Education Direct RSS

Enhanced School Data Released

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:55:57 GMT

Aim is to provide parents with more information and more transparency of the schools performance in a greater range of categories
Key items now include:
- The performance of disadvantaged children within the school
- How pupils’ performance within the school is monitored and the progress made within the cohort
- EBACC subjects and pupil numbers taking these subjects
- Progress of pupils since they left primary school
The Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 tables are now available from the DfE
Further information available from the DfE Press Release

Phonics Funding

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:52:55 GMT

Since the introduction of the scheme in September 2011, £7.7M has been spent by schools on new phonics products and training
A further £1.3M has been invested in phonics training for teaching staff
DfE match-funding is available until March 2013
Successful schools are able to select products and training from an approved list of resources, available on the Pro5 website
Government emphasis on phonics stems from recent statistics on children’s reading ability, including:
- One in ten 11 years old boys can read no better than a seven year old
- The 2009 PISA reading study ranked England 25^th in the world (down from seventh nine years ago)
- Achievement in reading for seven and eleven year olds has remained constant for the last five years, with no significant improvements
- England was 16^th in the latest PIRLS international reading tables
DfE Press Release provides further information

Scottish Exams to Include Scottish Texts

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:45:59 GMT

The announcememnt follows the publication of the Scottish Studies Working Groups’ findings, and their recommendations will be finalised following their next meeting at the end of January 2012
It is expected that the inclusion of the new texts will be from 2014-15 onwards
Further information is available from the Scottish Executive Press Release

ICT Curriculum to be “Scrapped” – Michael Gove

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:40:52 GMT

The current curriculum is considered “dull and unsatisfactory” and “so harmful, boring and/or irrelevant it should simply be scrapped”
The new curriculum will be supported by teaching resources from organisations such as the British Computer Society, with support from industry giants including Google and Microsoft
Further information and Mt Goves speech can be viewed here

A and AS Level Results Published

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:42:22 GMT

Overall pass rate rose for the 28th year running, with 97.6% of entries achieving at least a grade E

The new A* grade, awarded to the highest performing pupils for the first time this year, accounted for 8% of grades

Within these A* grades, the highest proportion were awarded in further maths (nearly 30% of A*'s)

Other popular A* grade subjects included Art and Design, Economics, French and Geography

Exams in some MFL subjects showed a decrease, mirroring the drop at GCSE

German and French were both down, although Spanish showed a 4% increase

The Education Company will also profile the school levels scores in Spirit and for data selections when these are made available

Scotland Independent Schools Census

Tue, 11 May 2010 10:29:11 GMT

Main findings included:
There were 30,507 pupils in independent schools in Scotland in 2009, slightly down on 2008, with a total of 108 schools open in September 2009
There were 11,439 pupils in independent primary schools, 18,086 in secondary and 982 in special schools
Pupils attending independent schools accounted for 4.13% of Scotland's pupils
There were a total of 3,418 teachers working in independent schools, again slightly down from 2008
Pupil : teacher ratio for 2009 was 8.9
Statistics also breakdown the Scottish independent school population by stage, class size, gender, SEN and teacher details

The census report can be viewed here

Gaelic Teaching in Scotland

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:07:47 GMT

Ginealach r na Gidhlig, published by the Brd na Gidhlig will focus on three "priority" areas - early years, Gaelic-medium education and adult learning
Minister for Gaelic, Fiona Hyslop, also announced 100,000 funding to help enhance early years provision
Part of this will be allocated to Tollcross Primary School, Edinburgh's all-Gaelic school with the intention to create a second primary one class Scottish Executive Press Release

Building Schools for the Future

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:36:23 GMT

Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Gateshead, Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire and Sutton will share £418.3M for their most urgent building and refurbishment projects
BSF now operates in 101 Local Authorities and this latest wave is released ahead of schedule
By 2011, BSF investment will support around 200 new schools opening each year
Details of the schools receiving this funding and further information can be found on the DCSF Press Release

New School Building Projects for the Republic of Ireland

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:02:22 GMT

The Governments school building programme will provide fund of €579M for these projects
As well as creating and estimated 5300 job, the projects will provide:
Department for Education and Science Press Release

Extended Schools

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:58:45 GMT

The "Extended Services Marketing Campaign" will be promoted by a major advertising campaign including radio and press advertising
Introduced in 2008, the Government has invested over £1 billion in extended services
Extended services include a range of activities for pupils and their families including:
- Before and after school clubs - homework, sports, music, arts
- Childcare from 8.00am to 6.00pm for primary schools
- Support for parents and families
- Access to specialist services such as speech and language therapy
- Access to community facilities
Over 20,000 schools are now offering some form of extended services

DCSF Press Release has further information

New Policies for Good Behaviour in Schools

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:51:49 GMT

Parents will be asked to sign up to a schools policy on behaviour, attendance and uniform as part of the applications process
A six week consultation commences on 25th March, with the intention to introduce the new policies by the end of May 2010
The consultation can be accessed online here

