A daily media round-up for education professionals Saturday, 6th June 2015
GOVERNMENT Academy status not a silver bullet for failing schools
Education experts have criticised the Government’s plans to force all failing schools to become academies. Becky Francis, professor of education and social justice at King's College London, said: “To suggest that academy sponsorship is a silver bullet it its own right clearly belies the evidence. The Department for Education needs to adopt a more measured approach.” Ms Francis was speaking after an investigation by Schools Week found 133 existing academies – 28 of which were rated as good or outstanding when they first converted - are now failing. Evening Standard, Page: 2
Austerity blamed for fall in literacy
The EIS teaching union has blamed the UK Government’s austerity agenda for a fall in literacy in Scotland’s schools. Larry Flanagan, the general secretary of the EIS teaching union, said criticism of schools in the wake of figures showing a decline in standards in reading and writing had felt like a “low blow” for teachers. The Scottish Survey of Literacy 2014 found overall pupils' performance in reading and writing in both primary and secondary schools had dropped from two years before. Mr Flanagan said: “Where there has been a drop, the survey highlights this is mainly due to that group of children whose families have suffered most from George Osborne's benefit cuts.”
The Press & Journal, Page: 12
EXAMS Maths problem goes viral
A maths problem has gone viral online after it baffled pupils and parents alike. The question, aimed at challenging the brightest GCSE students, asked pupils to work through an equation based on a girl named Hannah with a bag of sweets. It reads: “There are n sweets in a bag. 6 of the sweets are orange. The rest of the sweets are yellow.” Hannah then takes and eats two random sweets from the bag. It says the probability that she eats two orange sweets is 1/3, then asks pupils to show that n² - n - 90 = 0. The question in Thursday's Edexcel exam prompted despair in some youngsters, who complained it was far too difficult. Teacher Dave Watkins tweeted: “In 20 yrs...I have never seen a probability tree diagram lead to a quadratic equation.”
The Times The Daily Telegraph, Page: 11 BBC News
National school tests ruled out in Scotland
A return to standardised national school testing has been ruled out by ministers, according to Scotland's biggest teaching union. At the EIS’s annual meeting in Perth, general secretary Larry Flanagan said he was given "categorical assurance" by Education Secretary Angela Constance the move was off the table. Meanwhile, Scotland’s schools face major disruption in the coming months as teachers yesterday backed the prospect of strike action. Spiralling concerns over teacher workloads saw delegates at the AGM back motions calling for a ballot on industrial action, including strikes over pay and a boycott of work associated with the new Nationals exam.
The Scotsman, Page: 1, 6
CLASSROOM Time to scrap homework?
School homework is a “Victorian” practice that should be banned, according to Eve Jardine-Young, the headteacher of Cheltenham Ladies College. Speaking to the Times, she outlined her concerns about students’ wellbeing. She said from September her pupils will attend weekly meditation classes and be given twice as long to walk between lessons. Teachers are also being trained to spot the signs of depression and anxiety. She said it was not clear that handing out homework in two or three subjects was appropriate today.
The Times, Page: 1-2 The Times, Page: 25 Daily Mirror, Page: 9 Daily Mail, Page: 5 The Daily Telegraph, Page: 5
SPORT Cricket leaves teachers stumped
Morrison’s Academy, in Crieff, Perthshire, has banned cricket due to the “complicated” rules and wet weather postponing play. The school’s director of sport Scott Weston said the move followed a review of summer games at the school. Pupils at Morrison’s will in future concentrate on tennis, athletics and "outdoor pursuits" -- canoeing, mountain biking, rock climbing activities and mountaineering -- in the summer, while boys will continue to play rugby in the winter and spring, and girls hockey.
