EDUCATION
Let Sikh pupils wear ceremonial daggers, judge says
Guardian
08/02/2010
Britain's first Asian judge, Sir Mota Singh, says Sikhs should not be banned from wearing kirpans to school or work.
Tougher rules to stop abuse of student visa system
BBC
07/02/2010
The Government have announced new measures with immediate effect. These are a requirement to speak English to near-GCSE level, a reduction in working hours for students below degree level, those on short courses will not be able to bring dependants, and visas for courses below degree level with a work placement will only be granted if the institution is on a new register, the Highly Trusted Sponsors List.
EDUCATION - FURTHER EDUCATION
Business leaders have hailed the Government’s flagship Train to Gain programme, saying it has helped them provide vital training to their staff during the downturn
LSC
04/02/2010
An LSC survey of employers who use Train to Gain reveals 80% were likely to recommend the initiative to other employers and use it again themselves and 41% said Train to Gain had helped them cope with the recession.
Funding bodies plan is a "mess", says MPs
Times Educational Supplement
05/02/2010
MPs in the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee have criticised the creation of two new funding agencies for further education as a "bureaucratic mess" and questioned whether it will bring any benefits.
Slashed funding leaves 7,000 jobs under threat
Times Educational Supplement
05/02/2010
The Association of Colleges claims that 7,000 jobs are at risk across English FE colleges as cuts of nearly £200m threaten to close numerous adult training courses.
EDUCATION - HIGHER EDUCATION
Campus Islamic extremists under police scrutiny
BBC
04/02/2010
Higher Education Minister David Lammy has said the government is concerned about a number of universities that are particularly at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremists and that Special Branch officers are being deployed to these institutions.
Disabled students wait for specialist equipment grants
BBC
05/02/2010
Almost 12,500 students in England are still waiting for grants to pay for specialist equipment, figures from the Student Loans Company show.
Employer-responsive provision survey: A reflective report
QAA
03/02/2010
The QAA has published its findings on the extent and perceptions of employer-responsive provision among higher education institutions.
Fees 'no substitute' for Treasury funding
Times Higher Education
04/02/2010
Details of evidence given at the hearings for the Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance by Universities UK, Hefce, former Education Secretary Charles Clarke, a professor of public economics at the London School of Economics and the Institute of Fiscal Studies.
Government must scrap university fines says Worcester vice chancellor
Birmingham Post
08/02/2010
Professor David Green, vice chancellor at the University of Worcester, has called on the Government to scrap fines for universities who over-recruit, as demand for places increases.
Libel law: Scientists to have their say
Times Higher Education
04/02/2010
Scientists will be represented on a government working group tasked with considering possible reform of the UK's libel laws.
Refusal to comply on impact failing to sink grant applications
Times Higher Education
04/02/2010
Information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveals how academics have described the potential impact of their work in applications for research council funding. Researchers who refuse to predict the future "impact" are not necessarily less likely to secure funding.
The days of plenty are gone, so let's embrace the employer-led degree
Guardian
09/02/2010
An opinion article suggests that newer universities, without the benefit of wealthy benefactors or research income, must develop innovative ways of delivering higher education and generating income.
Two-tier system should replace ‘ramshackle’ university governance
Times Higher Education
08/02/2010
Roger Brown, professor of higher education policy at Liverpool Hope University, argues that current university governance arrangements are “ramshackle” and should be replaced with a two-tier system in which separate “courts” represent staff and student interests.
Universities face crisis as cuts crash in on academia
Guardian
08/02/2010
Details on some of the proposed reductions in academic posts at various universities.
University applications reach record levels for fourth year in a row
Guardian
09/02/2010
Ucas figures reveal that university applications have increased by 23%, leaving more than 200,000 students without places as funding for places is cut.
EDUCATION - SCHOOLS
"Assessment only" route into profession
Times Educational Supplement
05/02/2010
Classroom staff will be eligible for Qualified Teacher Status simply by providing evidence of their skills, without undertaking any teacher training, under plans proposed by the Government's Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).
"Free schools" charity shows support for admissions lotteries
Times Educational Supplement
05/02/2010
The New Schools Network, a charity set up to support the Conservatives' proposed new state-funded independent schools, is consulting on how the current admissions code could be simplified.
Academies demand to teach "banned" elite courses
Guardian
04/02/2010
The Independent Academies Association have said in their new manifesto that the government must be less prescriptive about the qualifications it allows schools to offer so they could teach iGCSEs. They also call for parents to be able to demand academies wherever they want.
Charity Commission welcomes withdrawal of proposed exempt charity status for academies
Charity Commission
02/02/2010
The Charity Commission has expressed its approval of the Government's decision to withdraw the proposal to deem academy schools exempt charities from the Children, Schools and Families Bill 2009. The Commission believed that making academies exempt charities would reduce transparency and may damage public trust and confidence in academies and in charity.
Conservatives plan school powers shift from councils
BBC
07/02/2010
Local authorities in England could lose many of their planning powers regarding schools if the Conservatives win the general election. A draft of the Conservatives' planning policy says decisions on new school buildings would be made by the Secretary of State and anyone would be able to turn an existing building into a school without the need for planning permission.
Consultation on the draft new ‘School Governance (Transition from an Interim Executive Board)(England) Regulations 2010
DCSF
03/02/2010
Consultation on draft regulations that update the School Governance (Transition from an Interim Executive Board) (England) Regulations 2004 to take full account of new models of school governance. It is also proposed to replace the duty on local authorities to appoint a shadow governing body as part of the transitional arrangements from an Interim Executive Board to a normally constituted governing body, with a power.
Faith schools take flak as Equality Bill debate hots up
Times Educational Supplement
05/02/2010
The extent to which faith schools can "discriminate" against teachers on religious grounds has come under fire as the Equality Bill is debated in Parliament.
Headteachers say Labour's £1bn cuts will "decapitate" schools
Observer
07/02/2010
Headteachers were warned at a government-funded conference to "tighten their belts" and prepare for tough times ahead, despite a budget pledge that education spending would be protected. The DSCF is also planning to produce a document with examples of how to reduce costs.
Just how hard will schools be hit by higher education's budget crisis?
Times Educational Supplement
05/02/2010
This article considers how the huge cuts in university funding will impact on schools. It suggests disadvantaged pupils being squeezed out, closures and shortages of new teachers in certain subjects are possibilities.
