Pension cuts, school places and a new language available at GCSE? The snow’s melted and schools are open again, but the relentless cycle of education news never stops… Oxford set to reverse support for pension cuts amid staff strikes – BBC Oxford will now join other universities, including Cambridge, calling for a rethink to University UK’s proposed changes to their … Read More
What does it take to be a world-class teacher?
A teacher from Brent has been nominated in the top 10 best teachers in the Global Teacher Prize, organised by the Varkey Foundation, with the winner to receive $1m (£720,000). The finalists have been drawn from more than 30,000 nominations in 173 countries. What’s the award? The competition is intended to raise the status of the teaching profession, and … Read More
Are baseline tests for four year-olds a good idea?
New education secretary Damien Hinds wants to push forward with his predecessor’s plan for baseline tests for 4 and 5 year-olds in the first few weeks of reception. Minerva takes a balanced, even-handed look at why this is clearly a terrible idea. The new baseline tests, it has been suggested, would begin in 2020 (after a trial in September … Read More
Education News Weekly – 18th January, 2018
Grade inflation at universities, double standards for inappropriate teachers and a blistering attack on the Department for Education, in our first education news roundup of 2018… Headteacher: ‘If the DfE were a school it’d be in special measures’ – TES Furious school leaders have attacked the Department for Education as not fit for purpose, providing no taxpayer value for … Read More
What can we expect from new Education ministers?
New year, new cabinet… Justine Greening’s out as education secretary, Jo Johnson’s been ‘demoted’ from his position as Universities minister, and there’s a new Office for Students (which, thankfully, will not include Toby Young). So what does it all mean for schools and universities? Well, Justine Greening quit her role in the government, refusing a job as work and pensions … Read More
Year in Review: Education News
2017 has been a crazy year in the world of education, with concerns about Brexit, British schools expanding into the wider world and of course Theresa May abandoning her flagship grammar schools policy after a disappointing election. But what else went on? Schools One of the biggest stories earlier in the year was that SRE (sex and … Read More
Education News Weekly – 21st December, 2017
LGBTQ+ issues on the school curriculum, Sesame Street helping Syrian refugees and an alternative Christmas message from the children survivors of Grenfell. Grenfell survivor children to give alternative Christmas message – BBC Five children who survived the Grenfell Tower fire will deliver this year’s alternative Christmas message. The message, broadcast on Channel 4 on Christmas Day, will urge people … Read More
Education News Weekly – 13th December, 2017
Two-year degrees, the danger of energy drinks and, of course, a national failure to deal with snow… Schools close due to snow (obviously) – Telegraph As some reading this will surely know, many, many schools have been closed recently due to the snow. Over 2700 schools were closed on Monday – including all council-run schools in Birmingham – with … Read More
Education News Weekly – 24th November, 2017
Tory childcare blunders, a glitter freeze at nurseries and… Is Mein Kampf back on the curriculum? Government failing families on childcare – Independent The cost of childcare for young children has risen more than four times faster than wages since 2008, research shows. New analysis published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) reveals that in England the average wages … Read More
Education News Weekly – 16th November, 2017
Church of England welcomes transgender children, bad news for grandparents and why girls should learn ‘banter’… Top headmistress suggests teaching girls ‘banter’ to deal with future work environments – Telegraph In a move that feels potentially like addressing the wrong problem, Lucy Elphinstone, headmistress of Francis Holland School, Sloane Square, has suggested that girls should be taught ‘banter,’ learn … Read More
