Stories + Views: Curriculum, Exams & Qualifications

Page 1 of 2912345...1020...Last »
Avatar Image

Fiona Millar: Stephen Twigg’s speech .More detail needed but the direction is promising.

Stephen Twigg, the Shadow Education Secretary, made an important speech yesterday. Twigg has been on the receiving end of some criticism over the last year, not least from me, for failing to make a clear and robust argument against what the Coalition government is doing. But I have read the speech carefully and think it shows that he has been listening ... read more and comment →

6 comments

Latest comment by libby lawson: "Some hope then and a move forward from the talk given to the SEA in November. But I do agree with Roger too...."

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Henry Stewart: Why 3 Levels of Progress is a Very Silly Measure

Increasingly schools are being encouraged, by the Department for Education and by Ofsted, to focus on achieving three levels of progress for every student. (Three levels represents going from Level 3 at age 11 to a D at GCSE, level 4 to a C and level 5 to an A.) The flaw in this approach became clear this week when ... read more and comment →

10 comments

Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "I'm delighted to be able to withdraw my comment. The anomalies I was concerned about are most likely facet of the transition between SATS and GCSE results (with SATS results being broken down into sub-levels and GCSE results not ......"

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Henry Stewart: The data on level 5 conversion to GCSE grades

Ofsted told us today that schools are underperforming if students who arrive with Level 5 in Maths and English do not go on to achieve grade A or A* at GCSE. While it is clearly good to have high aspirations for our students, it is not clear why a level 5 at Key Stage 2 should be seen as equivalent ... read more and comment →

5 comments

Latest comment by Janet Downs: "The same applies to Level 4 Sats. The DfE says that expected progress will have been made if pupils who left primary school with Level 4 should get at least a C grade. But Level 4 is a ......"

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Roger Titcombe: Labour wants to label pupils as non-academic at 14

The Independent on Sunday (9 June) has a double page spread on Labour's big idea for education. Stephen Twigg sets out his plan for 'gold standard' vocational courses provided by FE Colleges, for students that do not wish to go to university. This is admirable and long overdue. Too many FE Colleges have for too long been pretending to be universities ... read more and comment →

11 comments

Latest comment by Roger Titcombe: "Jay - Thanks for this. See my latest post on this thread. http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2013/05/could-gove-be-right-about-the-need-to-reform-gcse-grades/..."

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Janet Downs: University’s warnings about its literacy and numeracy survey were ignored by cheer leader for Gove’s reforms

“A survey conducted by the University of Sheffield two years ago discovered that something like 20% of 16 year-olds are leaving school functionally illiterate and functionally innumerate and in general they’re children from the most socially deprived backgrounds. That’s the status quo that the teaching unions are defending,” said Michael Gove’s champion on ITV’s Tonight (6/6/13, 9.55 mins). But is this ... read more and comment →

6 comments

Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Tubby - I think the academics were doing both. They were issuing a warning about careless use of the terms "functionally illiterate" and "functionally innumerate". At the same time they warned about "experts" imposing their views on the ......"

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Janet Downs: Closing the gap between disadvantaged and advantaged pupils – how far has the Government implemented OECD’s 2011 recommendations? Part 2

This is the second in the series which looks at how far the Government has implemented the OECD's 2011 recommendations (in bold) according to the OECD. The words in brackets are the author’s comments. Increase focus and transparency of funding for disadvantaged students. Schools have to say how they use the pupil premium. Results of disadvantaged pupils are included in Performance Tables. ... read more and comment →

No comments

Be the first to comment!

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Janet Downs: Closing the gap between disadvantaged and advantaged pupils – how far has the Government implemented OECD’s 2011 recommendations? Part 1

The difference in educational performance between disadvantaged and advantaged pupils in the UK is wide. In 2011, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) made recommendations (in bold) about how England might close the gap. According to the OECD, how has the Government responded? And how far does this response mesh with reality (author’s words in brackets)? Focus pre-schooling resources ... read more and comment →

One comment

Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "Regarding value added indicators, Substantial progress could have been made had this government focused on harnessing the capacity of Web2.0 technology to overcome previously insurmountable problems. More here: http://mathseducationandallthat.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/assessing-students-up-to-age-14-much.html..."

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Janet Downs: Gove needs to carry school leaders with him, says CBI chief

“Whitehall may think it’s playing the right music, [but] too few people are hitting the dance floor,” wrote CBI chief, John Cridland, in the Guardian. Cridland said the education system should not be a barrier to great teaching but must support it. He acknowledges that the system being proposed from Government is not playing well with schools leaders. Those who heckled ... read more and comment →

No comments

Be the first to comment!

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Janet Downs: Schools are supposed to provide independent careers advice by law – but will this be sufficient to stop schools acting in their own interests rather than in their pupils’?

Schools now have a statutory duty to provide independent careers advice and must “act impartially”. They must recognise when it is the “best interests of some pupils to pursue their education in a further education (FE) college or a university technical college (UTC),” says guidance from the Department for Education (DfE). But there’s a conflict of interest here. The Commons Education ... read more and comment →

3 comments

Latest comment by Schools are supposed to provide independent careers advice by law | higheredulinks.com: "[...] Read this article: Schools are supposed to provide independent careers advice by law [...]..."

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Roger Titcombe: More on common sense. ‘Thinking fast and slow’

This is the title of the 2011 book by the Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman. Kahneman is a cognitive psychologist at Princeton University and Emeritus Professor of Public Affairs at Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. He appears to have no background in learning theory or pedagogy and his ... read more and comment →

13 comments

Latest comment by Roger Titcombe: "Thank you John and for John White's blog. You cut to the core of the problem brilliantly. How can educationalists' consensus be transformed into bringing about the necessary permanent changes in our education system? Why is there so little of ......"

Comment + Debate
Page 1 of 2912345...1020...Last »