Week Commencing 08/05/23?
Gillian Keegan celebrates the role of international education and promotes the benefits of embracing Artificial Intelligence in education?
- Keegan stated, “one challenge we all face is this: How do we make sure our young people leave school or college with the skills to prepare them for a life of opportunity?”?
- She discussed the DfE’s Skills for Jobs White Paper, citing research led to taking inspiration from world-leading technical education systems.?
- She also praised the world-class standards the?reforms to the national curriculum in 2014 have given us, drawing on international best practice, such as how maths is taught in Singapore and Shanghai.?
- She spoke of the importance of innovation and collaboration for the country’s economy and said that one of the most fruitful ways to support this was through encouraging international students to study in the UK; we are currently welcoming over 600,000 international students every year.?
- Keegan went on to address the power of AI in transforming education, including its use to reduce teachers’ workload in terms of planning and marking.?
Schools enact fewer cost-cutter savings as budgets tighten?
Findings prompt warning 'no amount of advice can balance the books'?
- Figures back up concerns that schools are running out of ‘financial wriggle room’.?
- After schools were visited by School Resource Management Advisors (SRMAs) last year, they made an average of ￡10,100 of reductions. This compares to an average of nearly ￡19,000 of saving headteachers made between 2018 and 2021.?
- Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, stated, “You cannot advise your way out of a funding crisis,” adding, that, “...no amount of advice can balance the books.”?
- In a DfE survey, nearly nine out of ten schools said they found the SRMA visit ‘good’ or ‘very good’.?
- In comments to this news article, one reader suggested, “Here’s an idea get rid of the SRMA and use that money the DfE wastes on that project and give it to schools!”?
Trans pupils put school policies to test amid heated debate in England?
Headteachers want help on dealing with gender dysphoria but fear government guidance will be too rigid?
- One of several issues in the heated debate over how gender dysphoria and trans issues are handled in England’s education system is whether teachers are required to inform parents when a child discloses that they are questioning their gender and asks to use a different name and pronouns.?
- Some schools are leading the way in supporting trans or gender-questioning pupils by: assigning a trained mentor; communicating preferred name and pronouns to all staff; ensuring appropriate toilets and changing facilities are available to those pupils; and making suitable arrangements for trans pupils on residential trips.?
- How will schools be able to put the safety and wellbeing of trans pupils first if government guidance requires teachers to tell parents if their child changes their name and/or pronouns in school (which may be their only ‘safe’ environment in which to do so)??
- Can schools leading the way and supporting, knowledgeable organisations offer best-practice guidance to schools??
‘Wake-up call’ as primary pupils struggle with maths post-Covid?
Younger children still weeks behind pre-lockdown norms, showing PM faces 'many obstacles' in maths to 18 ambition?
- Recent research by Renaissance Learning reveals youngsters aged between four and 11 are said to be about five weeks behind expectations prior to the outbreak more than three years ago, in maths.?
- The report also found the gap in reading outcomes between the most and least disadvantaged primaries is about 6% wider than before Covid.?
- What will the government do to address the issue of younger children falling behind in their maths??
- Is the maths primary curriculum pitched correctly??
- What can primary schools do to boost ability and confidence in maths??
Children in England’s schools need better sex education, experts tell MPs?
Too few teachers have training in how to deliver lessons in relationships and sex, committee told?
- Lucy Emmerson, chief executive of the Sex Education Forum, told MPs that young people reported that important issues such as power imbalances in relationships between boys and girls were often not being tackled in RSHE lessons.?
- The Commons women and equalities committee heard that too few teachers in England have received training in how to deliver lessons in relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) since it became a compulsory topic in 2019.?
- Concern over the way primary and secondary schools can teach RSHE has caused the government to speed up its planned review into the guidance around the subject, with a public consultation expected later this year.?
- Will schools prioritise teacher training and high-quality resources to deliver statutory relationships and health education??
Year 6 Sats: Children 'distraught' after reading paper?
- Should SATs be scrapped if they have such a negative impact on pupils’ wellbeing??
- Does this system benefit pupils in any way??
- Are there better ways of assessing pupils??
- Parents and teachers have long had concerns that pupils spend much of Year 6 being taught how to pass the tests.?
- Are standards in reading slipping? Are pupils struggling as a result of lost learning during and since Covid??
- Last year,?59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected levels in?reading, writing and maths - down from 65% in 2019. The tests didn’t take place in 2020 and 2021.?
- Are the texts being used in the SATs outdated and pitched incorrectly??
- Is the English curriculum in-line with what the children will be tested on at the end of primary school??