EDUCATION
Call for more checks on madrassas
BBC
13/10/2009
Khalid Mahmood, MP for Perry Barr in Birmingham, suggests that unofficial Islamic schools, many of which use teachers who have not had criminal record bureau checks should be better regulated to protect children. Madrassas are usually attached to a mosque, providing religious instruction in the evenings and at weekends.
Conduct unbecoming
Times Educational Supplement
09/10/2009
This article discusses personal relationships between colleagues at educational establishments, and what happens when it goes wrong.
Consultation launched on ContactPoint
DCSF
02/10/2009
The Government is proposing to make some minor changes to the Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007 (the ContactPoint regulations).
ISA Referral Guidance
Independent Safeguarding Authority
12/10/2009
From 12 October 2009, employers, social services and professional regulators will have to notify the ISA of relevant information so that individuals who pose a threat to vulnerable groups can be identified and barred from working with these groups. They have published guidance on the procedure and main points of law.
The Vetting and Barring Scheme - Guidance, October 2009
Independent Safeguarding Authority
12/10/2009
The ISA has published guidance on the changes that commence on 12 October 2009 with the first phase of the Vetting and Barring Scheme. These changes are:
1) It is now a criminal offence for individuals barred by the ISA to work or apply to work with children or vulnerable adults in a wide range of posts. Employers also face criminal sanctions for knowingly employing a barred individual across a wider range of work;
2) The three former barred lists (POCA, POVA and List 99) are being replaced by two new ISA-barred lists;
3) Employers, local authorities, professional regulators and other bodies have a duty to refer to the ISA, information about individuals working with children or vulnerable adults where they consider them to have caused harm or pose a risk of harm.
http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/PDF/VBS_Guidance.pdf
EDUCATION - FURTHER EDUCATION
Colleges could recruit from age 14
Times Educational Supplement
09/10/2009
Conservative party proposals announced at their conference would allow colleges to recruit full-time students from the age of 14 and to set up their own technical schools for 14-19 year-olds.
'Courses for jobs' incentive plan
BBC
02/10/2009
Further Education Minister Kevin Brennan has said that young people in England may get financial incentives to take college courses likely to lead to jobs. Details of the plan will be published in a White Paper on skills later this autumn.
Declare CPD or lose licence
Times Educational Supplement
16/10/2009
78,000 further education teachers risk losing their licences to practice as they have failed to register their continuing professional development records with the Institute for Learning. The IfL is offering an extended grace period beyond the 31 August deadline, but is likely to adopt a "stronger line" in the future.
Education name game must see off impostors
Times Educational Supplement
16/10/2009
Martineau's Paul Pharaoh comments on the lack of protection for the word "college" in registering company names.
Manifestos make case for radical FE rethink
Times Educational Supplement
16/10/2009
The 157 Group and the Association of Colleges put forward their ideas for future further education provision.
New guidance shows the way to improve equality and diversity practices
LSC
13/10/2009
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) have jointly published guidance for FE colleges and providers, to help them to self-assess equality and diversity.
Proposals for adult and community learning inspections from 2010
Ofsted
05/10/2009
Consultation on Ofsted's proposals for the inspection of adult and community learning.
September guarantee funding
DCSF
12/10/2009
Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, has confirmed funding for at least 2,300 extra places for post-16 learners to fund the September guarantee to give every school leaver who wants to continue learning a place at school, college, in training or an apprenticeship.
EDUCATION - HIGHER EDUCATION
Conservatives may scrap potential-impact terms
Times Higher Education
08/10/2009
The Conservatives will not force academics to demonstrate the potential impact of their research before it is funded, the Shadow Universities Secretary David Willetts has indicated.
Five-year grants? Try 12 months
Times Higher Education
08/10/2009
All new research grants allocated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council will be temporarily reduced from five years to twelve months, pending the outcome of an urgent audit of its activities.
Government lines up money for six new university towns, but 17 areas lose out
Times Higher Education
07/10/2009
Hefce has announced the successful proposals that should be further developed under the Government's University Challenge scheme. Funding for these will be confirmed in the 2011-14 spending review period. The successful proposals are:
1) Somerset (lead HEI – Bournemouth University)
2) Crawley (lead HEI – University of Brighton)
3) Milton Keynes (lead HEI – University of Bedfordshire)
4) Swindon (lead HEI – University of the West of England, Bristol)
5) Thurrock (lead HEI – University of Essex)
6) The Wirral (lead HEI – University of Chester).
