FE News
Category: Primary Education
Teaching profession or teaching as a career ‘ ...
The BBC Education news desk and the The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) seem to believe that a recent ICM survey shows teaching is ‘under rated’.
This may be the case but the study does not show this. The study actually shows us not that teaching is under-rated but that prospects for career development [...]
What cost school place appeals?
If half a million parents and guardians have submitted appeals regarding dissatisfaction with Little Johnny’s school place then how much is spent responding to them?
The culture of choice is really an excuse to employ more civil servants – how very convenient for them. Nothing wrong with choice but how about cutting costs first. And how [...]
Careers advice for 7 year olds…& MPs?
We at EducationState think that it is very, very sad that, according to the BBC, “Children as young as seven are to be offered careers guidance under a government scheme in England.”
Is this what children really need or will remember? Psychologists tell us that our automatic, non-conscious behaviour starts early on in life but we, [...]
‘Teach First’ but for how long?
We see that the “Tories back ‘Teach First’ scheme”.
It seems sensible to encourage ‘high-flying’ graduates to join the teaching profession so that they can pass on their skills and experience.
However, we would argue that this scheme is not the answer to teacher recruitment and retention. Improved working conditions especially eradicating all paperwork and restoring [...]
Union Leader 4 U
“Union leader calls for review of mobile phone ban in classrooms”, says the Observer. Really? Perhaps so. After all, the article later declares: “In schools where children were provided with handheld computers with phone and internet access to use in lessons, teachers have reported very little misuse, according to David Whyley, the headteacher consultant for [...]
Cash for School Admissions – Help Wanted!
We’ve received the following email from the BBC.
Anyone interested please contact them using the e-mail address below:
“Hi,
Sorry to bother you.
I work for the BBC’s Today programme and we were wondering if you’d be able to help us.
There was a story in the news yesterday (11 March 2008) that some schools were breaking the rules [...]
Why don’t politicians listen?
The Primary Review findings prove YET AGAIN that politicians don’t listen and would rather toe the party line than to use common sense and admit to errors of judgement. We at EducationState thought we’d do our bit to improve their listening skills by lending them some of these:
Or these:
A Good Teacher
Great response to a BBC News article about what makes a good teacher.
The following response is indicative of the rest:
“I would have thought that it was quite obvious what makes a good teacher in this day and age. The ability to cope with enormous amounts of administrative paper-work including individual lesson plans for every lesson [...]
Linguistic Phonics
If you want an insight into how important accent and pronunciation are to learning, check out the latest research on teaching literacy to children.
Seems that we learn words based not on BBC English phonics but according to how we process words. No longer can we allow external assessment as this allows for socio-cultural inequality and [...]
Summer Term Blues
Discussions here have led us to conclude that the school/college year needs to change.
We believe terms should be scrapped or shortened. Semesters should stretch through the summer holidays, while teachers and students should be able to choose when they study. Summer course save on heating bills and result in a reduced carbon footprint. Being able [...]