Helen Grimmett, Editor of EPM Wales, reports on a debate in the Welsh Assembly on the fourth annual report of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales. Children’s services We report on a debate in the Welsh Assembly on services for, and strategies affecting, children. Scotland Arabella Hargreaves, editor of EPM Scotland, reports on a debate on treatment and rehabilitation for drug using parents. Duke of Edinburgh at 50 We report on a debate on the 50th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh’s award. Parliamentary Questions Subjects covered include those on children attending independent schools; the location of early excellence centres; exclusions of children with learning difficulty; and Welsh-medium GCSEs. Phoenix The Education Bill, retirements, three-legged races and Trust schools. |