CIVITAS: Education

Institute for the Study of Civil Society

14 June

Primary and Secondary Education

The Times cites Civitas research which indicates that schools are inflating their league table positions by entering their pupils for 'easier' vocational qualifications rather than GCSEs, many of which are worth 2 or 4 GCSE grades. In one school in Lincolnshire, 39% of pupils gained 5 GCSEs or equivalent last year; when only GCSEs were included, the figure was 1%. Times
An investigation by the Times refutes Department of Education figures about the proportion of school budgets which will be returned from local authorities when schools change status to academies. The government has cited an average of 11%, whereas many councils contacted by the Times suggested academies could expect a 3-4% gain. Ultimately, the DfE, not local authorities will decide how much will be returned based on the value of services the council provides. Times
The number of parents appealing to get their child into the primary school of their choice has doubled in the last four years to almost 40,000. The number of children admitted to primary schools remained the same over the period. The government has cited this - and the fact that September will see the largest influx of pupils starting school for over a decade - to support their 'free schools' policy. Guardian

England's 35 state boarding schools have called on the government to reform policies on healthy food, arguing that it's absurd that they are bound by the same rules as day schools. Under rules introduced in 2007, schools are banned from serving sugary and high fat foods in vending machines and canteens between 8am - 6pm. A headmaster complains that it is illegal for him to feed his boarders a sticky bun after school. Telegraph

Psychologist and author Dr Aric Sigman told a conference of childcare specialists last week that the premature introduction of ICT in early years education 'subverts skills...such as the ability to pay attention for sustained periods' and called to delay ICT education until age 9. The Early Years curriculum states that from 40 months, children should be able 'to perform simple ICT functions, such as select a channel on the TV remote control and use a mouse and keyboard to use age-appropriate software'. Telegraph

A government document setting out the benefits of the academy system state that attending an academy will add an average to £100,000 to each child's earning potential - an increase in productivity realised by higher passes at GCSE. Educationalists are cynical about the claim. Times

Councils have warned that services for children with special needs may suffer in the wake of transfers to academy status. The 10% of school budgets which councils hold is used to provide support services; academies will be able to choose how to source these needs and may look to the private sector. BBC

The charity Beatbullying has found that 26 of the 59 cases of suicide among 10-14 year olds reported in the national media were linked to intimidating behaviour or bullying directly. It called on the government for more official data on child suicide - it was not able to find further information on many of the 176 recorded suicides between 2000-2008. BBC

Tesco is selling a school uniform for £3.75 - polo shirts at 50p, sweaters at £1.75 and trousers or skirts for £1.50 - and the price will remain the same for three to 16 year olds. Sainsbury's entire uniform costs £4.66 and Asda £6. From September, they will sew individual school badges onto some uniform items. Mail

Speaking to one of the 1,000 schools who have already applied to become academies, it seems that it is freedom and extra funds which have enticed them to seek the change of status. Looking forward to moving back to a status similar to their 'grant-maintained' position pre 1997, the school is set to receive between 8-10% of their budget back from the local authority; it will also get a one off grant of £25,000 - although the government estimates the transfer will cost £66,000. Times

Planning permission given to a fast food outlet - Fried and Fabulous - to be set up near a school with a healthy eating policy has been overturned by a court, which deemed that Tower Hamlets had acted unlawfully to give the go-ahead. The school - containing 1,700 pupils - and local residents, had objected to the move. Guardian

Higher and Further Education

In an interview with the Guardian, Universities Minister David Willetts commented that students' 'degree courses [were] a burden on the taxpayer that had to be tackled'. He added that students should consider fees 'more as an obligation to pay higher income tax' than a debt. He also commented that Labour's changes to the system had not contained strong incentives for universities to concentrate on excellent teaching rather than research. Guardian

Almost three quarters of universities are cutting or freezing places for British undergraduates this year, despite the record 15% surge in applications. One vice-chancellor warned that as many as 220,000 students could be left without degree courses because of the pressure on places - there are around seven applications for each place. Telegraph

In 2008-09, universities generated £3 billion in revenues from private partners and providing services to the public sector. This sum came in a fiscal year when Britain was facing a recession with GDP falling by 2%. Revenues from contract research stood at £937 million. Times

A study by thinktank Reform Scotland argues that higher education should not be a free entitlement to Scots - it suggests that graduates should pay towards costs once they earn more than the average salary. It also calls for means tested loans to be scrapped to allow students to claim the maximum, to ensure there are no students who are financially unable to go to university yet left paying taxes which fund others. BBC

This year's universities 'Green League' has seen the two Plymouth universities take top and bottom place respectively. Studying at a low ranking university is likely to add around a third to a student's carbon footprint. Amid a 7% increase in staff and student headcount, carbon emissions have climbed 25% since 2005. Guardian

Can a mentor help where personal motivation and family pressure sometimes let you down? The Times meets two young people and two mentors who hope this will be the case. Times

Russian oligarch, Leonard Blavatnik, is set to fund a new Institute of Public Policy at Oxford University. The donation is expected to exceed £50 million to allow the institute to rival the Kennedy School of government at Harvard. Times

A college lecturer is sacked for slapping a student on the thigh to quieten her during a fire alarm. Telegraph

Family

Research into the health of 15,162 babies born after IVF assisted conceptions found that 4.24% had serious malformations - double the rate for all children. The study was done in France, but has implications for Britain, where 200,000 babies have been born after assisted conception since 1991 but data protection laws render it impossible to trace an increased level of malformation. Times

A Trade Union Congress study has warned of a growing north-south divide in employment levels and opportunities. In London and the North East, ratios of claimants to vacancies are far worse than the average of five-to-one. The latest unemployment figures will be published on Wednesday and are expected to show the jobless rate stuck at 8% - it stands at the highest rate in 15 years. Guardian

Novelist Melvin Burgess draws upon experience to extol his wisdom on the perfect family unit: he argues that, ultimately, stability and support is all children need. Guardian