Teaching News

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Teaching News and Events (3/3/12) Posted: 03 Mar 2012 02:00 AM PST Here are links to some of this week’s education-related news: Schools: New teaching standards being introduced from September will allow heads to dramatically raise the bar on minimum levels of performance, making it easier for them to sack teachers. Ofsted has found wide differences in the quality and quantity of music education in schools across England. One in five of the schools visited were judged inadequate for music. All schoolchildren should study the arts up to the age of 16 amid a claim that cultural education in England is still “patchy”. Despite Michael Gove's emphasis on partnership, only 3% of academies sponsor weaker schools. Teachers are being forced to allow pupils to catch up on their sleep during the school day amid fears rising numbers of young children staying up all night playing computer games. Governors of struggling schools in England should be paid, the new chief inspector of schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has said. Half of children in some areas are being rejected from preferred secondary schools amid intense competition for the most sought-after places, figures show. Boys appear to have caught up with girls on reading ability, research into what children are reading for pleasure suggests. Unprecedented numbers of schools are turning to charities for "food aid" in order to run breakfast clubs for their most vulnerable pupils. A £50 million summer schools fund to help the most disadvantaged pupils has opened. The money will help up to 100,000 pupils making the transition from primary to secondary school, a time when Ofsted research shows performance can take a significant dip. A list of must-see local historical sites is being drawn up for school children to visit so they can be inspired by “our rich island story”. Exams and Further Education: Employers and universities are increasingly unable to "discriminate the very best from the average and the poor" because too many teenagers leave school with A grades, it was claimed. A website called funnyexam.com offers a hilarious pinboard for staff to expose the silliest answers they’ve ever seen. Other News: Half a million children in 21 countries joined top children’s authors in events to celebrate World Book Day. Almost half of British adults have the maths skills of an 11-year-old or worse, figures show, leaving them struggling to manage family finances, calculate change and use transport timetables. Children brought up by mothers and fathers with poor parenting skills are twice as likely to display serious anti-social behaviour, according to a Government study. Next week's Teaching Events include: 27th February to 11th March - Fairtrade Fortnight 2012 3rd March - Dyscalculia Day 6th March - World Spelling Day 6th March - Michelangelo’s Birthday 7th March - World Maths Day 8th March – World Science Day 8th March - International Women’s Day 8th March - Holi 8th March - Feast of Purim 9th to 18th March - National Science and Engineering Week

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