The government has published its response to the consultation paper Youth Matters which specifically addresses the needs of teenagers. (For background information see last year’s October Update.)

Young people from 13 to 19 will have responsibility for deciding how a £115 million ($215 m*) fund is spent. The funds are a key part of the radical reform of services for young people set out in Youth matters: next steps.

Funding of £115 million will be available over two years through the Youth Opportunity Fund and the Youth Capital Fund – money that young people will be able to bid for from their local authorities to improve facilities and activities in their neighborhood.

Other key reforms in Youth matters: next steps include:

• a statutory duty for local authorities to ensure that young people have access to a wide range of positive activities
• 10 pilot projects around England to develop the Youth Opportunity card. All 13- to 19-year-olds will be eligible for the card giving them access to a range of discounts on things to do and places to go as well as on goods from retail stores
• schools and colleges will be encouraged to work in partnership with children’s trusts to agree new arrangements for delivering information, advice and guidance for young people
• improving and simplifying help for young people who lead complicated and troubled lives.

For more information read the Department for Education and Skills’ (DfES) press release.

Read the DfES article Why should the government fund more youth clubs?

*current rate of exchange $1.87 = 1GBP

(Source: DfES News Bulletin March – April 06)

SCHOOLS: LONG TERM STUDY ON SINGLE-SEX EDUCATION

A long term study, which tracked 13,000 people born in 1958, has revealed that those who went to single-sex schools were more likely to study subjects based on their talents rather than subjects traditionally associated with their gender.

More girls in girls’ schools had studied math and science and more boys in boys’ schools had studied English and modern languages compared with their peers in co-educational schools.

The study shows that girls who attended single-sex schools went on to earn higher salaries. The researchers suggest that, although there was not a significant link to women choosing an atypical career for their gender, they could be working in more scientific or technical fields, and they could have more self-confidence when negotiating salary.

The researchers, however, did not see a difference in exam results when comparing students from single-sex and co-educational schools. There was a modest positive impact for girls but none for boys. The study makes clear that the research does not support the theory that achievement is higher in single-sex schools, especially for boys.

This will be of particular interest to policymakers focusing on the academic underachievement of boys. Single sex classrooms and schooling has been suggested as a way to boost achievement for boys.

The study calls for coeducational schools to look at the ways in which they encourage students to study subjects and to avoid unconscious gender stereotyping.

Read more from the Institute of Education’s Centre for Longitudinal Studies.

(Source: BBC News September 22, 2006)

SCHOOLS: MEASURING PERFORMANCE AND STUDENT ATTAINMENT

Schools in England have their test score data published annually in Achievement and Attainment Tables (formerly known as Performance Tables).

In 2002 the government introduced a ‘value added’ measurement which would take into consideration a student’s prior attainment and measure progress. This was seen to be a fairer way to portray a school’s performance rather than looking purely at raw test scores.

The government has taken this a step further by introducing “contextual value added” (CVA) which takes into consideration a range of factors deemed to be outside of a school’s control. The factors are: prior attainment, gender, special educational needs, first language, ethnicity, deprivation, student mobility, age, an ‘in care’ indicator, average and range of prior attainment within school.

The use of CVA data has been piloted in the achievement and attainment tables of about 500 secondary schools. Calculating the data is highly complex and is still in the process of being refined. It is expected that the use of CVA will be rolled out to the remaining secondary schools this year, with elementary schools following later.

The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), which carries out school inspections in England, is already making use of CVA in its work. Each school’s CVA is given on the Ofted site with the summary of its achievement.

Critics of the CVA measurement question its methodology and raise concerns that ineffective schools will get a disproportionate boost in their attainment tables while effective schools will be penalized.

Supporters say that the CVA measurement is a fairer way of assessing a school’s impact on the performance of the individual student.

Read more about CVA on The Standards Site at the Department for Education and Skills.

Find out more about the CVA Pilot.

(Sources: BBC News February 24, 2006; June 25, 2006)

SCHOOLS: SCOTLAND’S PLAN TO PREVENT DROP-OUTS

Scotland will implement its first ever action plan aimed at reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training (known as ‘NEETs’).

