Exams and educating

Wolf Report

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 13:05:00 +0000

The WolF Report - Review of Vocational Education - was published on Friday 4 March and immediately welcomed by Michale Gove as a 'brilliant and ground-breaking' report. It makes 27 recommendations for reform of vocational education so that the life chances of young people are transformed. The Report estimates that around 350000 young people are on vocational courses that lead nowhere and that this sad truth results from 'perverse incentives' that militate against putting young people's interests first. The recommendations could have profound impacts for schools and colleges in seking to have even more profound ones for young people. You can read a summary in the FEdS briefing on the EGN website. The key questions for governors will be how to respond to the recommendations accepted and acted on by the Secretary of State.

Education Bill

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 13:31:40 +0000

The Education Bill was introduced to Parliament on 26 January, and was given its second reading on 8 February. It will implement most of the proposals set out in November’s Education White Paper - a curriculum bill is expected to follow later in the year. A special EGN ‘hot topics’ paper highlights the provisions of most interest to governors. They apply mainly to England, although some also apply in Wales.
The Bill will now go to ‘committee stage’, where it will be closely scrutinised and amended, and evidence from experts will be considered. It will then return to the House of Commons for further discussion (‘report stage’) and third reading, from where it will go on to the House of Lords. Only after a similar process there can it receive Royal Assent.

What are you hoping this Bill will deliver?

National Curriculum Review

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:31:37 +0000

By the end of this year, we will have the first recommendations from the review of the National Curriculum for 5-16 year-olds in England, launched by Education Secretary Michael Gove at the end of January.
Of course, it was only comparatively recently that Sir Jim Rose published the results of his review of the primary curriculum, which was due to be introduced in schools from September 2011. However, the new government did not approve of his theme-based approach, and it was shelved.
This will be the first such review to be undertaken by the Department for Education rather than an arms-length quango.
What would you like to see in the new national curriculum for 5 -16 year-olds?

What are your next steps as a board?

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:15:30 +0000

How is your school responding to the cuts in public spending? What are the key issues you face?

FEdS Newsletter

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:53:16 +0000

The latest edition of the FEdS newsletter is published today. As usual it brings FEdS and EGN member up to date about all that is happening in the interlinked worlds of business and education. In this month's copy this covers everything from skills and the employment situation to primary testing and student fees. If you would like to know more about FEdS contact Croal Rayfield at FEdS on 02083151260 or coral.rayfield@feds.co.uk

Higher Education

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 11:45:08 +0100

The Browne Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance proposes that students pay much higher fees for degrees. What will the impacts of such changes be? What are your views on how we should fund higher education?

New in FEdS Briefing

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 16:10:00 +0100

FEdS produces a briefing every month on all the latest news that matters in the worlds of business and education. Briefings are available to EGN members in the Resources section of the site. In the latest edition read about such things as a round up of examination perfiormance, the new Government's policies for education and business, how apprenticeships are developing and the monthly round-up of news from across the four countries of the UK.

Here come the cuts

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:09:00 +0100

On October 20 the Government is due to announce the scope and scale of cutbacks in public spending.
Inevitably, some of the burden will fall on education - even as new initiatives such as free schools and an expanded academies programme are being pursued.
What is your board of governors expecting? What precautions have they been taking? How will they keep themselves informed about what is happening regarding funding?

Buildings and money

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:42:59 +0100

Is yours a school where the axe has fallen on a Building Schools for the Future project?

How are your responding to this? What are the plans you are beginning to think about?

Academies

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:41:00 +0100

As a governor you may be helping your school to consider whether or not to become an academy. What are you views of the pros and cons? (You may find it useful to see Mike Baker's piece for Teachers' TV at www.teachers.tv - where Mike interviews heads of bith a new acadmey and a school that is not yet decided on its response to the invitation).

Spending cuts

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 13:44:23 +0100

Though there have been assertions that education budgets will be protected, there is concern about how the 22 June budget will affect schools and colleges. What are your hopes and fears?

New Coalition Government

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:07:05 +0100

What are your hopes for education from the new Government?

Snow and Safety

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 12:23:45 +0000

My 14 year-old daughter came home from school with new rukes about what shoes can be worn in the snow.

We discussed why it is the Government wants children to be safe and happy.

My 18 year-old son said that making children safe makes them unhappy: they like adventures and risk - they get rules, uniforms and conformity.

An interesting idea.

What do you say?

FEdS Asks You

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:55:00 +0000

What is the most important issue facing you as a governor?

Exams and educating

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:55:00 +0000

Do our children have too many exams? Are our schools just teaching to the test? Or do we need a regime of tests to understand how well pupils, schools and tecahers are doing?

Subject 21

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:03:41 +0000

he School Governors' One-Stop Shop (SGOSS) is a small, highly successful charity which recruits volunteers to become governors in schools across England. SGOSS has won awards for the way it works with volunteers, builds partnerships with employers, manages its finances, and develops its staff. Its services are FREE to Local Authorities, volunteers, employers and schools.