Educational News Network
World Education
Universities making ‘background checks’ on applicants
Feb 22nd
Universities are increasingly employing data on teenagers’ family and education background to hit tough Government targets to recruit more poor students, according to research. The number of institutions carrying out checks on candidates’ social class and school performance is set to increase by more than 50 per cent to coincide with More >
Go-ahead for £89m university research centre
Feb 22nd
A LEADING Scottish university has been given planning permission to build an ambitious £89 million research and technology centre.
The planning committee of Glasgow City Council has approved the project by Strathclyde University to build a new centre to create jobs and attract investment.
The Technology and Innovation Centre, set to open More >
Fewer cuts for Scottish universities
Feb 22nd
SCOTTISH universities have avoided some of the most severe cuts to courses, according to a UK-wide poll.
A study by the UCU lecturers’ union found that, despite an increase in students, the number of full-time undergraduate courses on offer at UK universities had fallen by 27% – from 70,052 to 51,116 More >
Pakistan Medical and Dental Council PMDC bars college from admitting MBBS students Peshawar’s Al-Razi Medical College,
Feb 22nd
ISLAMABAD: Peshawar’s Al-Razi Medical College, whose recognition by the Health Ministry shortly before its decentralisation last year aroused controversy, has been denied permission by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to admit 100 MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) students annually.
The reason being the lack of adequate finances, More >
Violations of the statues of UNIVERSITY Where is good Governance and merit??
Feb 22nd
Respected Chairman Higher Education Commission & Governor Punjab, TTS Faculty working on administrative posts in the University of Agriculture, a clear violation of the statues. Where is good Governance and merit?? Sir’’ It is awfully disappointing that HEC authorities related with human resource development, quality assurance/ academics and research development More >
University policy – stranger than fiction
Feb 21st
Attempts to block the appointment of the new head of Offa, and changes to the tuition-fee regime, make higher education policy resemble an Alice-in-Wonderland world, says Mike Baker
Les Ebdon, whose appointment as head of the Office for Fair Access was almost blocked by Conservative MPs. Photograph: Luton University
The twists and More >
Who’d be a headteacher in 2012?
Feb 21st
Ofsted head Michael Wilshaw’s comment that 5,000 headteachers lack leadership comes at a time when it is already proving difficult to recruit heads due to a ‘football manager mentality’
Francois Van Rensburg is an ex-athlete who became a teacher through the Future Leaders fast-track scheme. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian
“I More >
University extends trainee scheme
Feb 21st
THE Scottish Government has backed radical plans to transform the way teachers are trained by using ideas developed in traditional teaching hospitals.
Education Secretary Michael Russell has endorsed moves by Glasgow University to extend a pilot scheme introduced in the city.
The model borrows from the traditional approach of medical training where More >
Union forced into U-turn on supply teacher pay cut
Feb 21st
SCOTLAND’S largest teaching union has bowed to public anger over a controversial deal that cut pay for supply staff.
The ruling executive of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has backed moves for a review of the agreement amid mounting fears of a crisis in classroom cover.
A survey by the Scottish More >
Second bid to open Raynes Park free school
Feb 21st
Parents hoping to open a free school in Raynes Park next year have returned with new plans after their first attempt was turned down by the Government.
Ioannis Dekas
They now hope to open the Raynes Park Christian School in September 2013, but still need approval for the project after a 2012 More >
University admissions reform is ‘direct assault’ on academic quality say Tories,
Feb 20th
The Coalition’s management of the university admissions system is a “direct assault” on the academic quality of higher education in Britain and could do lasting damage to the UK economy, Conservative MPs declare today.
The reforms include the abolition of the UCAS points system used to score the value of A-Levels More >
Shortest of stories put school in line for prize
Feb 20th
Winners at Southborough High School
The shortest of short stories could land a boys’ school £1,000 after they entered a national creative writing competition.
Twenty-six year 7 and 8 students from Southborough High have been selected as winners for their mini saga stories based on epic journeys.
Over 150 Southborough students took part More >
Composition of the carding room equipment
Feb 18th
Due to the number of operations carried out and their crucial importance, the carding room equipment is a complex and imposing installation. Its role, basically, is to produce extremely regular rovings at the highest speeds compatible with the process.
The criterion which determines how many cards are used is above all More >
College chairman resigns in protest
Feb 18th
THE chairman of one of Scotland’s largest colleges has stepped down over controversial Scottish Government plans to restructure the sector.
Drew Duncan, head of the board of James Watt College, Greenock, since 2008, said the reforms would not benefit education in the region.
His decision to step down follows demands from Michael More >
Universities get record fines for recruiting too many students
Feb 18th
Institutions set for £90m penalties as student applicants rush to avoid £9,000 fees next year
Universities have suffered record fines for over-recruiting students last September, as applicants rushed to avoid tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year.
