Over a third of German secondary school students go on to a vocational/technical programme. Now, Gavin Williamson, the latest in what is getting to be a long line of Tory education ministers, has promised that UK young people will have even better opportunities than young Germans, by the end of the next decade. https://www.tes.com/news/gavin-williamsons-tory-conference-speech-full … Continue reading ‘Doing it better than the Germans’. Gavin Williamson and pies in the sky.
Author: Martin Allen
Labour: the long and the short.
Jeremy Corbyn’s speech at this week’s TUC conference, reaffirms Labour’s commitment to changing the balance of power within the labour market. Alongside the repeal of anti-union laws, Corbyn promised to introduce sectional collective bargaining, something that still exists in many European countries despite the decline of traditional industries. There’ll be a ministry for employment rights … Continue reading Labour: the long and the short.
Education’s magic money tree?
After being told there's no 'magic money tree', suddenly there's lots of money around. After years of cutbacks, and even before the Chancellor announced his ‘Spending Review’, Boris Johnson has promised billions for education. While Labour politicians and the authoritative Institute of Fiscal Studies have been quick to point out Johnson’s £14 billion over three years … Continue reading Education’s magic money tree?
Another year of A-level results
Another year of A-level results. Attention has focused on the slight dip in performance levels particularly for As and A*s grades. Yet this is due to a ’comparative outcomes’ approach to assessment, introduced by Michael Gove during his ransacking of state education. Gove considered that examination boards where deliberately manipulating grade boundaries and causing ‘grade … Continue reading Another year of A-level results
Universities: 40% now get unconditional offers
Final analysis by UCAS shows that nearly 40% of 18 year olds now receive at least one 'unconditional' offer (or an offer that would be unconditional if the applicant agrees to make the university their first choice ). While this continues to reflect growing marketisation and the desperate attempts of institutions to attract students - … Continue reading Universities: 40% now get unconditional offers
Apprenticeships and Gavin Williamson
While the total number of apprenticeships starts continues to level off, the rapid increase in enrolments for Higher Level schemes appears to be bucking this trend. According to latest government data, there were 60 000 new starts during the last nine months, well above the figure for the preceding twelve months, which at the time constituted … Continue reading Apprenticeships and Gavin Williamson
School leavers head for Uni in record numbers
UCAS reports highest ever numbers of school leavers have made applications for September -by the end of June, over 235.000 18 years,40% of 18 years had applied -though the number from Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland has fallen. https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-releases/applicant-releases-2019-cycle/2019-cycle-applicant-figures-30-june-deadline Universities will be delighted, particularly those dependent on expansion for survival. They'll continue to argue that … Continue reading School leavers head for Uni in record numbers
The rise and fall of Teacherism
Martin Allen & Patrick Ainley on the politics of 'teacherism' ‘Teacherism’ has dominated education politics since the post-war period. It continues to be significant now but its influence is waning. The post-war education reforms enhanced the professional status of what had previously been a largely female occupation so that teachers’ professional project achieved its goal … Continue reading The rise and fall of Teacherism
Alternatives for tertiary learning
In a contribution for the Council for the Defence of British Universities, Patrick Ainley reviews an essay collection aiming to rethink the purpose of tertiary level learning. The Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) is a think tank connected to the trades unions combining ‘grassroots voices with intellectually compelling analysis…to ensure policy is on … Continue reading Alternatives for tertiary learning
BTECs facing the axe?
The government has asked for views on withdrawing public funding from qualifications for 16 to 19-year-olds that overlap with either A-levels or the new T-levels. Promoted as a progressive policy, it could have severe implications for the BTEC courses long established in sixth forms and colleges. More than 200,000 16 to 18-year-olds study BTEC courses … Continue reading BTECs facing the axe?