The plan will target 20,000 young people in areas identified as needing help. It will include the participation of the private and voluntary sectors in association with local and central government.

Key points in the strategy include:

• Extension of the successful XLerate program which better prepares young people for the world of work. The Scottish Executive will commit around £1 million ($1.87 m*) over the next two years, allowing an expansion of the program to cover about 100 schools throughout Scotland.
• Setting up additional Careers Scotland resources in ten selected schools which have been identified as having too many young people leaving school and not entering education, employment or training.
• Funding of £2.4 million ($4.5 m*) over the next two years made available to Careers Scotland to support enhanced careers advice.
• Testing new financial incentives - Activity Allowances - where a payment is made to young people who participate in informal learning as a first step towards employment, education and training
• Expanding school vocational opportunities with up to 100 new Skills Academies (allowing students to take vocational courses within school or at a further education college).
• Additional funding for those local authorities with the highest NEET levels - representing a total of £10million ($18.7 m*) over two years.

For more information read the Scottish Executive’s More Choices, More Chances.

*current rate of exchange $1.87 = 1GBP

(Source: LTS Education News Digest, June 16, 2006)

SCHOOLS: POLICIES BOOST MATH NUMBERS

Analysts have noted an increase in the number of students sitting A-levels (national pre-college examinations) in math. The numbers are still low compared to some other subjects but the increase follows a particularly bleak period which saw a high number of students failing the exams and therefore not continuing math to a higher level.

Following the dip in potential math students, the government ordered a review of the situation. It introduced reforms, such as the establishment of the Further Mathematics Network, and improved teacher recruitment and training. The curriculum has been redesigned allowing students to study more sophisticated math at an earlier age with the goal of generating excitement for the subject.

Educators are also encouraged that there has been a parallel increase in the number of girls studying math.

The success of the policies to boost math has led policymakers to employ similar tactics to encourage growth in other sciences, such as physics.

For more information read the Department for Education and Skills’ Making Mathematics Count.

(Source: BBC News August 17, 2006)

SCHOOLS: WELSH GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP ACTION PLAN

The Welsh Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills has launched an action plan to ensure that sustainable development and global citizenship permeates all levels of education in Wales.

The goal is to encourage people to adapt the way they live and to influence the thinking of future generations.

The plan sets out an ambitious agenda for schools, youth, further and higher education, work based learning and adult and community education. In each sector it examines commitment and leadership; teaching and learning; institutional management; partnerships; research and monitoring, and resources.

For more details read Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship – A Strategy for Action.

(Source: Welsh Assembly press release, “Starting to Live Differently” September 19, 2006)

SCHOOLS: EXPERIMENT WITH 24/7 EDUCATION

A school in England is proposing to open its doors from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and also offer online lessons throughout the night.

The school, Bridgemary Community Sports College, has one of the worst truancy records in England and its Principal hopes that the new options will motivate students who do not respond to the traditional classroom or to traditional hours of learning.

Each student will develop a personalized learning program and structure their time to complete the required 190 days of education. (There will not be the traditional school year.) Teachers and administrators at the school, who support the proposals, will work flexi-time.

Groups of students will take part in a pilot project which, if successful, will be rolled out across the school in September 2007. The project will be closely monitored by the Department for Education and Skills.

For more information, contact Bridgemary Community Sports College.

(Source: BBC News September 25, 2006)

SCHOOLS: NEW EDUCATION SECRETARY

Following a government reshuffle, Alan Johnson replaced Ruth Kelly as Secretary of State for Education and Skills for England. He was previously the Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry, and before that, Secretary of State at the Department of Work and Pensions. Earlier, he held the post of Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education.

Jim Knight is the new Minister of State for Schools.

View the complete Ministerial Team at the Department for Education and Skills.

Peter Peacock is Minister for Education and Young People in Scotland.

Jane Davidson is Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills in Wales.

Maria Eagle is Education Minister in Northern Ireland.

HIGHER EDUCATION: VOCATIONAL STUDENTS SHOW ADVANTAGE

Research concludes that students entering university from a vocational background get a better class of degree than those who followed the traditional academic route.

