• Teachers, lawyers and education unions have spoken out to claim that the academies bill in parliament is 'anti-democratic'. They claim the provision to dispense with the legal right of parents, teachers and local authorities to oppose a school's change of status contradicts the 'Big Society' vision espoused by the Conservatives. A Professor in teaching has warned that academies' ability to pay higher salaries may starve state schools of teachers in shortage subjects. Guardian
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• According to Ofsted, teachers are failing to educate children in the core beliefs of Christianity, despite their legal obligation to do so. The body felt the quality of Religious Education had fell significantly in the three years since the last review and that teachers were using Bible stories to teach children about feelings and ethical judgement but failing to address their religious significance. Times


• The government's plans have been criticised after revelations that the secondary schools rated 'outstanding' take on 40% fewer poor pupils than the national average. Campaigners argue that as these schools will become academies, a two tier system will be created in which resources are focused on the most middle class schools. Fiona Millar comments that this has turned Labour's use of academies to tackle deprivation on its head. Guardian


• Michael Gove is to instruct the Charity Commission to lower the bar needed for private schools to retain their charitable status, meaning they will not have to provide as many bursaries for more deprived children if they are proving the necessary 'public benefit' by sharing teachers and facilities with comprehensives. Poorer institutions have complained they do not have the endowments to offer bursaries. Times


• Experts have said that Michael Gove and David Cameron are renegading on their promise to make it easier for head teachers to sack incompetent staff by scrapping the educational watchdog, the General Teaching Council. It is thought its disciplinary role will be subsumed within the Department for Education, which experts say will leave the process of sacking a teacher even more convoluted and bureaucratic. Times


• A review of special needs education is set to be announced amid concerns that schools and middle class parents are exploiting the system to gain their children extra teaching support and time in exams. Schools also have their exam scores adjusted to account for special needs. The number of children with special needs has increased by 82% in Devon since 2006, when this provision was introduced. Times


• The Times interviews David Ross, former Carphone Warehouse entrepreneur, whose second academy will open in September. He speaks of his aspiration to create a chain of 10 schools in a geographical cluster stretching from Northamptonshire to Grimsby. Times


• Numbering around 260,000, school governors are the largest group of volunteers in the country. Amid the removal of other vetoes, governing bodies hold the critical power of veto over whether a school converts to an academy and governors contacted by the Guardian have suggested they may block proposals, fearful they will be isolated from education support networks, that institutions will become increasingly competitive and less community-minded. Guardian


• The Local Government Association has called the cost of PE kits - which cost an average of £130 each - an 'unnecessary burden' on families. It has advised schools to opt for plain kits which are available in mainstream shops, rather than ones with distinctive logos or brands which reference the school. Guardian

• Vince Cable has announced that he intends to abandon the government's target based approach to university numbers, commenting that there 'needs to be a big national debate between excellence and quality on the one hand and bums on seats on the other hand'. Cable has suggested that further education and training represents better value for money; last week he implied that the sector had been neglected by Labour. Guardian


• A report for the Learning and Skills council has warned that 50 further education colleges could shut down as the sector downsizes. It calls for urgent action to address the financial health of the sector, leaving colleges obliged to deliver better value for money or risk failing. While mergers may take too long for some colleges, larger colleges are more efficient and gain higher Ofsted ratings. BBC


• The Oxford University Conservative Association has been embroiled in a sexism row just a year after a scandal over racism. It is alleged a visitor from Kings College London told a female speaker to 'shush' and 'go back to washing the dishes' instead of debating the state of comprehensive schools. Telegraph


• A man has been sentenced to jail after found guilty of corruptly awarding more than £1.3 million of contracts on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Telegraph

• The former president of the family division and head of family justice for England and Wales has commented that the lack of funding and increase in child protection cases has created an 'acute situation of crisis' in the family courts. Children can wait up to two years for courts to come to a decision, while remaining in environments of violence and parental conflict, and growing numbers of parents are representing themselves in court due 'advice deserts' caused by low and uncertain levels of legal aid funding. Guardian


• A professor of educational psychology at Oxford University has suggested that children who spend some hours away from the home each day may reap benefits later on, with those attending average to high quality nurseries left able to form better relationships at primary school. This puts her into dispute with an existing canon which recommends that mothers stay at home with their young children. Times


• A new Demos report argues that the presence of major retailers such as Asda or Tesco can encourage a sense of pride on struggling estates, as well as creating jobs, giving access to affordable food and raising the profile of the area. It advocates tax breaks to end the 'brand deserts' existing in deprived communities and also recommends the introduction of 'micro-mayors' to serve 1000-1500 people each. Guardian


• David Miliband's campaign for the Labour leadership is to be founded upon turning the Labour party into a 'grassroots movement for change'; he will channel a significant proportion of his campaign funds into retraining 1,000 Labour supporters as community organisers over the next three months. Ed Miliband is to encourage local Labour parties to push for the living wage (£7.14) through community organising. Guardian


• Scientists have found that children who have a regular bedtime perform better in languages, reading and maths than those who go to bed at various times. The study of 8000 four-year olds found that those getting under 11 hours sleep each night fell behind in their studies and that having a regular bedtime was the most consistent predictor of positive developmental outcomes. Telegraph

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