EDUCATION
Child protection worries over lack of powers to vet foreigners
Guardian
14/12/2009
Sir Roger Singleton, chairman of the Independent Safeguarding Authority, has raised concerns that foreigners will escape full checks designed to prevent abusers working with children and vulnerable adults because there are "significant barriers" preventing government officials obtaining details of criminal offences committed abroad.
Government accepts all Sir Roger Singleton’s recommendations on vetting and barring
DCSF
14/12/2009
Children’s Secretary Ed Balls has accepted all of Sir Roger Singleton’s recommendations to make sure that the Government’s Vetting and Barring scheme draws the line in the right place and he has pledged to make the necessary adjustments to the rules of the scheme. It is estimated that the number of people who will be required to register will fall from 11 million to 9 million. Infrequent visitors to schools such as authors, foreign exchanges, and older pupils participating in work experience and community placements, will now be excluded from the scheme.
Schools 'get off lightly' in pre-budget report, but universities prepare for cuts
Guardian
09/12/2009
The Chancellor has announced in the Pre-Budget Report that between 2011 - 2013 schools will get 0.7% real-terms increase and funding for 16- to 19-year-olds in sixth forms and colleges will get a 0.9% increase. Meanwhile universities will have to make savings of £600m, and the DCSF savings of £350m from their central budgets and quangos before 2013.
EDUCATION - FURTHER EDUCATION
Bogus colleges: the government reply to the eleventh report from the Home Affairs Committee session 2008-09 HC 595
Home Office
10/12/2009
The Government has highlighted a new offence under the Companies Act 2006 of carrying on business under a name that gives so misleading an indication of the nature of the business's activities as to likely to cause harm to the public which came into force on October 1, 2009. The Government believes this provision will address the problem of bogus colleges and misuse of the term "college" more generally.
Chancellor hands FE £200m to meet September guarantee
Times Educational Supplement
11/12/2009
The Pre-Budget Report gave an unexpected £200 million to 16 - 19 funding for next year, but adult skills funding will be cut by a further £300 million by 2013, on top of the £340 million of savings already identified. The LSC has said it will phase out "transitional rates" which are paid to small sixth forms and colleges over the next three years.
Darling offers more support for young unemployed
Guardian
09/12/2009
The Chancellor has extended the pledge to provide a place in education or training for every 16- or 17-year-old, and brought forward the pledge from April's Budget for unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds to have guaranteed work or training after six months instead of twelve months.
Record 1.6 million 16-19 year old learners for 2010-11
DCSF
14/12/2009
Ministers have announced they will continue to invest in the futures of 16 - 19 year olds as they unveiled a £8.2billion package – despite tighter spending conditions. The plans include an additional £30million on capital builds, on top of the £240million already assured. Details of the projects will be announced later in the week subject to sign-off from the LSC.
Green Light for College Capital Projects
LSC
14/12/2009
The Learning and Skills Council has approved two new Further Education college capital projects in Manchester and Lancashire. Manchester College will be revitalising its campus in Wythenshawe and Lancashire, Skelmersdale and Ormskirk College, now part of Newcastle College, will create a new campus in the centre of Skelmersdale.
Teachers spend their spare time on compulsory training
Times Educational Supplement
11/12/2009
Teachers are being forced to carry out compulsory professional development training in their own time as their employers cancel time off for training because they are needed to cover for other members of staff.
EDUCATION - HIGHER EDUCATION
Academy denounces £600 million funding cut
Times Higher Education
10/12/2009
Leading figures have warned that the sector faces an ‘incredibly difficult’ struggle to maintain standards as a result of cuts of £600m to government funding for universities and research.
EU to triple Chinese exchanges
Times Higher Education
10/12/2009
The European Union is to triple the number of student exchanges with China by 2018.
How HEFCE counts students for funding purposes
Hefce
15/12/2009
Information and guidance on the way Hefce counts students for teaching funding purposes.
Leading Sustainable Development in Higher Education: priority access to the Leadership, Governance and Management Fund
Hefce
09/12/2009
Hefce have announced from early 2010 they will be inviting proposals for projects that support sustainable development to receive funding from the Leadership, Governance and Management Fund. They have also announced they will be publishing a carbon reduction target and strategy for higher education in January 2010.
