| Teaching News and Events (21/4/12) Posted: 21 Apr 2012 02:00 AM PDT  Sorry for the lack of posts on Teaching News recently, while I’ve been taking an Easter break and working on the new Teaching Appz site. Here are links to some of this week’s education-related news: Schools: - Hundreds of school support staff are to get degree-level and specialist training in helping children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, under a new £500,000 programme set out by Children’s Minister Sarah Teather.
- Charlie Taylor, the Government's Expert Adviser on Behaviour, has called for a crackdown on primary school absence to make sure it is not a problem later on in life.
- Teachers are more qualified and better paid than ever before, and a TES survey reveals that they hold their own profession and skills in high regard. Despite this, they are viewed as low-status by the public and politicians alike.
- Students who take water into the examination hall may improve their grades, a study of 447 people found.
- Schools permanently excluding pupils face having to pay a £4,000 levy under new rules being introduced by the Government.
- Half the free schools set to open later this year have not yet secured a site, Schools Minister Nick Gibb has said.
- The London boroughs are the main beneficiaries of £600m additional funding for primary school places.
- Planned changes to the free school meals (FSM) system could put thousands of low-income families in England off working, a charity says.
- Cuts and the back-door privatisation of services are putting children’s musical education at risk, according to the Guardian.
- Teachers in Nottingham have held a second one-day strike over proposed changes to school terms.
- Two-thirds of parents say they have witnessed bullying and intimidation on the school sports field, a survey suggests.
- The quality of teenagers’ work experience is strongly linked to future careers but must rely on more than just their parents’ connections, a heads and employers report says.
- Volunteers have kicked off a project to set up after-school clubs that teach young children how to programme computers.
- A school in Islington is running a ‘Buzz Club' is attracting children to beekeeping.
 Other News: 
Next week's Teaching Events include: 
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