Every Child Matters, the government’s vision for children’s services, was published two years ago. It proposed reshaping children’s services to help achieve the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19.
As part of this initiative, an Extended School Prospectus sets out the government’s vision on what schools could offer their communities. It sees primary schools as the heart of the community, offering extended services such as:
Services at secondary schools will include:
Before and after school activities could include homework clubs, sport, music tuition, clubs such as chess and first aid courses, opportunities to visit museums and galleries, learning a foreign language, volunteering and business and enterprise activities.
The government wants all schools in England to offer extended services by 2010, with a significant number on board by 2008, building on the experiences of those schools that already offer such services.
(Source: Department for Education and Skills press release, June 13, 2005)
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published its annual Education at a Glance which provides a variety of indicators on education systems internationally and enables comparisons on areas such as spending, class sizes, higher education participation, and earnings bonus to be made.
The OECD notes that the UK leads industrialized countries in funding for the education of three and four-year-olds. It spends about double the average spent by other developed countries. Although the OECD notes that the UK had some ground to make up compared to other countries, it is still viewed as successful because the increased spending has taken place at a time of increased participation in preschool education. (All three and four-year-olds are currently entitled to free part-time nursery places.)
The brief states that “an above-average share of education spending...comes now from private sources, and private spending has risen much faster than public spending, though it seemingly has not displaced public funds.”
The OECD brief points out that the UK has larger than average class sizes, though acknowledges that large class sizes are not necessarily a negative factor. Instead, the OECD states that class size, along with teachers' salaries and the length of the school day, are part of a range of education choices in spending.
One area the UK is working on is lowering its drop-out rate and reducing the number of 16-year-olds who leave school without basic qualifications.
Download and read Education at a Glance 2005 Briefing Note – United Kingdom.
(Source: BBC news, Sept. 13, 2005)
Financial incentives to encourage young people who have “dropped out” to return to education or training along with a separate financial incentive to encourage positive behavior, will be piloted in England. The government wants to promote education as being from three -18 rather than five -16, as well as encouraging a culture of respect in young people.
In an effort to keep students in school or vocational training beyond 16, a two-year pilot program commencing next spring will provide allowances of up to £40 ($70*) per week to 30,000 16 and 17-year-olds. They will be known as Activity and Learning Agreements. Research shows that students still in education at 17 are more likely to go on to higher education.
Education maintenance allowances (EMAs) of up to £30 ($53*) per week are already available to encourage older teenagers to stay in education. A recent report from the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) concluded that a pilot project had shown that EMAs did result in young people remaining in education and also had a positive effect on their attainment. Read the research findings of the final report.
Low-income 13-16-year-olds could receive £12 ($21*) per month on an ‘opportunity card’ which will offer discounts on a range of activities, including sports or places to visit. Cards could be topped up if the holder engages in volunteering, gets better grades or has good attendance in school. Evidence of anti-social behavior will result in the card being suspended or withdrawn.
All of these proposals are set out in the government’s Youth Matters green paper (a consultation document on policy proposals).
* exchange rate of GBP 1 = US$ 1.77
(Sources: NGfL Scotland e-mail bulletin May 31, 2005; BBC News July 18 and 19, 2005)
A report from the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) looks at a pan-European trial of employing mobile learning technologies, such as mobile phones, with disaffected young people. The report found that the portable devices, used for games, learning materials and learning tools, motivated and engaged the “at risk” youth aged 16-24. Most of the participants, who were school drop-outs or unemployed and for whom the traditional classroom had not worked, said that they would take part in further learning. The report suggests that being trusted with the expensive technology raised self-esteem and confidence.
Key findings from the trial are published in the report Mobile technologies and learning, and a summary can be found in the LSDA’s press release.
(Source: NGfL Scotland e-mail bulletin, May 16, 2005)
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) have published a document outlining proposals for a new relationship with schools in England.
It outlines changes to the school inspection system (more frequent but “lighter touch” inspections with a more significant self-evaluation component), improved data and information systems, and a better accountability framework – all with the goal of supporting schools in raising standards.
More than 40 countries, including the US, have signed up as strategic partners using the Global Gateway, an international website for schools, launched over 18 months ago.
The website is a "one-stop shop" providing quick access to comprehensive and quality-assured information on how to develop an international dimension to education. The site enables:
The initiative is funded by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in England and has been developed by the British Council.
Following the general election in May, the re-elected Labour Government formed a new team of ministers at the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Although Ruth Kelly remains the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in England, the team has a slightly different structure than previously existed.
Find out more about the team and its duties at the DfES Ministerial Team website.
The Scottish Executive announced changes to its education team. The new Deputy First Minister, Nicol Stephen, has been appointed Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. Peter Peacock MSP, Minister for Education and Young People, retains his position. For a full list of people in the Scottish education team browse through the Scottish Executive Education and Training website.
In June the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) published its annual National Dossier on Education and Training in Scotland. It is a current guide to policy developments in all sectors of the education system in Scotland, aimed at both national and international education audiences.
According to figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) there has been a 17 percent increase in applications from English students hoping to study at Scottish institutions. Welsh institutions reported a 12 percent increase in applications from students based in England. These increases in applicants are attributed to the introduction of top-up fees at English universities from 2006. Students in England will soon be charged up to £3,000 ($5,310*) per year, to be repaid without interest by the graduate once he or she is at a certain income level.
Scottish and Welsh institutions do not charge top up fees, though Scottish students currently pay a £2,145 ($3,796*) endowment for their degrees after they graduate. However, Scottish universities do not want to be seen as the “cheap option” and want to ensure that English students are choosing them for more than purely financial reasons. As a result, the Scottish Executive has proposed charging £1,700 ($3,009*) per year to English students for all courses (and £2,700 for medicine).
With a falling population of Scottish school-leavers, universities also do not want to alienate bright students from England. English students do not pay the Graduate Endowment. Universities have also announced the possibility of bursaries for deserving students to help with the proposed tuition fees.
Similarly, UK students who do not live in Wales will be charged up to £3,000 per year from 2007 if they choose to study at a Welsh institution. Wales is also looking into a national bursary plan.
Ministers from the Department for Education and Skills have commissioned a major review by the University of London’s Institute of Education on the impact of the variable fees system on students and universities. The evidence will be presented in 2009.
*exchange rate of GBP 1 = US$ 1.77
(Sources: EducationGuardian.co.uk April 28, 2005; June 22, 2005; July 20, 2005; Aug. 11, 2005)
The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) has published a report outlining its predictions for higher education enrollment to 2015-16. The statistics suggest that the government is unlikely to meet its target of 50 percent participation in higher education in England by 2010 because of the apparent achievement gap between boys and girls. The report looks at A-level examination results which affect university entrance. Projections suggest that boys’ results are steady but continue to lag behind girls. Efforts to improve the attainment of boys from low-income backgrounds will be necessary to achieve the growth in university admission. The report also looks at the financial implications of the projected figures for the universities.
For more information read Demand for Higher Education to 2015-16.
(Source: Times Higher Education Supplement, July 15, 2005)
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