HEFCE increases investment in nine HE centres
Hefce
05/10/2009
HEFCE is taking forward the development of nine existing higher education centres, in parts of the country not well served by HE. The HEIs that have been allocated additional student numbers in 2010-11 include Worcester, Nottingham, Combined Universities in Cornwall, and University of the Arts, London.
Review established to examine delivery of financial support for students
BIS
14/10/2009
The Minister of State for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, David Lammy, has announced a review into the delivery of funding for English students in autumn 2009. The review, to be led by Sir Deian Hopkin, will assess whether the Student Loans Company is able to meet the challenges of the 2010/2011 academic year and consider the circumstances which left students unable to contact Student Finance England, operated by the SLC.
Student loan repayments not affected by asset sale
British Universities Finance Directors Group
13/10/2009
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has confirmed that the government sale of the student loan portfolio will not affect student loan repayments.
The unexpected cost of low inflation: research councils will cut grants
Times Higher Education
15/10/2009
The UK research councils have announced that they will claw back about £10 million from around 3,000 existing grants.
Tory plans for ‘emergency fund’
Times Higher Education
05/10/2009
The Conservative Party has outlined radical plans to raise a £300 million “emergency fund” to support an additional 10,000 university places next Autumn by encouraging graduates to pay back their loans early. Under the plan, graduates would receive a 10 per cent discount on early repayments.
UK boosts standing but Asian countries 'snap at our heels'
Times Higher Education
08/10/2009
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2009 lists the UK as having four of the top six places. Strong performances by Asian countries has prompted warnings that the UK's global success is at risk without greater investment.
EDUCATION - SCHOOLS
Acoustic testing to be made compulsory in all Building Schools for the Future projects
DCSF
16/10/2009
Children’s Minister Delyth Morgan has announced a package of measures to improve acoustics in schools and ensure the needs of those with special hearing requirements are met. The key development is that acoustic testing will be a contractual requirement for all Building Schools for the Future projects in England.
Balls to ringfence Building Schools for the Future funding
Education Investor
02/10/2009
Speaking at the Labour Party conference, Ed Balls maintained that capital investment in schools would continue under a Labour government despite pressure to reduce national debt.
Charity Commission head stands firm on
Solicitors Journal
07/10/2009
Dame Suzi Leather, Chair of the Charity Commission, has said that the Charity Commission will continue to apply the public benefit test as detailed in its guidance until the courts rule otherwise. However organisations have been granted five years to meet the new eligibility criteria.
Children denied school trips over teachers' fears of being sued
Guardian
02/10/2009
There are less trips outside the classroom because of the perceived possibility of legal action if something goes wrong, despite the fact that only 156 recorded legal actions have ended in compensation in the past decade.
Start school at six, key schools report recommends
Guardian
16/10/2009
The final report of the Cambridge Primary Review, the biggest independent inquiry into primary education in four decades, has been published. Key recommendations are:
- Formal primary education should not start until the age of six.
- Scrap Sats and league tables and replace them with teacher assessments.
- Review the system of general primary teachers to introduce more specialist teachers.
The report is also highly critical of the Labour government's control of every aspect of education.
Devastating criticism of primary education dismissed by ministers
Guardian
16/10/2009
The independent Cambridge Primary Review has received the backing of every teaching union and there are calls for the government to accept the criticisms in the report and implement recommendations. However Vernon Coaker, the Schools Minister, suggests the review is out of date and rejects the recommendations.
Establishing Academy Schools: guidance and information
Charity Commission
15/10/2009
The Charity Commission have been working closely with DCSF to develop a framework for the establishment of Academy Schools (referred to as Academy Trusts) as registered charities. They have published model framework documents and guidance.
Puzzle over missing pieces of Gove reforms
Times Educational Supplement
16/10/2009
This article analyses the conference speech of Michael Gove, the Shadow Schools Secretary.
Tories to scrap national pay deals
Times Educational Supplement
09/10/2009
If the Conservatives win the next election they plan to scrap national deals that guarantee pay and working conditions. They also propose an expansion of the academies programme, which hands individual schools power over pay and conditions. Schools in special measures for more than a year would be closed and reopened as academies.