DCSF Press Release has further information

Religious Education for Primary Level

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:19:14 GMT

The new programme gives pupils the opportunity to learn about Christianity and five other world religions
As a statutory subject, RE must be taught although the new curriculum allows for schools to use locally agreed syllabuses that reflect either the locality or the individual schools religious affiliations
However, although there is this flexibility, Local Authorities are still under a legal obligation (under the Education Act 1996) to ensure their schools syllabuses reflect the Christian religious traditions of Great Britain

Further information can be found at the DCSF Press Release

English and Maths One-to-One Tuition

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:15:13 GMT

Over 25,000 one-to-one tutors have already registered with the Training and Development Agency, as part of the DCSF’s drive to provide one-to-one tuition for poor English and maths learners
DCSF targets are for 100,000 one-to-one tutors by 2010/11, helping 300,000 pupils in both English and maths
150,000 pupils will benefit from additional tuition this year, and the same number again in English
Tuition is available for Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 pupils
Pilot scheme over the last year has been evaluated by PriceWaterhouseCooper
Their report shows positive increases in learning, progression and interest from pupils
Equally positive feedback has come from head teachers and parents, although head teachers did find problems with recruitment and workload issues

DCSF Press Release has further information

September 2009

Schools to Pay for Own Broadband

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:59:24 GMT

Following changes in the way the DCSF financially supports schools under the Harnessing Technology Grant, schools are increasingly having to pay for their own broadband costs
Previously, the grant required Local Authorities to match DCSF funding for basic requirements like broadband, but the new Harnessing Technology Grant has removed this obligation from the Local Authorities
This allows the LA’s to spend the cash on other areas, leaving the schools themselves to pick up the shortfall
Devon County Council had a £2.5M shortfall, although they claimed dispensation from the DCSF, and further funding issues are expected in some areas
The DCSF denied it had withdrawn funding, saying that they still “expect Local Authorities to match their funding as they have done in the past…”

TES article has further information

September 2009

Science Education in Scotland

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:28:31 GMT

New report and blueprint for improving the teaching and learning of science in Scotland has been released
The report includes the findings from Scotland’s first “Schools Science Summit” in May 2009, and proposes:

Increased shared learning between industry, schools and further education

A science careers advertising campaign aimed at improving the status and image of science

Closer working with Skills Development Scotland for better careers advice

Maximising the benefits of partnerships with Scotland’s science centres

Increased use of Glow (the national schools intranet)

Review of teacher CPD

Better use of the Curriculum for Excellence framework

The Scottish Government has already announced a number of initiatives to promote science, including the launch of the Science for Scotland framework, the introduction of the Scottish Science Baccalaureate and additional funding (£2.1M) for science CPD for teachers

Scottish Executive Press Release has further information

September 2009

Milestone for the Academy Programme

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:38:15 GMT

The 200th Academy opens this term, a year ahead of schedule
This is half the total planned academies under the Academies Prospectus, published by the Government in May 2007
The Academy Programme will be boosted further by the removal of the requirement of £2M sponsorship
Proposals, being published later this year, are for sponsors to be judged on their leadership and management skills, although they will still be encouraged to set up financial endowments and donations
Academies will continue to be set up as not-for-profit charitable trusts

DCSF Press Release has further information

September 2009

GCSE Results

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:30:31 GMT

This year's GCSE results have been published and showed further increases in attainment
Highlights from the results include:

Overall A*-C rate up 1.4% to 67.1%

Overall A*-G rate up 0.2% to 98.6%

Overall A*-A rate now stands at 21.6%, up 0.9% from last year

Science entries have shown a marked increase, and a higher than average A*-C pass rate:

Chemistry entries were up 20.3%

Physics up 21%

Biology up 18%

A*-C pass rate for all science subjects was over 90%

Increases in attainment also for Mathematics and English literature, but English showed a small decrease (0.2% fall at A*-C)

DCSF Press Release has further information

Full attainment and entry statistics can be viewed on the Joint Council for Qualifications website

September 2009

Healthy Eating For Schools

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:23:41 GMT

A pilot scheme, where all primary children will get a free school lunch, commences this term in Durham and Newham
The pilot will be used to assess if free school meals:

Reduce obesity

Impact on a child’s BMI

Change eating habits at home

Impact on academic performance and behaviour at school

Improve school standards

Improve general health and well being

Wolverhampton will also trial the provision of free school meals, but this will include secondary schools where the parents are claiming working tax credits and earning below £16,040 a year
The Wolverhampton trial is to test if the Governments definition of free school meals is correct
Currently, 15.9% of primary pupils (658,910) and 13.1% of secondary pupils (427,700) are known to be eligible for free school meals

DCSF Press Release has further information

Education Direct can supply UK wide 'Free School Meal' data, contact our Sales Team on 01634 291122 for further information

September 2009

Revenue and Capital Per Pupil Funding

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:04:04 GMT

Latest update of the per pupil funding (PPF) statistics have been released by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)
Statistics released give a timeline of per pupil funding from 1997/8 and shows the planned PPF to 2010/11
Figures are based on publicly funded full time equivalent pupils aged 3 – 19 in England, and show both the revenue and capital funding levels
Current and future per pupil funding levels are shown below:

