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Teachers face ' institutional racism claims'

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:27:57 GMT

Black and minority ethnic teachers face an "endemic culture of institutional racism" in schools, research found today.

Call to fine exam boards which break the rules

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:57:59 GMT

Exam boards should face fines if they fail to stick to guidelines on standards, the head of the Royal Society of Chemistry said today.

Why Sesame Street still counts

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

The letter of the day will be "H" as in "hug" or "hungry" or even "happy birthday." The number of the day will be "40," the exact length of time, in years, that it has been on air. The programme reaching this milestone is, of course, Sesame Street.

Tories to raise entry requirements for teachers

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:01 GMT

A Conservative Government would make it harder to become a teacher by raising entry requirements for the profession, the party's education spokesman Michael Gove declared tonight.

Parents to lose rights over sex education

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:32:34 GMT

Parents are to lose the right to withdraw their child from sex education classes when the youngster reaches 15, the Schools Secretary announced today.

Mother challenges council over spying powers

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:35:14 GMT

A mother-of-three has branded Poole Borough Council "ludicrous and completely outrageous" as she took the authority to court for using controversial powers to spy on her family.

Parents urged to increase schools contact

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:29:29 GMT

Parents are taking a back seat in their child's education, with almost two thirds saying they have little contact with their youngster's teacher, a survey found today.

Tougher rival to GCSE exam is blocked

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:44:11 GMT

The Government today blocked the use of a rival exam to the GCSE – considered by many independent heads to be more rigorous – in state schools.

Labour's campus revolution

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Plans for the biggest shake-up of universities for decades, including the first charter of rights for students, have been unveiled by the Government.

What are universities for?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:44:24 GMT

The Business Secretary has sparked a debate about degree priorities as he called on universities to play a major role in helping the country's economy, and sought to widen access to them. We asked three people their views:

Low exam scores 'should be no bar to top universities'

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:00:21 GMT

Teenagers who fail to score top grades in their A-levels should not be excluded from leading universities, the Business Secretary said today.

Richard Garner: There is much to be recommended in Mandelson’s blueprint

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:00:09 GMT

It is, of course, hard to argue with the concept that our universities should do their best to equip the nation with the skilled workforce that it needs to compete in the globalised economy of the 21st century.

Concern greets changing degree priorities

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:00:09 GMT

Mandelson to prioritise university science funding

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:19:36 GMT

University research funding should be focused on expensive science-based subjects, the Business Secretary will say today.

Call to punish parents who 'steal' places at best schools

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Tough new measures, including fines to punish parents who cheat their way into securing school places for their children, were demanded by the Schools Adjudicator yesterday.

Teaching unions considering boycott to 'stop SATs in their tracks'

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

A boycott of administering SATs for 11-year-olds by school heads would effectively "stop them in their tracks", the leader of the country's largest headteachers' organisation said yesterday.

25,000 back call to scrap Sats

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:22:44 GMT

More than 25,000 people have signed a petition calling for the end of Sats, it was announced today, as industrial action over the tests moved a step closer.

Scare parents into obeying school admissions rules, says head

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:50:08 GMT

A headmaster who hired a private detective to catch parents who cheated the admissions system advised schools today to take swift action to "scare" people into following the rules.

School heads receive Sats ballot forms

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:36:37 GMT

Teachers and heads across England will begin receiving ballot papers this week as a campaign to scrap Sats tests gathers pace.

Drive for state control 'punishes' universities

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

MPs will be accused of treating universities like "some latter-day Spanish Inquisition" in their drive to raise degree standards in a lecture tomorrow night.

Download 'Why Educate? A series of lectures addressing fundamental questions of education'

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

In 2008, the Learning Skills Foundation put on a series of four lectures based around the theme, 'Why Educate?' These lectures provided a platform for some of the leading academics to address fundamental questions about the nature of the education system in this country.

Brown defends SATs amid union boycott fears

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Tests for 11-year-olds are just as important as GCSEs and A-levels in holding schools to account, Gordon Brown declared yesterday.

Foreign language teaching is in decline

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 GMT

A dearth of trainee modern foreign language teachers is hampering a Government drive to ensure all children start learning another language from the age of seven.

Half a million submit appeals for school places

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:00:01 GMT

The number of disappointed parents who have appealed against their child's school allocation is set to top half a million today, according to new estimates.

150,000 students still without loans

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Nearly 150,000 students are still waiting for grant and loan payments more than a month after starting university.