Teaching News

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Teaching News and Events (19/5/12) Posted: 19 May 2012 02:00 AM PDT Here are links to some of this week’s education-related news: Schools: Education Secretary Michael Gove has submitted evidence to the School Teachers' Review Body which makes recommendations on teachers' pay reforms. These recommendations could allow schools to set their teachers’ salaries themselves, leading to the end of a national pay scale for the profession. There is no clear link between performance pay for teachers and raising standards in schools, says an international survey. A new report reveals that many academies are selling unhealthy food and drinks that are banned in other schools. Mike Baker, writing on the Guardian site, discusses why the rush to convert to academy status may be over, as he hopes that the government will now realise it should not be imposed on all schools. Children are failing to pick up traditional values at school as teachers increasingly prioritise exam results over the development of pupils' "character", according to a leading headmaster. Formal schooling should be delayed by at least 12 months because an over-emphasis on the three-Rs at an early age can cause significant long-term damage to bright children, according to a leading academic. Parents are to get a new legal right to buy in specialist special educational needs (SEN) and disabled care for their children, under plans set out by Children's Minister Sarah Teather. New advice to schools will make clear that they will no longer be able to use pupils' biometric data without parental consent. The use of mobile devices and tablet computers in Scottish classrooms could be expanded in a bid to modernise teaching and learning. A third of children in England cannot swim by the time they leave primary school, according to research from the Amateur Swimming Association. Exams and Further Education: Ofqual, the exams watchdog, is considering cutting the number of grades and stripping vocational subjects of their GCSE status to stop the flagship qualification being "devalued". Four examiners have had their contracts terminated and 78 others have been ordered to improve their performance after mistakes were made in calculating pupils’ scores in GCSE and A-level papers from last summer. Students have had no extra teaching time at England’s universities since tuition fees trebled, researchers say. Next week's Teaching Events include: 1st to 31st May - National Share-a-Story Month 1st to 31st May - Local and Community History Month 19th May - Scratch Day 20th May to 20th June - National Smile Month 21st to 25th May - Walk to School Week 21st to 25th May - Noise Action Week 21st to 25th May - Great Plant Hunt Week 21st to 27th May - National Vegetarian Week 23rd May - World Turtle Day

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