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Education Journal No.98 (2006-8) |
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Decade 1996-2006 In the latest in our series of decade retrospectives marking our tenth anniversary and 100th issue, Martin Rogers, co-ordinator of the Children’s Services Network, looks back at the development of the children agenda. The Far Side of the SEN Inclusion Debate Dr Rona Tutt OBE, SEN consultant, writes on why the Government must work quickly to form a coherent pattern of special needs provision. School Reorganisation and Other Challenges Geoff Gee of EMIE at NFER on the 25th anniversary of EMIE and how its role has changed in response to changes in the role of local authorities. NFER and Children’s Services Dick Downing, Tamsin Chamberlain and Pippa Lord of NFER write about the Foundation’s research, before and after the Children Act, directly relating to Children’s Services. Cameron’s first Tory education policy The Conservatives’ new interim policy report on education, social care and social housing. Children’s Health This month’s health column covers the effect of tobacco and lead exposure on the development of ADHD, child obesity, the illusory link between breast feeding and intelligence, and the link between parental age and autism. Assessment: the 21st century landscape Marian Sainsbury of NFER discusses the central part testing and assessment have played in NFER’s work during its 60-year life. A Farthing for the Foundation Jeff Griffiths of NFER looks back at the 60-year history of the Foundation, from its first piece of major research on the 11-plus to its recent partnership with Queen’s University in Belfast. Letter from Scotia Our Scotland editor, John Dobie, on HMIE’s changing role in monitoring the performance of education authorities under the Standards in Scotland’s Schools and School Education acts. Short reports Investors in Families; a new FE qualification; parents. Media Watch The Public Accounts Committee’s spin surrounding its report on failing schools; 500 failing schools facing takeover; the education of children from ethnic minorities and the recent controversy over faith schools. General section Opinion John Izbicki on the media’s obsession with truancy and the effectiveness of governmental attempts to tackle the problem. Caroline Sharp and Dick Downing question the impact of research on policy and practice and how it could be made more useful. Ian Schagen argues that statistical literacy is the essential skill for educational managers. Our Wales editor, Professor Ken Reid, on how the nature of childhood and growing up has changed. Fun Page People New appointments at the Basic Skills Agency, the National College for School Leadership and Ofsted. Conferences We report on Aspect’s annual conference in Leeds; the three main party conferences; BERA’s annual conference at Warwick University and Professor Margaret Clark reports on the EECERA early childhood education conference. Reference section Document Reviews The documents reviewed this month are Improving Poorly Performing Schools from the PAC; Quality Management in Education from HMI and Academy Schools: case unproven from NAS/UWT. Document Digest With so many documents being released, this feature has been redesigned to include more publications. Reports Digest Reports from LEAs and CSAs, produced by EMIE at NFER, include those covering children missing education in Sheffield; child protection in places of worship in Haringey; guidance on the prevention and management of fixed-term exclusions in secondary schools in Gloucestershire; a project to establish an integrated service for disabled children, young people and their families in Warwickshire; and inter-agency child protection procedures in Northamptonshire. Research section Research Digest Research Notes Our research editor, Michael Marshall, looks at some of the papers from the recent BERA conference at Warwick University, featured in the conferences section. Active Citizenship: from policy to practice Elizabeth Cleaver and Julie Nelson of NFER discuss the increasing international interest in the concepts of citizenship, citizenship education and “active citizenship”. Short Research Reports Voluntary-aided schools taking in fewer children entitled to free school meals than other schools in their neighbourhoods; research on why the Government extended schools programme is not the answer for every school; how children who take music lessons could find it improves their memory and learning ability; and why mixed ability grouping has little impact on children’s attainment. Lessons in Effective Teaching and Learning Results from the first wave of research projects from the Teaching and Learning Research Programme investigating best practice in formal and informal educational settings in Britain. Parliament section The State’s aspirations for young people in care Our parliamentary editor, Nick Kent, reports on debates in the Commons and Lords following the publication of the long-awaited Green Paper, Care Matters. The Race for the Next Scottish Election Arabella Hargreaves, editor of EPM Scotland, on the Scottish Parliament’s first debate after the summer recess, which was on education policy. Working Together To Make Children Safer We report on a debate on child protection and the successful introduction of the C-me information sharing system in West Lothian. Science and School Funding reviews Helen Grimmett, editor of EPM Wales/Cymru, reports on debates in the Welsh Assembly on a review of science policy in Wales from the Enterprise, Innovations and Networks Committee, and the report of the School Funding committee. The Lisbon Agenda and the Skills gap in Wales We report on a debate on the use of European Union funding to help close the skills gap in Wales. Parliamentary Questions Answers to written parliamentary questions include those covering alcohol use and the educational maintenance allowance in the House of Commons; free school breakfasts and children’s play areas in the Welsh Assembly; and children’s services finance and school-based technicians in the Scottish Parliament. Phoenix Nordic walking, Alan Wells’ retirement and the TES. |