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Home Posts tagged "Alan Smithers"

Fear for pupils as thousands of teachers lack qualifications

Published on May 1, 2013,

The Times is reporting on official figures that show thousands of teachers are giving lessons in English, maths and science when they do not have a relevant degree…

Almost a quarter of secondary school maths teachers (about 7,500) and more than a third of physics teachers (approximately 2,000) do not have a relevant degree-level qualification. (more…)

 

Experts support school starting later ‘so pupils can wake up’

Published on March 19, 2013,

Experts have praised the London academy where lessons start at 10am saying it can help boost grades and reduce levels of depression and self-harm. This is from the Evening Standard…

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The parents who cheat at school

Published on March 4, 2013,

With record numbers of school applications being investigated for fraud, Julie Henry reports on the desperate tactics being used to get children a decent education. This is from the Telegraph…

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The school reports that are written by a computer and used by thousands of teachers

Published on March 2, 2013,

The Daily Mail says they may have been hand- written scrawls, but school reports could once be relied on for a blunt assessment of a pupil’s progress. Now, it continues, it has emerged that thousands of primary and secondary school teachers are relying on computer software to do the work for them…

The software, which costs up to £350, allows them to produce reports in seconds by simply giving the child’s name and ability, then clicking on bland stock phrases. (more…)

 

The state school scramble: up to 13 applicants per place as thousands set to miss out on preferred choice

Published on March 1, 2013,

Up to 13 children are competing for entry to the country’s best state schools amid a desperate scramble for places today. Tens of thousands face missing out on their preferred secondary schools amid mounting competition on National Offer Day. This is from the Daily Mail…

Competition is particularly fierce in areas of the country including Kent and Buckinghamshire where some parents are already planning appeals after their children failed to get into grammar schools.
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International education league tables ‘are misleading’

Published on February 2, 2013,

Education league tables ranking countries’ performance by raw scores are “riddled with error” and inconsistent, according to a new study. This is from the Telegraph…

International league tables are “misleading” and do not give the full picture of the performance of England’s schools, research suggests. (more…)

 

Gove ‘talked up’ league table slide

Published on February 1, 2013,

England’s much-lamented slide down the international education league tables may not be as bad as it seems, according to a report by a leading academic. This is from the Independent…

 

Fury as A-Level and GCSE examiners told to ‘fix’ results

Published on August 6, 2012,

Many papers this morning report that teachers fear talented children will be held back by plans to limit the number of pupils able to get a top A-Level or GCSE grade. The system, known as ‘comparable outcomes’, means examiners can change marking boundaries to ensure the same number of pupils get the top grades every year. This is from the Telegraph.

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