The study of 216 graduates, carried out by Edge Hill University, suggests that vocational students are more focused and able to adapt better to independent study. The students from a more academic background have a better completion rate. Students who do best tend to have taken time out between school and higher education.

Edge Hill University has a high proportion of students with a vocational background and it now plans to extend its research to other institutions.

For more information visit the news section at Edge Hill University.

(Sources: EducationGuardian.co.uk July 11, 2006; BBC News July 12, 2006)

HIGHER EDUCATION: CHANGES TO THE ADMISSIONS SYSTEM

The higher education minister, Bill Rammell, has announced changes to the university admissions system.

Currently students receive a conditional offer of a place at university, prior to sitting their national examinations, on the basis of grades predicted by their teachers. According to the higher education minister 55 percent of the predicted grades are wrong – usually overestimates. A small percentage of students (around 9 percent), who are generally from poorer backgrounds, do better than predicted.

Mr Rammell proposes that, from 2008, students whose results are better than expected will have one week to apply to more competitive universities. The more prestigious universities will be required to keep a number of places in reserve for such students.

The change is a step towards a complete reform of the admissions system to post-qualification applications (PQA) by 2012. It also forms part of the government’s policy to extend opportunity in higher education to students from lower socio-economic groups.

The recommendations follow on from the report Fair admissions to higher education: recommendations for good practice published in September 2004.

In general the change is supported by the newer universities and not by the more established institutions. Universities are concerned about maintaining their existing academic timetable.

Under the proposed system national exam results will be available one week earlier.

The National Union of Students (NUS) feels the change does not go far enough and is continuing to press for a full introduction of PQA. Admissions officers foresee a chaotic scramble for places during the week following the examination results.

The government acknowledges that this road to reform may not be smooth but it maintains that it will produce a fairer admissions system.

For more details read the Department for Education and Skills’ Improving the Higher Education Application Process.

(Sources: BBC News May 22, 2006; EducationGuardian.co.uk May 22, 2006)

HIGHER EDUCATION: ADDRESSING BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION

A report carried out on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) strongly links academic achievement to a student’s social background.

The report suggests that, while the government’s widening access policies are doing some good work, they are not reaching key population groups.

The latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show a slight drop in the number of students from state schools entering higher education, despite the government putting £300 million ($561 m*) into widening access programs. In 2004-05 the proportion of first year students from lower socioeconomic groups was 28.2 percent.

The researchers for the Hefce report, from the Universities of York and Staffordshire and the Higher Education Academy, propose replacing the current variable qualification admission system in favor of a set benchmark.

The report also questions the nature and purpose of higher education in a climate of increased and widening participation. The researchers hope that, by raising such questions, they will encourage more debate at a national level on what they see as a long-term initiative.

Read Review of widening participation research: addressing the barriers to participation in higher education.

*current rate of exchange $1.87 = 1GBP

(Source: EducationGuardian.co.uk July 20 and September 14, 2006)

HIGHER EDUCATION: WIDENING ACCESS TO OXFORD

Oxford University has announced changes to its admission system in an effort to attract more students from disadvantaged areas.

The university will now consider the academic record of the applicant’s school when deciding if the applicant will be called for interview. A candidate whose school is near the bottom of the government’s league tables could be offered an interview over a candidate with better grades.

Representatives of independent schools have criticized the move as penalizing students who have worked hard to get good grades. The new system has been welcomed by those seeking a fairer deal for students from public schools.

The system is already in place in some courses and subjects and will be introduced across the university for candidates aiming to begin their degrees in October 2008.

The announcement follows figures published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) which show Oxford is still far below the government’s benchmark for students from state schools. In 2004-05 it admitted 53.4 percent of its undergraduates from the state school sector, slightly down from the previous year, against a government benchmark of 74.6 percent. The University of Cambridge also fell short with similar statistics.

HESA showed an overall drop in the number of applicants to higher education from public schools. This may be explained, in part, by the introduction of tuition fees from this year which led many students to enter higher education a year earlier than they had planned to avoid one year of fees.

The government, however, expressed disappointment in the drop in numbers from the state sector in light of its campaign to widen access to higher education. It continues to push for 50 percent participation by 2010.

(Sources: EducationGuardian.co.uk July 20 and 27, 2006)