# he government should ensure league table measures do not give schools perverse incentives to divert low-attaining pupils onto courses and qualifications that are not recognised by employers or accepted by colleges. # 16-19 students in full-time education should not follow a programme which is entirely 'occupational'. # Programmes for the lowest attainers should concentrate on the core academic skills of English and maths. # Students under 19 without a good GCSE pass in English and/or maths should be required to follow a course leading either directly to these qualifications or towards future GCSE course entry. Key Skills should not be considered a suitable qualification in this context. # Funding for full-time students aged 16-18 should be on a programme basis, with a given level of funding per student. # Employers who take on 16-18 year old apprentices should be eligible for payments, as they are bearing some of the cost of students with a right to free education. # Teachers qualified to teach in FE colleges should automatically be qualified to teach in schools (which is not currently the case). # The government should introduce a league table measure which focuses on the whole distribution of perfromance within a school, including those at both the top and bottom ends of the distribution. # he government should ensure league table measures do not give schools perverse incentives to divert low-attaining pupils onto courses and qualifications that are not recognised by employers or accepted by colleges. # 16-19 students in full-time education should not follow a programme which is entirely 'occupational'. # Programmes for the lowest attainers should concentrate on the core academic skills of English and maths. # Students under 19 without a good GCSE pass in English and/or maths should be required to follow a course leading either directly to these qualifications or towards future GCSE course entry. Key Skills should not be considered a suitable qualification in this context. # Funding for full-time students aged 16-18 should be on a programme basis, with a given level of funding per student. # Employers who take on 16-18 year old apprentices should be eligible for payments, as they are bearing some of the cost of students with a right to free education. # Teachers qualified to teach in FE colleges should automatically be qualified to teach in schools (which is not currently the case). # The government should introduce a league table measure which focuses on the whole distribution of perfromance within a school, including those at both the top and bottom ends of the distribution.

Wolf review published. But what will it actually mean?

• the government should ensure league table measures  do not give schools perverse incentives to divert low-attaining pupils onto courses and qualifications that are not recognised by employers or accepted by colleges.
• 16-19 students in full-time education should not follow a programme which is entirely 'occupational'.
• Programmes for the lowest attainers should concentrate on the core academic skills of English and maths.
• Students under 19 without a good GCSE pass in English and/or maths should be required  to follow a course leading either directly to these qualifications or towards future GCSE course entry. Key Skills should not be considered a suitable qualification in this context.
• Funding for full-time students aged 16-18 should be on a programme basis, with a given level of funding per student.
• Employers who take on 16-18 year old apprentices should be eligible for payments, as they are bearing some of the cost of students with a right to free education.
• Teachers qualified to teach in FE colleges should automatically be qualified to teach in schools (which is not currently the case).
• The government should introduce a league table measure which focuses on the whole distribution of performance within a school, including those at both the top and bottom ends of the distribution. 

I prediuct:

fewere on collaborative courses
market forces operating strongly at age 14
intense competition between school and FE for this sector

Students winners or losers?

Education Bill published

Helping teachers maintain good discipline

The Bill will give teachers the power to search pupils for items banned under the school rules and issue same-day detentions. It will provide better protection for teachers from false allegations by pupils. Exclusion appeal panels will be replaced by review panels, which will review decisions but will not have the power to force a school to reinstate an excluded pupil.                          

Freedoms for schools and colleges

This Bill supports the Department's commitment to reduce bureaucratic burdens on schools by removing unnecessary legal requirements on governing bodies, teachers and local authorities. It also frees 'outstanding' schools and colleges from routine inspection; and expands the Academies programme to allow 16-19 and alternative provision academies.

Accountability

The Bill will abolish five arm’s length bodies and where some of their functions need to be retained, they will fall to the Secretary of State, accountable through him to Parliament. The Bill will focus school inspections on four core areas of: achievement, teaching, leadership and management, and behaviour and safety. It will make sure the Secretary of State has the powers he needs to intervene in schools that are failing their pupils. The Bill will ensure that we measure ourselves against the best in the world by requiring sampled schools to take part in international educational surveys and revising Ofqual’s standards objective to include international comparisons.

Using resources fairly

The Bill will give parents of disadvantaged two-year-olds a right to 15-hours free Early Years provision a week; and target the entitlements to free level 2 and level 3 qualifications to those under-24. The Bill will enable a real and progressive rate of interest to be charged on higher education student loans and allow fees for part-time undergraduate courses to be capped.

Site up and running

We are hoping to get some examples of good practice to get things up and running..

National curriculum review

We can't really see how the national curriculum review is going to result in something that prepares our young people for the global and competitive world they are facing.

Facts are useful sometimes but.......

New site is up and running

The new site is up and running.