EDUCATION
Call for quango cull in education
BBC
13/08/2009
The Centre for Policy Studies think-tank suggests that two thirds of England's education quangos should be scrapped to save around £633m. The bodies targeted are the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency, the Training and Development Agency for Schools, Becta, and the National College for School Leadership.
Changes to the points based system
UK Border Agency
08/08/2009
Revised guidance for employers and education providers who sponsor migrant workers and students has been published. The guidance contains proposals to: - develop a new employer-led route for interns to sit alongside and complement the existing Government Authorised Exchange schemes; - help "milkround" recruitment campaigns to provide a better test of the resident labour market; - create an escalation route for university vice-chancellors and academic registrars through the use of a dedicated mailbox for urgent incidents requiring immediate attention, with a guaranteed response within 72 hours.
Degrees of freedom
Times Higher Education
13/08/2009
College-based higher education is enjoying high student demand for the support and employer links it offers. But as it grows and evolves, there are questions about strategy - and even what to call such providers.
Improving permitted development - consultation
Department for Communities and Local Government
30/07/2009
This consultation paper proposes to remove the need for a full planning application for some small scale developments by businesses and public services. Instead these developments will be permitted development or subject to a shorter process. This includes:
- universities and colleges could extend their premises or construct new buildings up to 100 square metres (subject to limitations),
- schools could extend their premises or construct new buildings up to 50 square metres (subject to limitations).
EDUCATION - FURTHER EDUCATION
LSIS state-of-sector annual report to stop short of naming and shaming
Times Educational Supplement
14/08/2009
The Learning and Skills Improvement Service will commission a report to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the English further education system. The organisation has also this week published its strategic ambitions for 2009 - 2012.
Mandelson to empower RDAs
Times Educational Supplement
14/08/2009
Lord Mandelson is considering radical plans for further education and training that would hand the power to set skills strategies and funding priorities to regional development agencies.
EDUCATION - HIGHER EDUCATION
Landlords and tenants attack crackdown on 'student ghettos'
Times
10/08/2009
Government plans to restrict multiple occupation of homes to clamp down on the 'studentification' of local communities have been criticised by the British Property Federation in their response to the consultation.
Poorer student grade plan backed
BBC
09/08/2009
Campaigners have welcomed an idea to give poorer students a two grade "head start" to help them get places at the leading universities. Lord Mandelson is looking at the idea to increase social mobility.
RCUK seeks advice on backdated clawback
Times Higher Education
13/08/2009
The UK's seven research councils are considering reclaiming money from existing grants in light of falling inflation.
Research in the balance
Times Higher Education
13/08/2009
The balance of funding between "targeted" and "curiosity-driven" research is to be investigated by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.
Staff / student dispute resolution is 'inadequate', says study
Times Higher Education
11/08/2009
Universities’ arrangements for dealing with disputes involving staff and students are inadequate and leave institutions vulnerable to reputational damage, according to a new report from the Improving Dispute Resolution taskforce
Storm warning: change now or perish, institutions told
Times Higher Education
13/08/2009
University surpluses could be wiped out by 2012, leaving key institutions facing financial ruin unless they make radical changes to the way they work, according to analysis by Grant Thornton. It suggests that adopting a business model is the key to survival.
Universities face tighter scrutiny over student numbers by Hefce
Guardian
11/08/2009
The Higher Education Funding Council for England is planning to 'intensify' its checks on the information supplied by institutions, after a report into London Metropolitan University's receipt of more than £30m in excess investment criticised Hefce and the University.
Universities offset to 'shirk' their green responsibilities
Times Higher Education
13/08/2009
Environmental campaigners are urging universities not to resort to quick fixes such as carbon offsetting in their attempts to meet strict government targets for reducing emissions.
University entry shake-up call
BBC
11/08/2009
Applying for university after students gain their A-levels would allow more talented state school pupils into top universities, say researchers at the Sutton Trust educational charity.
EDUCATION - SCHOOLS
75% of complaints to GTC are dismissed
Times Educational Supplement
14/08/2009
Responding to a parliamentary question posed by the Liberal Democrats, Vernon Coaker the Schools Minister, revealed that 315 out of 419 referrals made by head teachers are dismissed without any further investigation.
Do whatever it takes
Times Educational Supplement
14/08/2009
Considers teachers' desires to assist pupils in exams and the point at which over-zealous assistance becomes cheating.
'Faith school or no school' plan on hold
Times Educational Supplement
14/08/2009
Controversial plans to close Swanage First School in Dorset, leaving parents without a non-religious school in the area, have been put on hold following complaints.
Private schools threaten legal action to keep charity millions
Guardian
11/08/2009
David Lyscom, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, says there is potential for a legal challenge against the Charity Commission's interpretation of new laws to make every charity pass a new "public benefit test" to qualify for charitable status and tax breaks worth millions of pounds every year.
Records stuck as doubts linger over child protection safeguards
Times Educational Supplement
14/08/2009
This article discusses how the Independent Safeguarding Authority will manage a register of 11.5 million people who work with children.
School building scheme a sham - MPs
Guardian
12/08/2009
Government promises to rebuild or refurbish almost every secondary school in England have been labelled a sham after Liberal Democrat MPs discovered one in five projects have only provided schools with new computers.
Town v country pay signals end of national scale
Times Educational Supplement
14/08/2009
The School Teachers' Review Body, which advises the Government on teachers' pay, will investigate the extra salary given to teachers working in London next year.
