Primary Teacher UK

University - Primary links

Taken from the Guardian: Universities will be asked to partner primary schools to encourage children as young as five to set their sights on university, the Guardian has learned. A private report commissioned by the prime minister and delivered to ministers yesterday is recommending the move because of concerns that by the time pupils are in their teens, many have rejected the idea of going to university.

The report suggests they add data on the proportion of students who go on to university in school league tables, to encourage schools to push their best students forward. It is also understood to back systems already used in some universities which make lower offers to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who they believe have the potential to outperform others from independent and top state schools.

Links with primary schools suggested after the National Audit Office's multimillion-pound programme to encourage state school applications had little effect. The programme targets bright teenagers who might be put off university. It is now believed that teenage years could be too late for targeting many who have already chosen the wrong GCSES or rejected the idea.

Dirty School Toilets

Education Minister for Wales, Jane Hutt, wants to know what toilet facilities are available to pupils in Wales and what improvements are needed by councils. It follows findings by inspectors which estimated that toilets in more than half of primary schools were dirty or unacceptable. Headteachers welcomed the move but said investment was also needed. The move follows a critical report from the assembly's enterprise and learning committee, which was told by the school inspectorate Estyn that 54% of primary schools they have inspected had dirty or unacceptable toilets.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7473960.stm

Sweets in school

Netmums have recently completed a survey asking parents whether their children were being given sweets in school by their teacher as a reward for good work or good behaviour. The results of which are published below:

In an age when child obesity rates are climbing and we have a greater awareness of the impact of additives and junk food on children’s behaviour and health, it seems strange that many teachers are still using sweets as an incentive for good work and behaviour.

In contradiction to the Healthy Schools initiatives implemented over the past few years, a recent survey by Netmums.com (a national parenting website with over 400,000 members) found that 27% of the 2581 members who responded stated that their children were rewarded with sweets by their teachers. As there are around 5 million children in state primary schools in the UK, this practice could be potentially affecting more than 1.4 million primary school children around the country. In addition, 19% of parents did not know if it was happening in their schools, so the number of children affected could be much higher.

Netmums found that a huge majority of parents (74%) said they did not agree with this practice. The main reasons given for this were that it contradicted the school’s healthy eating message, and that parents would prefer to be in charge of when their children are given sweets. There were also concerns around dental health, allergies, intolerances, special dietary requirements and hyperactivity. Many parents who responded to the survey suggested that they would prefer teachers to use other forms of reward, such as stickers, certificates, house points or stationery.

Alternative rewards to sweets are recommended on the Government’s Teachernet website. Advice to teachers for promoting and rewarding good behaviour suggests rewards such as certificates, personalised letters to parents or special privileges.

The School Food Trust, the body established by the Government to oversee the implementation of the Healthy Schools initiatives, is specific in its guidelines that confectionery should not be provided as part of school lunches and adds that, as of September last year, confectionery should not be provided at any time of the school day where food is made available.

A spokesman for the School Food Trust said: "Whilst we commend a teacher's desire to reward pupils for good behaviour, effort or academic performance, we are concerned about inconsistency of the healthy eating messages if a child is rewarded with sweets in the school environment.”

Teachers could use many alternative methods to reward pupils which send a better message, he said, adding: “"We hope that teachers will work with us to encourage healthy eating throughout the whole school day.”

A week of news...

Half term for almost all teachers but that doesn't stop the news.   David Burghes, professor of maths education at Plymouth University called for schools to follow Continental practices and end the need for supply cover by dividing absent teachers’ pupils among their colleagues.

Once again it has been found that school league tables are almost worthless, do not give parents a true indication of performance and should be scrapped. In more than 95 per cent of cases the tables failed to distinguish between schools.

Jim Knight, the schools minister, said that every school has at least one incompetent teacher who should be helped to improve or "moved on". The GTC has agreed and suggested that under-performing teachers should be moved to neighbouring schools to retrain.

And finally the Institute for Public Policy Research called for a shorter holiday to avoid 'learning loss' by children in low-income families. The long school summer holiday, which has stretched from July through to September for decades, should be abolished because it causes children to slip back educationally.

Admission appeals statistics published show no changes

Admission appeals statistics published today show that 98% of primary admissions offers and over 94% of secondary did not have any appeal heard against them in 2006/07. They also show that just over a third of appeals overall are successful.

Schools Minister Jim Knight said new moves to stamp out unfair admission arrangements and the new mandatory appeals code, which applies from this year, would further strengthen the system and give parents even greater confidence.

There are no changes to the overall national picture – with 82% of children getting their first preference and 94% getting an offer for one of their top three preferences for this September. The figures are expected to rise once places are reallocated and this year’s appeals heard.

Wii Fit labels children over weight

From Max Console: BBC News recently ran a story about an 11-year-old girl from Lincolnshire has been described as overweight by Nintendo's Wii Fit video game. However, comments on the Childrens BBC news site have shown that this is not an isolated incident.