Year (Value Type)	2007/8 (Actual)	2008/9 Estimated Outturn)	2009/10 (Planned)	2010/11 (Planned)
Revenue Funding (£)	4,390	5,140	5,310	5,360
Real Terms Index*	167	177	183	185

Capital Funding (£)	820	900	1,070	970
Real Terms Index*	631	692	823	746

*Real Terms Index is based on a figure of 100 at 1997/8

September 2009

A Level Entrant Results

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:59:44 GMT

The UK 2009 A and AS Level results have been published
Compiled by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), the results cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Overall, there has been an increase of 2.3% in individual entries at A Level, and a 4.4% in AS Level entries
Pass rates have remained steady overall, but with a slight increase in A grade passes
Entries for A Levels in mathematics has shown an increase of 12.2% from last year, and further mathematics was also up by 15.2%. Maths exams showed the highest increase in attainment at grade A as well
Physics also showed an above average increase in entries of 4.8%

DCSF Press Release has further information

The full report can be viewed on the JCQ website

September 2009

Performance Results for Seven Year Olds

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:54:32 GMT

Performance results of seven year old pupils (Key Stage 1) have been released
The scores are decided by teacher assessment, and a sample are externally moderated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA)
The Government target for the end of Key Stage 1 is for children to reach level 2+ (the “expected level”)
This year's statistics show, for the expected level of attainment (Level 2):

81% reached the expected level in writing

84% in reading

89% in maths

89% in science

For the higher level of attainment (level 3+) the results were:

26% in reading

12% in writing

21% maths

22% science

Overall, results have remained steady, although maths has shown a small decrease

DCSF Press Release has further information

September 2009

SEN and Inclusion in Northern Ireland

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:48:02 GMT

Northern Ireland has 18% of its school population classified as having Special Educational Needs (SEN)
new 12 week consultation period has been announced by the Education Minister, Caitriona Ruane, to review the Departments provision for SEN
“Every School a Good School: The Way Forward for Special Educational Needs and Inclusion” aims to strengthen the current SEN provision and address the growing diversity of need in Irish schools
The consultation will address all areas of SEN provision, and will focus on:

A continuum of provision for a diversity of need

Early identification and intervention

Capacity building in schools

Consistency of provision

Improved multi-disciplinary and inter-agency working

Sharing best practice

Northern Ireland Executive Press Release has further information

For the full Policy Proposal Document click here

August 2009

Scottish Exam Results

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:43:29 GMT

The Scottish exam results have recently been released
The results have shown little change from last year, with only small increases in attainment over most of the range of exams (from Access 3 to Higher)
Only Advanced Higher showed a substantial increase, up 2% from last year
Total entries over all the qualification levels has decreased by over 8000 pupils from last year
The Scottish Government is working to develop the next generation of qualifications. These are due to be started in 2013 and will offer a more streamlined system of attainment

Scottish Executive Press Release has further information

SQA website further details the results

August 2009

2009 Key Stage 2 Provisional Results

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:40:00 GMT

The provisional results from this year’s Key Stage 2 Performance and Attainment have been released
The tests show a mix of results in some of the key indicators:

English Level 4 – down 1% (80% attainment)

English Level 5 – down 1%

Maths Level 4 – same as last year (79% attainment)

Maths Level 5 – up 4%

Science Level 4 – same as last year (88% attainment)

Science Level 5 – down 1%

Average Point Score – same as last year

Schools Minister, Diana Johnson, congratulated pupils and schools on their achievements, but expressed concern that some of the indicators have remained stable or even dropped
She highlighted the objectives of the Children’s Plan and the targets set by the Government, for at least 90% of 11 year olds to achieve the expected (or higher) attainment in both English and maths by 2020
Government programmes such as Every Child Counts, Every Child a Reader and Every Child a Writer will assist in increasing standards in primary schools

DCSF Press Release has further information

To view the provisional Key Stage 2 headline results click here

August 2009

Gaelic Education in Scotland

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:31:34 GMT

New additional funding of £800,000 has been released to support and promote the teaching of Gaelic in Scotland’s schools
This brings the total funding from the Gaelic Schools Fund to £2.15M for this year
Alex Salmond, the First Minister, confirmed the Governments intention to promote Gaelic, saying “The Gaelic language makes and enormous contribution to Scottish culture...it is incredibly important that we invest in its future”

Scottish Executive Press Release has further information

August 2009

Further Education for School Leavers

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:47:16 GMT

Regional allocation of funds, to support the Governments “September Guarantee” and to provide a place in further education for all school leavers that want one, have been announced
An additional £655M was allocated in April’s Budget to help provide the additional 55,000 places in colleges, sixth forms and training for 16-18 year olds for this year and next year
Overall investment in the training of 16-18 year olds for the coming year is now £6.9 billion
The funding package is designed to reduce the number of potential Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) school leavers
In total, it is anticipated that over 1.5 million young people will have places in training and education this September, including:
1.2 million at sixth forms and colleges
130,000 apprenticeships
88,000 taking the Entry to Employment training programme

