Archive for November, 2008
Moving from small to super-size school
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Education on 28/11/2008
The transition from primary to secondary school can be very difficult for pupils – yet surprisingly it’s an issue which doesn’t tend to be granted much attention.
To the NMC: show some leadership
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 27/11/2008
The Nursing & Midwifery Council has been all over the news the last couple of days with its advice that nurses should no longer use terms such as ‘love’ when communicating with the elderly. Seems harmless enough, but is it really a good place to be if we need government or official bodies to tell us how best to behave?
Perverse economics
Posted by James Gubb in Uncategorized on 26/11/2008
Watching the news last night, a friend asked why people are saying tax cuts at the present time may be a bad, not a good, idea. The point is this. In the long-run huge budget deficits matter, and they matter a lot. While I’m all for tax cuts in the grand scheme of things, deficit-funded tax cuts are not the way forward. They will only increase the budget deficit and multiply the problems we have.
School Head’s Alleged Incompetence Seems Just a Load of …
Posted by Nick Cowen in Religion on 25/11/2008
John Loughborough School is a mixed comprehensive school situated in the London borough of Haringey. Originally established there as an independent school in the early 1980s, after a brief period as a grant-maintained school, it gained voluntary-aided status in 1998.
The school was established by the Seventh Day Adventist church with which it remains affiliated. It was founded to provide a high-quality Christian education for local children of African and Caribbean background. The school is comparatively small, having a roll of approximately 300 children.
A “hobbled giant”: Europe Losing Clout in 2025
Posted by Pete Quentin in European Union on 24/11/2008
A new report by the National Intelligence Council has given a damning “estimation” of the EU in 2025, including an assertion that the “Europe will not step up to the plate and take the lead.” (P4).
In the American report, which predicts the geopolitical landscape in 2025, the EU does not feature prominently. However where it does appear (most noticeably in the section entitled ‘Europe: Losing Clout in 2025’ p.32) the report is less than favourable about the EU’s prognosis, “We believe Europe by 2025 will have made slow progress toward achieving the vision of current leaders and elites.”
Ofsted on schools – and experts on Ofsted
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Education on 21/11/2008
This week saw the release of Ofsted’s Annual Report – and a book from Civitas, Inspecting the Inspectorate, which cast some doubt over Ofsted’s authority to judge the quality of the nation’s schools.