Last updated 01/10/2007
EDUCATION - FURTHER EDUCATION
Case of the vanishing students
The Guardian
25/09/2007
All colleges have been losing students since the government severely sharpened the focus of its funding on three priorities: 16 to 18 year olds and two groups of adults - those lacking a level 2 qualification (5 GCSEs, grade A-C) and those with poor literacy.
Funds risk to colleges - Employers given go-ahead to develop skills qualifications and vie for cash to pay for them
The Times Educational Supplement
21/09/2007
The competition colleges face from private industry is destined to get hotter as employers win new freedoms under reforms of the qualifications system.
EDUCATION - HIGHER EDUCATION
Britain lagging in education sector growth
The Guardian
18/09/2007
Britain's higher education system is expanding less rapidly than that of many of its economic competitors, a report from OECD warns.
Midland Unis lead climate change fight
Birmingham Post
21/09/2007
A group of midland universities, including Birmingham, will lead Britain's £1 billion bid to develop low-carbon energies of the future to tackle climate change.
Private tuition booms
The Times Higher Education Supplement
21/09/2007
Better off under-graduates gain advantage as contact time shrinks and class sizes grow. Undergraduates are increasingly turning to private tutors, according to tutoring agencies, amid concerns that they are ill-prepared for higher education and are not getting enough support from their universities.
'Second wave' of China initiatives ahead
The Times Higher Education Supplement
21/09/2007
UK universities are exploring fresh opportunities to open campuses in China, amid signs that the country may not have closed the door on further foreign higher education ventures, as previously believed.
Sector must be set free, says Trainor
The Times Higher Education Supplement
21/09/2007
Universities need the "managerial autonomy of private sector entrepreneurs" to be efficient and effective, according to the new president of Universities UK.
Time bomb
The Guardian
25/09/2007
Students in Europe are getting far more hours of tuition than those in the UK, says key study. The fallout could be serious.
EDUCATION - SCHOOLS
Brown backs 'personal' learning
BBC Education News
24/09/2007
Gordon Brown has called for an education system which values the individual talents of all - with the promise of more personalised learning. Addressing Labour's annual conference, the prime minister promised a personal tutor for every secondary school pupil. He said youngsters from low-income families would be funded from the age of 16 through to leaving university.
Independents feel the pinch as fees spiral
The Times Educational Supplement
21/09/2007
Independent schools are in danger of driving away tens of thousands of children if they continue with inflation-busting fee increases, according to a MTM Consulting report. The author of the report said schools were beginning to find that affordability was affecting their ability to attract pupils.
No limit on A-level resits, watchdog rules
The Guardian
21/09/2007
Exam boards will continue to allow students to resit A-level modules as often as they like, the government's exams watchdog, the QCA has announced.
Online marking of exams 'faulty'
BBC Education News
22/09/2007
Increased online marking of exam papers could be linked to rising numbers of inaccurate grades, the National Association of Head Teachers says. The Association is collecting evidence of inaccurate results and demands for papers to be marked again.
Private schools defend public image
The Guardian
24/09/2007
Independent schools have hit back at a survey published today by the Fabian Society which found that two-thirds of voters are opposed to private education.
Schools urged to use police in crackdown on cyberbullying
The Guardian
21/09/2007
Ministers are urging schools to involve police in the most serious cases of cyberbullying of pupils and staff in a new crackdown on the "unacceptable" and "insidious" use of new technology.
UK and China sign e-learning deal
BBC Education News
24/09/2007
An online education initiative between the UK and China is being launched - with plans to provide "e-learning" for 20 million Chinese students. The deal, signed at the DCSF on Monday, will see a partnership between the UK's LP+ group and the Chinese media company, Sun Media.
Victims will be allowed say in punishing of school bullies
Daily Telegraph
20/09/2007
Under guidance to be published on September 21, 2007 by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, victims of school bullying will be given a say in the punishment of the perpetrator to ensure pupils see punishments as fair and give victims greater confidence. The guidance will also outline measures to tackle cyber-bullying, including confiscating mobile phones, lessons on the risks of new technology and blocks on access to websites such as YouTube on school computers.