For a full list of allocations click here

DCSF Press Release has further information

August 2009

Languages and Sport in Northern Ireland

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:39:43 GMT

Following the introduction of the Executive’s primary school sports and languages programmes, Education Minister, Caitriona Ruane, reports on the success since 2007
The sports programme has provided for qualified coaches to visit primary schools to help their pupils develop their interest in Gaelic sports and soccer
£3.7M has been made available since 2007, with the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and Irish Football Association (IFA) coaches working with 600 schools
The languages programme provides the opportunity for pupils to learn Irish or Spanish. 323 schools are participating with £1.5M funding since 2007
For the coming year, and in response to the increased migrant population in Ireland, Polish lessons will also be introduced

Northern Ireland Executive Press Release has further information

August 2009

Extended School Services

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:35:29 GMT

Confirmation of regional allocations from the Extended Schools Subsidy fund have been released
Allocations relate to the 2010/11 school year, with £167M available to Local Authorities
The funding is designed to ensure that children, aged 8-14, can benefit from extended school services before and after school and in the holiday periods
Funding is dependent on each Local Authorities need, and ranges from £4747 for the Isles of Scilly, to £3,925,683 for Lancashire

For a full list of allocations click here

DCSF Press Release has further information

August 2009

Gifted & Talented

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:26:41 GMT

The country’s brightest pupils are to receive increased support from the recently announced developments to the “Gifted & Talented” programme
The new schemes within the programme will be targeted at 14-19 year old gifted learners in disadvantaged areas
The main strands of the new programme include:
Specifically targeting gifted pupils from deprived backgrounds with a new £250 annual scholarship for up to four years – to help develop the pupils particular talent
An online catalogue of learning opportunities tailored to the pupils particular gift
A new network of High Performing Specialist Schools, with £10,000 per annum additional funding, will focus on Gifted & Talented as part of their specialism and will provide support for learners across the country

DCSF Press Release has further information

August 2009

School Development Funding

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:17:57 GMT

Reception Class Funding

New capital funding of £200M has been released to target the increasing demand for primary reception classrooms

Funding will be by bids to the DCSF. It will be restricted to those LA’s facing a 15% or more growth in 4 and 5 year olds and other LA’s falling outside of this criteria but with localised pockets of growth

Applicable LA’s have 4 weeks to bid for funding, but release of the funding will not be until 2010/11

Building Schools for the Future

Latest round of Building Schools for the Future projects have been given the green light as part of the secondary school building programme

The 6 latest Local Authorities – Barnet, Bolton, Hampshire, Peterborough, Sunderland and Wigan – will share around £500M which will be released in 2011/12

A further 12 Local Authorities are expected to join the programme in 2009/10

DCSF Press Release has further information

July 2009

Assistance for Pupils with Communication Problems

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:08:48 GMT

A new £5M funding package has been announced to help children and young people with communication problems
This is part of the “Better Communication” Government Action Plan
The plan aims to help tackle the difficulties experienced by pupils with speech and language problems, including those with other disorders that affect communication like autism and hearing impairments
The package includes:

The appointment of a new Communication Champion

Formation of 16 pilot areas to identify and develop good practice – with the intention to create a national framework

Further research by the University of Warwick to assess the cost effectiveness of intervention

Funding for 12 support organisations

The 16 “Commissioning Pathfinders” are; Trafford, Walsall, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, North Tyneside, Oxfordshire, Plymouth, Southampton, Hertfordshire, Hounslow, Lambeth, London Specialised Commissioning Group, North Lincolnshire, Devon, Hackney and Hartlepool

DCSF Press Release has further information

July 2009

Healthy Eating Lessons in Schools

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:03:34 GMT

New report from the School Food Trust gives the first ever national statistics for the take up of school meals
The statistics follow a new requirement for Local Authorities to report their take up of school meals, to assess the success of recent healthy eating campaigns and initiatives
Details for both in-house and contracted out meal services are given in the report
The report notes the following take up:

39.3% of pupils at primary and special schools

35.1% of pupils at secondary, academies and city technology colleges

Although the increase in meal take up is only fairly small, the types of meals offered are considerably healthier
The report and previous research, finds that a healthy meal at lunchtime can improve a pupils engagement and concentration – by 18% at secondary level

The full report can be found on the School Food Trust website

DCSF Press Release has further information

July 2009

Funding for Dyslexia Teaching

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:10:12 GMT

Following a review by Jim Rose, £10M new funding released to help and support children with dyslexia
Funding will be used to train 4000 teachers in specialist dyslexia teaching over the next two years
There will be at least one trained teacher in every group of local schools
Schools will evaluate their methods of teaching and ensure they have the skills required to deliver these new requirements

