EDUCATION
Ed Balls launches 21st century sex and relationship education
DCSF
25/01/2010
Updated guidance on sex and relationship education has been published for consultation.
New responsibilities for education providers who sponsor migrants
UK Border Agency
25/01/2010
From 22nd February 2010, Tier 4 sponsors will need to use the UK Border Agency's sponsorship management system to issue confirmations of acceptance for studies to all potential students, whether they are applying from inside or outside the UK.
EDUCATION - FURTHER EDUCATION
Colleges fear course costs will rise again
Guardian
26/01/2010
As further education has become more expensive, student numbers have declined. Now colleges fear that costs are set to soar again.
Disabled student aspirations "capped" by colleges' attitudes, claim union
Times Educational Supplement
22/01/2010
A report by the National Union of Students on further education for disabled students criticises the disproportionate number of disabled students on low-level courses, lack of financial support, and physical access.
FE-friendly funding strategy may come with strings attached
Times Educational Supplement
22/01/2010
This article examines in detail the government's investment strategy for further education.
Meeting employer demands has "debased" FE, says union
Times Educational Supplement
22/01/2010
The University and College Union is due to publish its manifesto for post-16 education next week. It is believed it will condemn market-driven policies and call for the disincorporation of colleges.
MPs attack Train to Gain broker service
Times Educational Supplement
22/01/2010
A report by the Public Accounts Committee concludes that the broker system for Train to Gain has failed to recruit enough students to justify its £112 million cost.
EDUCATION - HIGHER EDUCATION
As the good times rolled, a quarter of universities ended up in the red
Times Higher Education
21/01/2010
A PricewaterhouseCoopers report claims that one in four UK universities were operating with recurring deficits before the financial crisis.
Fears for UK research as postgraduate rise is largely a foreign affair
Times Higher Education
21/01/2010
British universities are rapidly expanding the recruitment of overseas postgraduates who pay higher fees, but growth in the number of domestic postgraduates is far slower.
Funding council seeks powers to eject vice-chancellors
Times Higher Education
21/01/2010
A consultation on the Financial Memorandum between universities and Hefce proposes giving the funding council new powers to reject a university's "accountable officer" and force the appointment of a replacement. This post is often held by the vice-chancellor.
Lord Mandelson must confirm that these cuts to higher education are final
Guardian
26/01/2010
The president of Universities UK, Professor Steve Smith, responds to Peter Mandelson's article on cuts to the higher education sector. He says "Universities have to take their share of the pain, but further cuts will undermine the government's investment in higher education, and the economy and life chances of its citizens".
Pensions: £60bn council scheme deficit
Times Higher Education
21/01/2010
Higher education staff are facing more uncertainty over their pensions with news that the Local Government Pension Scheme could plunge to a £60 billion deficit.
Record number of new students, Ucas figures reveal
Guardian
21/01/2010
A record number of students took up a place at university this year. The figures also reveal that universities accepted 12,000 more applicants than the government is prepared to pay for.
The counterfeiters: fake institutions escape clampdown
Times Higher Education
22/01/2010
Verifile, a provider of CV screening services that compiles a global database of dodgy institutions, estimates that 271 bogus bodies are currently operating in the UK.
To sail ahead, staff should be in the same boat on pay
Times Higher Education
21/01/2010
Universities that pay their staff well are likely to outperform their rivals and score highly in national league tables, according to a study by the University of Exeter.
Universities face a long wait for funding increase, minister says
Guardian
25/01/2010
David Lammy, the higher education minister, says that universities need to find new sources of money to see them through a "good few years" before public spending rises again.
EDUCATION - SCHOOLS
Heritage body wants to save school architecture
BBC
25/01/2010
English Heritage have published a guidance document to support local authorities’ decisions in relation to historic school buildings. They urge local councils to "strike a balance between replacement and refurbishment" when planning how to improve schools.
Sats boycott ballot for teachers in England
Guardian
26/01/2010
Primary school teachers and head teachers are to be balloted on plans for a boycott of this year's Sats tests.
Schools wage war on "meow meow" as pupils lap up new "legal high"
Times Educational Supplement
22/01/2010
Teachers are being given emergency training in the dangers of a new drug that is being taken by pupils as young as 12 and has been linked to two deaths.
Strengthened hand will allow Sips to pack a harder punch
Times Educational Supplement
22/01/2010
New powers for school improvement partners will come into force in 2011. Sips will be able to assess all aspects of work and be able to sign off improvement plans at weaker schools.