Peer pressure: review's timing could thrust fees in to the election spotlight
Times Higher Education
10/12/2009
The Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance made its first call for evidence on 7th December. The second call for evidence is likely to be in Spring 2010 and will focus on policy options. The timing means tuition fees would be in the spotlight shortly before the general election, which is likely to be held in May.
Reframe the ‘toxic’ language of fees, v-c urges
Times Higher Education
11/12/2009
This article discusses the viewpoints raised at Universities UK debate on options for the future of higher education funding.
Regulating higher education institutions as charities: Consultation on Hefce's information requirements as principal regulator
Hefce
07/12/2009
Consultation setting out proposals on how higher education institutions are to provide information to Hefce to enable the organisation to fulfil its new statutory role as principal regulator of HEIs as charities.
Report damns Student Loan Company’s ‘conspicuous failures’
Times Higher Education
08/12/2009
The Student Loans Company’s claim that a lack of funds was to blame for huge delays in processing loan applications has been rejected by a critical report that calls for an overhaul of senior management.
Revisions to Financial Memorandum: Consultation on changes to the funding agreement between HEFCE and institutions
Hefce
07/12/2009
Consultation on changes to the Financial Memorandum between Hefce and higher education institutions. It incorporates a consultation on revisions to the Accountability and Audit Code of Practice.
Task force to help extend position of UK as world leader in online learning
Hefce
08/12/2009
An Online Learning Task Force has been set up to help the UK higher education sector maintain and extend its position as a world leader in online learning. The task force, chaired by Dame Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library, will make recommendations to HEFCE and other relevant government agencies and institutions.
UCU backs off on pay, but vows to fight job cuts
Times Higher Education
10/12/2009
Higher education staff look set to settle for a 0.5 per cent pay rise after the University and College Union decided not to oppose the offer.
Weak pound may boost overseas student market
Times Higher Education
10/12/2009
A weak pound and an economic surge among emerging nations could lead to a healthier overseas market for UK universities in 2010, according to Robin Bew, editorial director and chief economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
EDUCATION - SCHOOLS
Academies accused of dumbing down
BBC
14/12/2009
Research from the think-tank Civitas claims academies push pupils into taking exams that are less academically rigorous than GCSEs to boost their league table position. However academies are exempt from Freedom of Information rules and are not obliged to release the breakdown of their results like other schools.
Consultation on New Regulations for the Implementation of the Service to Handle Parents and Young People’s Complaints About School Matters
DCSF
15/12/2009
Consultation on draft regulations underpinned by legislation set out in sections 206-224 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009. The Act extends the remit of the Local Government Ombudsman to enable investigation of complaints from parents and young people in relation to individual school matters.
Fury as Chancellor pegs pay rises at 1 per cent
Times Educational Supplement
11/12/2009
All teachers will have their pay rises capped at a maximum of 1% for two years from 2011, raising the risk of industrial action.
Meet Rosie, the 11-year-old Westie who sent watchdog barking mad
Times Educational Supplement
11/12/2009
An Ofsted inspector demanded a private school carry out a risk assessment on the headteacher's dog because it wandered the corridors.
Parents set to get more choice on when their children start primary school
DCSF
10/12/2009
The revised School Admissions Code has been published. It comes into force in February 2010 and will apply to admission arrangements from September 2011. It means that all local authorities will now have a legal duty to give parents the same flexibility and choice over school starting dates. Parents who do not want their child to start school at age four will be entitled to free full-time early learning and childcare, in maintained nursery schools and classes or in private, voluntary and independent sector provision.
Teachers petition Prime Minister to end four-term supply limit for NQTs
Times Educational Supplement
11/12/2009
Teachers have launched a campaign to change the rules that mean they lose their qualifications if they fail to find a full-time job after 16 months.
Vernon Coaker: Bullying incidents to be recorded to help schools clamp down on bullies
DCSF
10/12/2009
The Government has published new guidance on sexist, sexual and transphobic bullying for schools, and three consultation papers relating to bullying. The consultations cover the new duty for schools to record and report incidents of bullying, new powers for governing bodies to use off-site alternative provision to tackle bad behaviour before it escalates to a point where exclusion is necessary, and draft guidance to transform the quality of alternative provision.