Further information can be viewed in the DCSF Press Release

July 2009

Your Child, Your School, Our Future

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:08:04 GMT

New White Paper sets out statutory Pupil and Parent Guarantees for the learning and support they should receive during the child’s school career
The White Paper includes the introduction of:
Better support for failing pupils with the addition of small work groups and progress checks at Year 7
More parent involvement in the child’s learning and discipline
School Report Cards for parents to receive all the information they need – including the views of other parents
A new “Licence to Teach” for teachers
Introduction of “Accredited School Groups” where a chain of schools is led by one outstanding educational provider, to share best practice and innovative teaching
Institutions from the maintained and private sectors, plus those from the FE and HE sectors, have already expressed interest in becoming chain leaders

Further information from the White Paper can be viewed here

DCSF Press Release has further information

July 2009

Welsh Education Funding

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:41:48 GMT

Statistics released this week show increases in spending for education in Wales
Over the school year 2006/07, £4.4 billion was spent on children in Wales
Welsh Assembly Government expenditure has increased from £5,600 per child in 2005/06, to £5,900 in 2006/07
Per pupil funding is projected to rise to £7,100 by 2010/11
Statistics are released in line with the requirements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

Welsh Assembly website has further information

June 2009

Qualification Statistics for Northern Ireland

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:35:53 GMT

This years results from the 2007/8 School Leavers Survey were published this week
The statistics show increases in attainment:

          School leavers with two or more A Levels or equivalent up to 46.7%
          School leavers achieving at least five GCSE’s grade A*-C or equivalent up to 66.9%
          School leavers with no GCSE’s down to 3.6%

Increases in continuing education are shown in the statistics as well:

Proportion of school leavers continuing on to Higher Education up to 39.9%
School Leavers going into Further Education also up to 29.5%

Numbers of leavers unemployed after school is down to 3.5%

Further details from the School Leavers Survey can be found on both the Department of Education, Northern Ireland (DENI) website and in the Northern Ireland Executive Press Release

June 2009

Healthy Eating Lessons in Scotland

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:34:11 GMT

A French programme for tackling childhood obesity is being trialled in Scotland
The programme “Healthy Weight Communities” uses lessons from a successful French programme and aims to encourage healthy eating and reduce obesity, and related diseases like childhood diabetes
The pilot programme involves both schools and the local communities working together – with support from the NHS, and voluntary and private sectors
Eight pathfinder communities are taking part in the programme, which is backed by £1.4M funding from the Government

Scottish Executive Press Release has further information

June 2009

Special Educational Needs in Northern Ireland

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:11:00 GMT

The Northern Ireland Executive’s review of Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision, “Special Educational Needs and Inclusion” nears its end, with proposals now with the Executive for approval, prior to consultation
The review aims to raise awareness and develop a holistic approach to education of SEN, and addresses the recent increase in levels of pupils with SEN
The number of SEN pupils have increased from 14.5% in 2003 to 18.6% in 2008

Executives Press Release has further information

June 2009

School Recruitment Service

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:05:46 GMT

The Department of Children, Schools and Families announces the introduction of its ‘Schools Recruitment Service’
The service aims to provide a more efficient and standardised application system to recruit permanent teaching and support staff
The contract to deliver the service has been awarded to the Tribal Group – an organisation offering consultation, support and delivery services, focused on the public sector
The service will provide an online system that will allow schools to advertise positions, and applicants to search and register online
Candidates can also submit their job preferences for potential vacancies, and will receive “alerts” when roles are advertised that match their criteria
The service is due to be launched this autumn, but candidates can start registering from the summer
Nearly 100,000 teaching vacancies are currently advertised each year, plus a further 50,000 non-teaching and support staff positions
Annual turnover of teachers is currently 20%

DCSF Press Release has further information

June 2009

National Challenge Schools

Thu, 28 May 2009 18:49:36 GMT

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, School and Families, announces £45M in new funding to continue the support for National Challenge Schools
National Challenge Schools are those where fewer than 30% of pupils get 5 good GCSE’s including English and maths
Since its introduction, the number of National Challenge Schools has decreased to just 440 this year
The new funding is allocated to Local Authorities based on the number of National Challenge Schools in their area and the challenges facing them. Funds range from £2.3M for Kent to £18,000 for South Gloucestershire, Reading and Bracknell Forest

DCSF Press Release has further information

May 2009

New Funding for Republic of Ireland Universities

Thu, 28 May 2009 18:46:50 GMT

Funding for small-scale building works and high-tech equipment has now been extended to ROI Universities
The €40M scheme was previously only available to the Institutes of Technology sector, but is now extended to include IT and science facilities
Three-quarters of the grant will be allocated to institutions over the next few weeks, with the remainder in October and November this year
Institutions actual grants are calculated as a basic allocation of €68,500 plus €235 per student
Funding has been devolved to the institutions so they can manage their own projects – ideally in the quiet Summer months

ROI Press Release has further information

May 2009

Building Schools for the Future

Thu, 28 May 2009 18:42:15 GMT

A new “Minimum Design Standard” for Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was announced this week
The Standard, jointly developed by the DCSF, Partnerships for Schools and the Commission for Architecture and the Build Environment (CABE), means that new designs for schools have to adhere to rigorous standards – before being passed to the procurement stage
New designs will still be assessed by a panel of CABE experts, but now this will also include educationalists to assess the designs in terms of transforming teaching
BSF is the largest single schools capital investment programme, and aims to rebuild or renew secondary schools

