It is often difficult to be in agreement with Andrew Adonis, but the one-time New Labour schools minister, now a cheer-leader for Michael Gove’s academies programme, does make some creditable comments about apprenticeships. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/01/youth-unemployment-not-age-lack-of-skills As Adonis observes, just 1 in 10 school leavers are able to sign up for an apprenticeship and many of … Continue reading Doing it the German way?
Author: Martin Allen
NUT and NASUWT strike for education
Even if last week’s strike by members of the NUT and NASUWT in the North West received little attention from the national media, it represented an important step in the campaign against Michael Gove’s ‘war on teachers’. With industrial action at a low, teacher organisations, relative latecomers– a legacy of their past traditions as ‘professional … Continue reading NUT and NASUWT strike for education
Rioters return to London streets……..
Rioters returned to London streets when public school pupils trashed a £2 million house, later boasting about their exploits on social media sites. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10150379/Public-school-students-trash-2m-Hampstead-home-in-end-of-exams-party.html http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/2m-hampstead-home-trashed-in-party-as-public-school-pupils-clash-with-police-8681264.html
The Blob Strikes Back!
Patrick Ainley and Martin Allen The Blob Strikes Back! A review of Schools at Risk! Gove’s School Revolution Scrutinised edited by Trevor Fisher for the Socialist Education Association Gove has characterised his critics in ‘the academic educational establishment’ as ‘The Blob’. If there is an academic educational establishment, some of the authors of this pamphlet … Continue reading The Blob Strikes Back!
Guardian letter : response to Wilshaw
19/06/13As youth unemployment rose in 1976, Arnold Weinstock, managing director of the General Electric Company, wrote a letter in the Times Education Supplement headed "I blame the teachers" for not preparing pupils for employment. Since then relentless repetition by other leading industrialists, politicians and now the chief inspector of schools, Michael Wilshaw, has deflected attention … Continue reading Guardian letter : response to Wilshaw
New ‘grammar school’ GCSEs can only short change young people – we need a general diploma for everyone
There are few surprises in the new GCSE exams that have now been officially unveiled by Ofqual. Coursework and modules – as well as the chance to resit parts of exams – have continually been cited by Michael Gove as reasons for the ‘dumbing down’ of standards, with the 2010 White Paper The Importance of … Continue reading New ‘grammar school’ GCSEs can only short change young people – we need a general diploma for everyone
I.09 million NEETS
This month’s ONS figures based on Jan-March data showed total unemployment at 2,518,000; up 15,000 on the previous quarter –a rate of 7.8% and up 0.1 percentage points on last quarter. Youth unemployment stood at 958,000 down 17,000 in the quarter. At 20.7%, it was also down 0.1 percentage points. In themselves though, these figures … Continue reading I.09 million NEETS
COMPASS TO A HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULUM
Paper to Student Experience Network Sheffield Hallam 17/05/13 Patrick Ainley This paper begins by asking what is ‘higher’ about the education we claim to be giving our students and goes on to briefly examine alternatives to the traditional academic answer to this question, drawing upon the polytechnic tradition to suggest combining higher with further education and … Continue reading COMPASS TO A HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULUM
‘Overqualified and underemployed’
Martin Allen A recent International Labour Organisation report shows 73.4 million young people (12.6 %) expected to be out of work worldwide in 2013, an increase of 3.5 million between 2007 and 2013 and youth three times as likely to be unemployed than adults. Now reaching unprecedented levels in Greece 64% and Portugal 43%, youth … Continue reading ‘Overqualified and underemployed’
As applications rise, university chiefs call for quicker loan repayments
The latest UCAS figures show a 3.5% increase in the number applying for 2013 full-time undergraduate entry to UK universities - though the figure is still down on 2011, the year before the £9000 tuition fee kicked in. Applications from 18 year olds are also up 2% and for 19 year olds 10.5%. (www.ucas.ac.uk/about_us/media_enquiries/media_releases/2013/20130130c) As … Continue reading As applications rise, university chiefs call for quicker loan repayments
Education, Economy and Society 