Read the full article at Max Console, including other children's comments. Yet another reason why we need to make sure that children feel positive about themselves and their bodies.

Schools not teaching 'Green' in anything but a piecemeal way according to OFSTED

According to OFSTED most schools are not teaching children about green issues in anything but a piecemeal way. Schools should be making the environment central to the curriculum and school life. The NUT says Ofsted's findings are worrying but that an overcrowded timetable and over-emphasis on tests is to blame. The government describes sustainability as "a way of thinking about our lives and work - including our education system - that doesn't destroy the planet". In a report called Schools and Sustainability, A Climate for Change, Ofsted concluded:

"Most of the schools visited had limited knowledge of sustainability or related initiatives. Work on sustainability tended to be piecemeal and uncoordinated, often confined to extra-curricular activities and special events rather than being an integral part of the curriculum. Therefore, its impact tended to be short-lived and limited to small groups of pupils."

However, teaching in lessons on environmental issues was "often good and sometimes outstanding". Christine Gilbert said:

"The best schools are investing in their own long-term sustainability and making their buildings more environmentally friendly. However, too often sustainability is a peripheral issue. More schools need to make sure it is a key feature of their development plans."

School Standards have "stalled" according to OFSTED

The chief schools inspector, Christine Gilbert, declared school standards had "stalled" today as she set out measures to focus the inspection system on failing schools in a new consultation document for inspections.

"We're not seeing enough movement there. The gap between the haves and have nots is not moving quickly enough so we want to do additional things to drive that forward. We will be taking into account areas such as key stage 2 and GCSE results. It will not be the whole inspection report but exam results are important and give a picture of a particular school. We will take them into account in our judgments."

Under the proposals, which will come into effect from September 2009, "satisfactory" or "inadequate" schools will be inspected within three years. "Good" or "outstanding" schools will be inspected within six years, with a "health check" report in between.

The report says: "Although many of these schools go on to become good and outstanding, too many fall back and become inadequate. The key challenges, therefore, are to improve the weakest, and to prevent those that are improving from slipping back."

Ofsted will also pilot "no notice" inspections over the coming months, to see if they are feasible. Schools are currently given one or two days' notice, which parents complain is not long enough for them to pass on their concerns.

Parents will be able to trigger an Ofsted inspection of their child's school if they feel teachers are underperforming. Ofsted will consider doing national and local surveys of parents and pupils to gauge how schools are doing. It will also produce clearer criteria for each of the four inspection grades - outstanding, good, satisfactory and inadequate - a move welcomed by school leaders and will report more explicitly on whether the school provides good value for money.

Full details can be read on the OFSTED website: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/080075

Welsh Study Examines Poor School Performances

This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, who regularly writes on the topic of top online universities. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

According to a study that was just released by the National Attendance and Behaviour Review, school truancy and juvenile delinquency can be largely blamed on poor primary school education. This two-year study, which was commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government, outlined a proposal on how to improve the school standards in Wales.

One of the main recommendations made by this study is that no child should ever leave a primary school in Wales without the ability to read and write with proficiency. One would assume that is a given, but apparently there are many failing students who are pushed through the system. These lost souls are considered to be listed high in the "at-risk" category.

This study examined schoolchildren as young as seven, which is unprecedented in a UK education review. It also delves into the growing problem of primary school-aged children who are acting out in disobedience. Says report author Ken Reid, "The fact that so many primary-aged pupils are perceived to have either, or both, attendance and behavioural difficulties is a worrying trend for the future of the teaching profession and Welsh education.”

This independent study is unlike anything else the UK primary school system has ever seen and the recommendations that have been carefully constructed may well serve as a blueprint for UK teachers in the future. 149 pupils, aged seven to 19, were questioned, as were 670 parents. The important subjects discussed in this review range from socio-economic factors to in-school bullying. Truly, this was two years well spent, as there are some eye-popping statistics found within the pages of the study.

A summary of the NABR can be found here [PDF], while the review can read in its entirety at this link [PDF].

School inspectors will spend more time observing lessons

School inspectors will spend more time observing lessons, the government's schools watchdog, Ofsted, revealed today. The Commons schools select committee was told by Christine Gilbert, there would be a reform of the light touch "reduced tariff" inspection system used in 30% of the best schools.

"We are working to improve our work so it is more proportionate, more user-focussed and makes more of an impact not only on institutions but also the wider remit."

Full details of the plans will be released next week. "We will start consulting on changes to school inspections from September 2009," Gilbert said. "Inspectors may spend more time than they currently do in classrooms."

This comes on the same day that Gordon Brown told MPs it was unfair to consign any child to a poor school and that there would be new legislative plans to give parents the right to better information on their children's progress. It would also make the qualification system independent and make schools more accountable to parents.

The DCSF said that central to the bill would be new powers for the schools secretary to ensure local authorities intervene early to address underperforming schools where there is cause for concern. This is something they already have the power to do - the concern in Whitehall is that it is not always exercised at an early enough stage.