DCSF Press Release has further information

May 2009

Curriculum for Excellence

Fri, 22 May 2009 17:07:10 GMT

Scotland releases its new "Curriculum for Excellence" this week
Curriculum for Excellence is Scotland's new approach to learning and teaching, with a personal copy of the new guidelines being provided to every teacher this week
The new Curriculum will be formally implemented from August 2010. It focuses on literacy and numeracy with strong cross-curricula teaching
The Scottish Government has provided £17.8M to its Local Authorities over the past 3 years to prepare for and support the Curriculum for Excellence

The Scottish Government Press Release gives further information

May 2009

Increases in School Workforce

Fri, 22 May 2009 17:04:52 GMT

New statistics show further increases in teacher numbers and improvements in teacher pupil ratios
The Department for Children Schools and Families has two new provisional statistical releases available:
School Workforce in England (January 2009)
Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics (January 2009)
Results show 18,500 more teachers and support staff than this time last year (increase of 2.4%)
There are now 441,300 teachers in England and 183,200 teaching assistants
Around 7.3 million FTE pupils are in state funded primary, secondary and special schools
Final figures on pupil and teacher numbers will be published in July and September this year

DCSF Press Release has further information

May 2009

Sure Start Reaches Milestone

Fri, 22 May 2009 16:58:11 GMT

Milestone of 3,000 Sure Start Centres was reached this week
Target for March 2010 is 3,500 Centres
Sure Start Centres provide access to the following services:

      Childcare, play and learning for babies and toddlers
      Expert advice on healthcare
      Advice on parenting for parents
      Brushing up on skills
      Links to training and job opportunities
      Provision for family fun and meeting friends

DCSF Press Release has further information

May 2009

Class Sizes in England's Schools

Fri, 22 May 2009 16:48:15 GMT

New Government data released this week reports on school class sizes
The overall primary class size has remained stable, whilst secondary class sizes have continued to fall
310 infant classes have been shown to be unlawfully large. Jim Knight, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, expects prompt action to reduce these to an acceptable level

DCSF Press Release has further information

May 2009

Primary Curriculum Review

Sun, 10 May 2009 18:42:19 GMT

Sir Jim Rose, education expert and former Director of Inspection at Ofsted, has published his review of the primary curriculum. Billed as the “most fundamental review of the primary curriculum in a decade”, Sir Jim Rose sets out recommendations to modernise primary teaching for the 21st Century.

The proposed curriculum is split into 3 phases; Early Years Foundation, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 leading to secondary education. The main recommendations from the review include:

ICT to join literacy and numeracy as the core of the curriculum
The primary curriculum to be organised into six new areas of learning, giving benefits of high quality subject teaching and cross curricular studies:

Understanding English, languages and communication
Mathematical understanding
Understanding the arts
Historical, geographical and social understanding
Health, development and well-being understanding
Scientific and technological understanding

Schools should teach one or more foreign languages, to coincide with those taught at Key Stage 3
Additional support for teachers for ICT
A new focus on spoken communication, including drama and role play
Year 6 and 7 pupils to undertake extended study projects to help the transition into secondary school
More information to be made available to parents
An extra training day in 2010 for teachers to learn about the new curriculum
Improvements to prepare pupils for the transition from primary to secondary schooling

Implementation of the new curriculum is planned for 2011 following a public consultation of Sir Jim Rose’s review, led by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

See the DCSF Press Release for more information
Further details about the new curriculum can be found on the DCSF website

May 2009

Free School Meals – New Pilot Scheme

Sun, 10 May 2009 18:09:49 GMT

Provision of free school meals and extensions to existing eligibility is to be trialled in Durham, Newham and Wolverhampton
The pilot is funded by the Department of Health and the DSCF (£20M) with a further £20M to be provided by the Local Authorities themselves
These three Local Authorities were chosen as they are areas that are defined as “deprived” by having at least 15% of pupils eligible for free school meals
These areas will provide universal free school meals to all primary school children in a 2 year pilot scheme starting September 2009
The pilot Local Authorities will be assessed against a control group to investigate the benefits of free school meals, including:

Reduction in children’s BMI and obesity levels
Encouragement of healthy eating habits at home
Changes in academic performance and behaviour in school
Improvements in school standards
Improvements in general health and well-being

DCSF Press Release gives further information

May 2009

Framework for Inclusion for Scotland

Sun, 10 May 2009 17:58:46 GMT

The National Framework for Inclusion, a new initiative developed by the Scottish Teacher Education Committee (STEC), will further promote inclusion within Scottish schools
The Framework will provide training for teachers to help embed the principle of inclusion, and allow them to identify pupils with Special Educational Needs at an early stage
It is supported by an extensive web-based resource for both teachers and teacher trainers

