Posted by Editors Education Philosophy, Exams, In The News, Pasi Sahlberg, Politics, Research, Schools, Teaching Monday, March 21st, 2011
In the following Boston Globe article, Learning from Finland How one of the world’s top educational performers turned around, Pasi Sahlberg of Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture and former Washington-based World Bank education specialist illustrates very succinctly why current UK and US education policy is on the wrong track. “IF AMERICANS harbored any doubts [...]
Posted by Editors In The News, Research, Secondary Education, Tories Thursday, March 17th, 2011
Yet more creative reading of official statistics by a UK government minister. More than 79,000 children missed out on a place at their first-choice secondary school for this September, apparently. However, Nick Gibb Minister for Schools seems to think that this means, ” there simply aren’t enough good schools.” No it doesn’t, Nick. The figures [...]
Posted by Editors In The News, McKinsey & Co., Primary Education, Teach First Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
Good to see that the ‘charity’ known as Teach First is hard at work. Now that they’ve got their claws into primary school kids they’re obviously not going to waste any opportunity to spread their message of bringing joy and light into the lives of the poor. The occasion as part of Teach First PR [...]
Posted by Editors Free Schools, In The News Saturday, March 5th, 2011
If ever you needed evidence why ‘free’ schools are a very bad idea indeed, then look no further than the illiberal comments of one Toby Young in a recent Spectator magazine and yesterday’s Torygraph. And this is the type of person Gove wants to take control of schools?! The guy isn’t fit to be a [...]
Posted by Editors Charter Schools, Education Business, Free Schools, In The News, League Tables, Tories Friday, March 4th, 2011
For all those celebrating the news of Toby Young’s ‘free’ school funding green light, recent events in one Los Angeles’s charter school group should perhaps make us more than a little concerned about the future integrity of opt-out schools. The LA Times report that “The Los Angeles Board of Education voted Tuesday to begin the [...]
Posted by Editors Academies, ARK, In The News, McKinsey & Co., Michael Barber, Ofsted, Tories Monday, February 28th, 2011
Private Eye report that Sally Morgan, new Ofsted honcho, and adviser to school privatisation champions, ARK, will work only 2 days but be paid £45K pa. Aside from the fact that no-one is worth that much for a couple of days work, it also means that the head of the schools inspection body gets to [...]
Posted by Editors Free Schools, In The News, McKinsey & Co., Michael Barber, NUT, Research, Teach First, Tories, Working Conditions Saturday, February 26th, 2011
This was going to be a post about the Tory White Paper. We took a look at it but what really caught our eye was how many times Sir Michael Barber got a mention. In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Barber was Education Secretary given the amount of space devoted to his work [...]
Posted by Editors Education Business, Free Schools, In The News Saturday, February 26th, 2011
In ‘Some free schools fail to meet the standards’ a Swedish newspaper reports what many suspicious of the ‘free’ school innovation have been saying for a long time now. Minister for Education Jan Björklund says today that some free schools give priority to profit for the owners before quality. Björklund is one of the most [...]
Posted by Editors In The News, Secondary Education Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
Nearly one in five secondary school children in the UK have been severely abused or neglected during childhood, the NSPCC finds as part of a major study. The finding comes from a survey of 2,275 children aged 11-17 and 1,761 adults aged 18-24 carried out by the charity in 2009. The study follows an earlier [...]
Posted by Editors Free Schools, In The News Tuesday, February 8th, 2011
Great line from the Manchester ‘anti-extremism Tsar’ Ian Fenn when asked how he felt about ‘free’ schools. He remarked to the BBC: “It’s a bit like me saying I’m going to start up a hospital because I fancy wearing a stethoscope – it’s ludicrous.” He went on to say: “They don’t have to employ real [...]
