Join the debate

Per Page

Will GCSE reform disadvantage girls?

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Sunday 14 April 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

Teachers have warned that the switch to final exams, rather than a series of smaller units could see girls’ results fall. Data shows that girls have been outperforming boys in GCSEs at grades A*-C for more than 20 years, as GCSEs have been heavily based around coursework projects and extended essays. However, The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) suggests that girls often lack the confidence to perform well under the pressure of a ‘high stakes’ final exam system. The Department for Education denies that there are gender differences in how pupils perform in different exam structures.

Read More

Tagged:

Rapid intervention for ‘underperforming’ FE colleges under Skills Strategy

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Thursday 04 April 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

As part of the Government’s recently launched Skills Strategy, struggling colleges in England are set to face a tougher regime. According to Skills Minister Matthew Hancock, there will be "swift and effective action" for colleges which are “failing learners.” Inspectors have found that there are 4% of colleges which fall into this category and have been identified as inadequate.

Read More

Tagged:

Teenagers' 'mismatched' job ambitions

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Thursday 28 March 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

A recent survey amongst young people suggests there's a misalignment between young people's career expectations and the reality of the jobs available. Nick Chambers, Director of the Education and Employers Taskforce, says that the results highlight the need for better careers advice and indicate that teenagers have a weak understanding of the labour market.

Read More

Tagged:

Government response to Lord Heseltine report

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Tuesday 26 March 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

The Government has published its response to Lord Heseltine’s 2012 report ‘No Stone Unturned - In Pursuit of Growth’. They’ve set out how they will adopt (partially or fully) 81 of his original 89 recommendations. To support this, the Government has committed ‘to creating a Single Local Growth Fund in England from April 2015, and devolving responsibilities, influence and growth-related spending on the basis of strategic plans developed by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs)’. LEPs will bid for money from this single growth fund, and use it to fund (and leverage additional funding for) the 3 critical areas for investment in their region: transport, housing and skills.

Read More

The value of the arts in creating futures

By Lindsay Plumpton, Communications Leader, Friday 22 March 2013

Lindsay Plumpton

The Creative Employment Programme has announced its intention to create up to 6,500 employment opportunities across the country. The road show has already visited cities nationwide, including Birmingham, Sheffield, Gateshead, Cambridge and Southampton to encourage employers to sign up. Using money from the National Lottery, Arts Council England has set up a £15 million fund to create thousands of apprenticeships, traineeships and internships in the arts and culture. The scheme will be run by Sector Skills Council, Creative and Cultural Skills, a body designed to promote training and employment in the arts sector.

Read More

Tagged:

Subscribe

Get notified when a new post is published.


Authors

Categories