Details of the Framework for Inclusion

Scottish Government Press Release gives further information

May 2009

New Funding for Post-16 Learning

Sun, 10 May 2009 17:42:19 GMT

As part of the recent Budget, new funding of £655M is to be allocated to tackle youth unemployment and help address the need to give young people skills
The funding supports the “September Guarantee” which provides a place of education and training for every 16 and 17 year old who wants one
£251M will be available for 2009/10, with a further £404M for 2010/11
This will make over 1,550,000 places available by the end of 2011

Further information can be viewed on the DCSF Press Release

May 2009

PSHE Education

Sun, 10 May 2009 17:33:04 GMT

Following an independent review led by Sir Alasdair Macdonald, Ed Balls confirms his intention to make Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) education a compulsory part of the curriculum
This will be for both the primary and secondary curriculum and is expected to commence from September 2011
Within the proposed new curriculum, a schools’ Governing Body will still have the right to determine their schools approach to SRE (Sex and Relationship Education)

Further details can be found on the DCSF Press Release

May 2009

National Challenge Schools

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:49:03 GMT

This is the first part of the £400M National Challenge funding that is targetted at under-performing schools. Use of the money is decided by the Local Authority based on their local needs, but is designed to strengthen leadership, provide support for subject heads, increase advanced skills teachers and provide more personal support for pupils by increasing numbers of teaching assistants.

Examples of Local Authority plans and firther information

Special Educational Needs

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:47:15 GMT

Following feedback from recent investigation by Brian Lamb (The Lamb Enquiry), it has been recognised there is a lack of confidence from parents whose children are in special needs provision. Ed Balls has confirmed the following steps as part of the "Children's Plan One Year On"

A comprehensive examination of the information needs of parents of SEN children
A £31M pilot scheme in 10 Local Authorities in 2009. This will review expectation for children with SEN and the approaches taken by schools and LA's currently. It will run for 2 years and identify best practice for SEN provision.
OFSTED to review the legal frameworks for SEN to ensure the most vunerable childrens needs are met
A further £7M will be invested to strengthen support for SEN in schools, and school leadership

Further information can be found from the DCSF website

Funding for ICT in the Republic of Ireland

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:14:24 GMT

Awards will be in the form of a grant and will come from the Governments dormant accounts fund. The value of the grant will vary for schools, but the maximum allocation will be €20,000 per school.

Applications for the grant will be invited from the 100 most disadvantaged schools. This targetted funding is part of the Governments drive for schools to become "Digital Schools", a Government initiative to encourage excellent in the provision and teaching of ICT.

Press release from the Republic of Ireland Education Department gives further information.

School Improvement Strategy

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:12:18 GMT

Local Authorities will be tasked with identifying and bidding for a share of £40M new funding specifically to target the schools within their authority who are

considered to be coasting.

Identification of these schools will be based on the school displaying one or more of the following indicators:

Poor progress from KS2 to KS4
Little or no progress in the schools overall performance in the last few years
Poor OFSTED reports
The school has a weak AfL
Complacent leadership and/or subject leaders
Significant variances of performance within the school
The schools CVAM is significantly below average
The School has not implemented a WRA (Workforce Remodelling Agreement)

The strategy will also encourage schools to form trusts and federations, with strong strategic leadership, allow additional time for School Improvement Partners (SIP's), and will focus on making learning more interesting and relevant by study support including book clubs, homework assistance and educational visits.

Further information can be viewed on the DCSF Press Release

Primary Capital Programme

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:08:48 GMT

Approval has been given for over 1500 primary school building projects, following the go-ahead for 133 Local Authorities Primary Capital Strategies, with a further 15 Authorities to receive guidance to complete their strategies within the next 3 months.

Funding of £3.55 billion allocated to the initial projects, £1.75 billion from the Government and a further £1.8 billion from the Local Authorities themselves. This in in addition to the £150M already invested in the 23 pilot authorities for 2008/9.

DCSF Press Release gives further information for this project.

New Funding for Early Intervention Projects

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:57:02 GMT

£13M new funding has been announced for projects to challenge and support young people in trouble. This investment will be shared between projects in 20 areas following a bidding process and review by a cross departmental assessment panel.

Projects were chosen on factors including; demonstrating an integrated approach with clear multi-agency working, a clear balance between sanctions and support, innovative solutions, and approaches following IIP guidance.

The successful projects will be based in; Gateshead, East Sussex, Sandwell, Bolton, Peterborough, Newcastle, Southampton, Newham, Manchester, Sheffield, Haringey, Middlesborough, Bournemouth, Walsall, Nottingham, Northamptonshire, Trafford, Liverpool, Swindon and Birmingham.

Further information can be found from the DCSF Press Release

Outside Learning

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:14:33 GMT

The first ever national “Learning Outside the Classroom Conference” was recently held at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

At the conference, Ed Balls stressed that it was time to allay teachers fears about litigation over incidents on school trips, and that it was wrong to deny young people the valuable learning opportunities that outside leaning can offer. Outside learning should be “part and parcel” of every child’s school career.

Also announced at the Conference, the “Out and About” package is a new quality mark for providers of outside learning. It is designed to give schools much clearer information about providers and streamline the paperwork currently involved with organising school trips. Out and About is backed by £4.5 million new funding.

