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Reading through the education sections of the country’s big news providers makes for harrowing reading this week.
The Times reports on a new Ofsted report that warns that almost half of teenagers studying for a new Diploma receive poor English and maths teaching and that there is ‘little evidence of their achievement in functional skills’.
The same paper carries a story detailing how hard it will be for sixth-formers to gain a university place due to a massive surge in university applicants and also exposes a head teacher who used taxpayers’ money to fund a holiday in the Caribbean.
They round off their coverage with a story about how new guidance from the government has advised teachers that the popular ‘i before e’ spelling rule is ‘irrelevant and confusing’.
The Guardian has an article which looks at new figures released by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DSCF) which reveal that up to 835,000 young people are currently not in education, employment or training.
The paper also carries an article warning that A-levels have been ‘dumbed down’ even further pointing out that from 1990 to 2008 the proportion of pupils passing A-levels has soared from 78 per cent to almost 97 per cent.
The BBC’s website leads with a story detailing the rise and rise of student debt, quoting a recent report by The Push Student Debt group that students starting university this year are likely to graduate with up to £23,000 in debts.
The BBC has also drawn attention to a report from the Prince’s Trust which warns that one in five teenagers receiving their GCSE results next week could soon be forced to seek out unemployment benefit.
And in further bleak education news the National Association of Head Teachers has said that the recession has hit parents so hard that some were unable to pay bills which has lead to some schools facing a budget shortfall and having to cut activities.
Judging from the headlines you’d think there was nothing good to talk about… but it isn’t all bad news. But the good news is... In The Times Spelling Bee competition Jonah Surkes from the victorious St Martin’s School Northwood was the stand-out spelling hero of the competition putting in an astonishing performance during the final quick-fire spelling round.
Among the words that were correctly spelt by learners were: ‘analgesic,’ ‘ichthyology,’ ‘soirée,’ ‘extraordinaire’ and ‘sarcophagus’.
The BBC sends a positive spin on the record breaking year for A-level results, stating that all the hard work over the last few months by learners, their parents, teachers and private tutors has been worth the effort.
Easing worries about the potential university vacancy crisis is news from UCAS, the university application body, that more than 60 per cent of applicants have had their places confirmed for the coming academic year.
A total of 371,016 students have taken their places and verified their attendance with the universities of their choice.
The clearing process now begins with a further 22,000 places available.
And finally, the Department for International Development (DFID) has confirmed that emergency UK aid will ensure that 600,000 of the poorest children in Bangladesh continue to receive pre-school and primary school education.
The DFID’s grant is worth £18.5 million and will guarantee that 25,000 informal schools remain open while keeping a further 25,000 teachers in their jobs for the rest of the academic year.
In addition the grant will allow some 2,500 after school clubs for teenagers, 150 secondary schools and 100 community centers to remain open.
And bumping up the feel good factor in education news is a recent survey published by Unite student accommodation provider.
The online poll of over 5,000 graduates between the ages of 25-45 has found that one in five university graduates marry somebody they met at university.
The survey also reports that 60 per cent of graduates feel that they have made positive contacts at university and a further 41 per cent say that a friend from university had arranged an interview or introduced them to a prospective employer.
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