Between 20 and 25 universities have been fined by the Government’s Higher Education Funding More >
Webanywhere Inc appoints Lee Stayton as Head of e-Learning Consultancy as its US corporate growth expands
Feb 17th
www.webanywhere.us, the developer of web based business e-learning solutions based on the Moodle and Totara LMS platforms, today announced that Lee Stayton, an expert in technology-enabled learning, has joined its expanding staff as Head of e-Learning Consultancy. Stayton brings over 20 years experience from NSight, Verndale and LehmanMillet, most recently More >
Virtual College Lean Healthcare Academy ‘Award Night Success’
Feb 17th
“It was a tremendous success”, said Judith Clarkson, Divisional Director of the Lean Healthcare Academy, “We have held these awards for the past 4 years and each year they have grown, both in the number of entries and more importantly, the quality of lean efficiency projects seen within the healthcare More >
Oxford College Writing Competition Winner – Distance Learner Serving in Afghanistan
Feb 17th
Oxford – February 16th 2012 – International Distance Learning Centre, Oxford College, recently ran a writing competition and asked students to report on: “Why distance learning is right for me”. Through the many entrants emerged the winning article enclosed below. The writer is Captain Angela Laycock currently serving in Afghanistan More >
Tuition fees ruling could question legality of university charges
Feb 17th
In landmark case, two students claim fee rise represents breach of right to free education enshrined in Human Rights Act
Katy Moore and Callum Hurley have taken the government to court. Photograph: Georgie Gillard/PA
The high court is to rule on whether ministers acted legally in allowing universities to charge tuition fees More >
Designer unveils new £5.9m university building
Feb 17th
Designer unveils new £5.9m university building in Epsom
Vibrant fashion designer and chancellor for the University of the Creative Arts (UCA) Zandra Rhodes, cut the ribbon at the Epsom campus’ new £5.9m building last week.
The Mayor of Epsom and Ewell, Sheila Carlson, also attended the official opening of the new three-storey More >
School inspections ‘bring improvement’, says academic
Feb 16th
Schools in England which fail inspections usually go on to improve, a study suggests.
Ofsted inspections are being changed
Research published by the London School of Economics found that test scores improved at schools which had been failed by Ofsted inspectors.
And researcher Iftikhar Hussain concluded that inspectors were good at identifying good More >
Student loan penalty plan ‘ditched’
Feb 16th
Plans to impose penalties on students who pay off university loans early are being ditched, the Government is expected to announce next week.
The idea of imposing a charge on students who pay off their loans early is reportedly being dropped
Ministers were considering introducing annual charges of around 5% on payments More >
Pupils banned from using slang in school
Feb 15th
Pupils at Sheffield’s Springs Academy have been ordered to stop using slang while at school to improve their job prospects.
Teachers introduced the policy to encourage their pupils, aged from 11 to 18, to use only standard English inside the school gates.
The trust that runs the academy said it wanted children More >
Crony capitalism feeds the corporate plan for schools
Feb 15th
Crony capitalism feeds the Michael Gove’s drive to turn schools into academies opens the way for a privatised model that doesn’t deliver results
Illustration by Belle Mellor
However tough the territory, the Tory party never wavers in its commitment to corporate and private interests. Conservatives may be in turmoil over their plans More >
‘Universities must pay students who do internships’
Feb 14th
It’s in the interests of universities to help students who can’t afford to work for free. Their league table position for employability would soar
Who pays your tube fare when you're working for free in London? Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
How much do you weigh? What do you earn? How old are More >
Torfaen Council needs ‘significant improvement’ in schools performance, inspectors say
Feb 14th
A WELSH council will require “significant improvement” after its education services were deemed “unsatisfactory” by the schools inspectorate.
Estyn said Torfaen’s secondary school performance was among the lowest in Wales on four of the five main Welsh Government indicators.
Too many schools are in the bottom quarter for performance and fixed-term exclusions More >
The simplest way of improving the school’s Ofsted report
Feb 14th
As Ofsted says in its “Proposals for inspection arrangements for maintained schools and academies from January 2012” that there are certain key issues that need to be considered where school outcomes are not as high as predicted.
One of the three key areas Oftsed identifies is the missed and erratic completion More >
The new anti-science assault on US schools
Feb 13th
In a disturbing trend, anti-evolution campaigners are combining with climate change deniers to undermine public education
Charles Darwin, circa 1854: 12 February, his birthday, is marked by International Darwin Day. Photograph: Corbis
You might have thought it was all over after the 2005 decision by the US district court of Middle Pennsylvania More >
Lessons in how to avoid joining the dole queue
Feb 13th
Visits to the world of work are helping Wokingham schoolchildren find the right career path.
The Forest School, HSBC Customer Services Manager Bharati Kumar explains her job to Forest student Amarjot Singh
With the number of unemployed young people reaching a record high at more than one million, The Forest School is More >
Lessons in how to avoid\njoining the dole queue
Feb 13th
VISITS to the world of work are helping Wokingham schoolchildren find the right career path.
With the number of unemployed young people reaching a record high at more than one million, The Forest School is doing its bit to encourage its pupils to think about their futures.
A pupil from Wokingham spent More >