The Conference also held the first national Learning Outside the Classroom Awards, with 8 regional finalists commended for excellence in their provision, learning and inspiration. The first national winner was Castlechurch Primary School in Stafford.

Free School Meals in Scotland

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:13:37 GMT

Following successful pilot schemes in five Scottish Authorities, the Education Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, announces that free school meals for pupils in primaries one to three will be rolled out nationally.

The pilot schemes showed that the provision of healthy free school meals was well received by parents, teachers and pupils alike. The uptake for free school meals at P1-3 in the pilot areas, increased from 41% to 69% and no unexpected issues or impacts were identified.

The extension of this scheme is part of the Scottish Governments campaign to improve children’s tastes by early intervention and challenging their eating habits, both at school and in the home.

The campaign has also introduced new nutritional guidelines for all primary schools from August this year, with this being extended to secondary schools next August.

New Ministerial Team Announced

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:10:29 GMT

The Prime Minister announced his new ministerial team for the Department for Children, School and Families this week. The new team at the DCSF now comprises of:

Ed Balls – Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families

Jim Knight – Minister of State for Schools and Learners

Beverly Hughes – Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families

Sarah McCarthy-Fry – Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools and Learners

Baroness Delyth Morgan – Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families

New to the team are Baroness Morgan and Sarah McCarthy-Fry.

Baroness Morgan has a history in the charity sector, previously working with Shelter, the National Asthma Campaign and Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Her main responsibilities in her new role at the DCSF will include child protection, drugs and alcohol education, sport and healthy eating.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry brings with her experience in both the private sector, she was Financial Controller for GKN Aerospace Services, and the public sector as Deputy Leader of Portsmouth City Council. She will now focus on admissions, the 14-19 reform, thee National Curriculum and Special Educational Needs.

New Schools

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:04:39 GMT

More than 180 new or refurbished schools are opening this term. The new schools have been provided under a variety of Government initiatives and funding support including:

24 new or totally refurbished schools opening this year as a result of the Building Schools for the Future initiative (22 in September, with the remaining 2 later in the year)
51 new Academies opening (47 in September and 4 in January 2009) some of which will also benefit from University sponsorship

Further information about BSF and the Academies programmes can be viewed here

Co-operative School Trusts

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:01:35 GMT

Ed Balls has announced that he wants to roll out the Co-operative Trust School model in a pilot scheme.

Co-operative Trust Schools involve parents, teachers and local communities to have direct power over the running of the school.

A co-operative governance model is adopted by the schools based on the engagement of the stakeholder groups mentioned above.

£500K will be made available from the DCSF to finance the legal costs of becoming a Trust.

The first pilot Co-operative Trust School was Reddish Vale Technology College in Stockport, which was established in April 2008.

The second, the Andrew Marvell College in hull is due to open later this year.

DCSF Press Release can be viewed here

Cooking in Schools

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:59:27 GMT

New package of measures and funding announced this week to prepare for compulsory cooking lessons in secondary schools from 2011. Food technology lessons will be compulsory for every 11 to 14 year old, following on from the already compulsory cooking lessons in primary schools. A new free cookbook has been published by the Government last week aimed at 11 year olds – “Real Meals” concentrates on healthy versions of favourite meals. Funding announced to support the introduction of cooking at secondary level includes:

£150M to build food technology teaching areas for schools with no current facilities (targeting 515 schools)
Other school wishing to refurbish their existing facilities can do so using BSF funding
£750K to recruit and train new food technology teachers
In addition, the current “Licence to Cook” campaign allows pupils to undertake a full course in cooking at after-school clubs or during activity weeks

Further information and Press Release can be viewed here

Key Stage 2 Results

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:58:04 GMT

Provisional results for the Key Stage 2 test results released this week
Figures and statistics are based on the information collated at an earlier release of data (15th July) so do not include all results
Delays in marking mean that the provisional results are based on 94% of English results, and 97% of science and mathematics results
Critics have said the results should not have been published due to the problems with marking delays and controversy, but the DCSF say that these have not affected the quality of the results
Key information from the KS2 test results include:
- English and mathematics attainment at Level 4 up 1% from last year
- Level 4 science attainment remains the same at 88%
- Performance at Level 5 has dropped in all three subjects (English down 5%, mathematics down 1% and science down 3%)
DCSF point out that direct comparisons with previous years results may be skewed due to a change in the marking process this year
Removal of the “borderlining” process has, according to the DCSF, effectively reduced the achievement levels at both Level 4 and Level 5
Borderlining is the process of double-checking any results that are just under the benchmark level to see if they warrant any extra marks
The Statistical First Release can be view here http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000804/index.shtml
DCSF Press Release available here http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2008_0165

New Funding for SEN Leaders

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:48:41 GMT

New funding of £10M a year has been released to train new SENCO’s
SENCO’s (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators), will be able to undertake high quality, nationally accredited training, to improve support for children with SEN
An additional £12M will be allocated for training existing and trainee SEN teachers
Further information at available here http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2008_0163