Archive for November, 2009
Something to sleep on
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Education, Health on 27/11/2009
I was astonished when one of my pupils, aged nine, regaled the class with details of the previous night: whereas I had been out-for-the-count for a good hour or so, she had been competing against Olympic superstars in an array of winter sports available on the latest Nintendo DSi system, and it seems she wasn’t alone. Early bedtime stories and warm milk have been replaced by late night alpine skiing and figure skating.
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Reviving the ‘corpse’ of PbC
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 26/11/2009
‘A corpse not for resuscitation’ the primary care czar, David Colin-Thome recently said of practice-based commissioning recently in an apparent lapse of concentration, protocol (or is it actually becoming DH policy)? Roll on a month and we have the latest report attempting to provide the holy grail. Read the rest of this entry »
Musical Chairs
Posted by Claire Daley in European Union, Uncategorized on 25/11/2009
As President of the EU Commission, José Manuel Barroso has begun the tricky task of distributing the portfolios for the 2009-2014 term; one Commissioner from each of the EU’s 27 member states will be responsible for setting and managing EU policy in a particular area. Member states are currently engaged in a game of ‘musical chairs’ to win the most influential seats, so when the music stops, who will end up in a pile on the floor?
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Who Might Well Have Good Reason to Want to Put Back the Hands of Time
Posted by David Conway in Education, Immigration, Politics, Race and Equality on 24/11/2009
According to statistics published by the DCSF last week, the group of 11 year olds doing least well at school in England are white boys of British heritage from low-income homes that render them eligible for free school-meals. In 2009, while nearly three quarters of 11 year olds met target levels of attainment in English and maths, a figure which includes over half of ‘Black’ boys eligible for free school meals, fewer than half of their white British counterparts did. Moreover, whereas the attainment level of ‘Black’ boys eligible for free school meals increased, that of their white British counterparts fell.
700 medical students join new society to debate future of health care
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 23/11/2009
Today sees the official launch of a new society founded by medical students for medical students, with the help of Civitas.
Young Civitas for Medics aims to plug a gap in the medical curriculum by providing an open and impartial arena for students to learn how the NHS works and debate the future of health policy.
You can read more at YCfM’s website here, and the press release here.
Practical proposals
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Education on 20/11/2009
Shortly after a re-opening of the debate on ‘licences to teach’, teacher quality has come to the forefront of the US education agenda.