The Daily Telegraph, Page: 5 The Times, Page: 12 The Scotsman, Page: 3 The Herald, Page: 8
INDEPENDENT The Harrodian founder collects £9.5m
Sir Alford Houstoun-Boswall, the founder and chairman of The Harrodian, has awarded himself an annual dividend of just over £9.5m, according to the Mail. The school is one of London’s most sought-after prep schools and is popular with the children of the rich and famous for its friendly, relaxed approach. Daily Mail, Page: 30-31
HIGHER EDUCATION Student raises disability claim
A student with dyslexia at Balliol College in Oxford has claimed that staff ‘pushed’ her into going on to medical leave rather than assisting her with her disabilities. Sophie Spector, 22, who won a place to study politics, philosophy and economics at the college, alleges that staff “forced” her to go on medical leave due to her disabilities which included dyslexia, ADHD, and OCD. A series of internal college correspondence between staff about Ms Spector’s disabilities were described by an equality law specialist as “shocking”. Oxford University insisted that it takes a “proactive approach to students with disabilities” and Balliol College said it has a thorough and caring approach which is not reflected in the selected correspondence. The Daily Telegraph, Page: 11
University expansion has destroyed its status
Jeremy Paxman writes in the FT that too many students, paying high fees, and academics on low pay are symptomatic of our broken university system. Financial Times, Page: 12
LEGAL Jewish schools back down over driving ban
Two ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools have backed down on a proposed ban on mothers driving children to school after the EHRC warned them that it would be unlawful and discriminatory. In a letter sent after consultation with the Department for Education, Onora O'Neill, chair of the commission, described the actions of the Belz sect, which runs the two schools in Stamford Hill, north London, as illegal. The group runs Talmud Torah Machzikei Hadass, a boys’ primary school, and Beis Malka, a primary school for girls. The schools had said that, from August, any child driven to school by their mother would be turned away. The Guardian, Page: 21 The Times, Page: 18
SOCIAL Pupils undergo “digital detox”
A "digital detox" is underway at a school in Shropshire, which has challenged pupils to shun technology for a week in a bid to tackle poor reading progress and feelings of unhappiness. Pupils at The Old Hall School in Telford had become too dependent on technology and were losing the ability to concentrate and follow complex instructions, according to head teacher Martin Stott.
The Independent, Page: 17 Independent I, Page: 13
HEALTH MMR warning
Parents in the London borough of Tower Hamlets have been urged to get their children vaccinated after an outbreak of measles in schools. Tower Hamlets Council reported a “small number” of cases, adding: “Two doses of 'the MMR jab' is the safest way to protect children against measles, mumps and rubella.” Evening Standard, Page: 12
OTHER Schools minister announces civil marriage plans
Nick Gibb, the schools minister, has announced he is marrying his male partner, Michael Simmonds, after a secret 29-year relationship. The MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton said he and his partner had been “comfortable” with the secret relationship and admitted they fell in love in a “different era”. But he was disappointed that they could not attend family events or spend Christmas together as a couple. Mr Gibb, an advocate of traditional teaching methods as schools minister, said he wanted to “change the use of the word gay as a pejorative term by children”. Religious schools should also teach equality, he said. “We respect teacher's personal faith but we need to make sure the children know what the law is.” Daily Mail, Page: 4 The Times, Page: 34-35
Teaching assistant found not guilty
A teaching assistant who stood trial charged with seven allegations of having sexual activity with a child has been found not guilty after claiming she was the victim of “pernicious lies”. Louise Aspinall, who worked at Swinton High School in Salford, was said to have to had sex with the youngster on three separate occasions over a month long period after it was claimed she confided in him about marital problems with her husband. Meanwhile, in a separate case Anthony Fuggle, a former classics master at Colet Court, has been given a suspended jail sentence after downloading thousands of indecent images of boys.
The Daily Telegraph, Page: 5 The Times, Page: 21 Daily Express, Page: 14 Daily Mirror, Page: 6 Daily Mail, Page: 47
Michelle Obama to visit London
Michelle Obama is to visit London later this month with her mother and daughters to highlight efforts to boost education for girls. She will promote the Let Girls Learn initiative that she champions alongside her husband, President Barack Obama.
The Independent, Page: 18 Daily Mirror, Page: 10