Headlines from the world of education and schools work:
- University clearing places ‘to be cut’: Thousands of students face being left without degree courses as universities are forced to slash the number of places available through the traditional clearing system.
- Government to introduce ‘school Olympics’: The coalition Government is pledging to create an annual school Olympic-style games as part of a drive to bring competitive sport back to the playground.
- Parents warned over exam binge drinking: Parents have been accused of fuelling binge drinking among their children by purchasing alcohol for end-of-exam celebrations.
- Ucas to review university admission points system: The university admissions system is to be overhauled amid fears that the practice of scoring applicants’ qualifications has become outdated, and is being wrongly used by employers to recruit graduates.
- England’s exams chief resigns over Gove’s plans: The head of England’s exams regulator has resigned. Kathleen Tattersall, chairwoman of Ofqual, said she was stepping down “with immediate effect”.
- Building Schools for the Future plans to be scrapped: Michael Gove, the education secretary, postpones plans to rebuild more than 700 schools across Conservative constituencies.
- AS-levels dropped to revive ‘deep thought’: Education secretary Michael Gove wants to limit the modularisation of A-levels and scrap AS-levels
- Tory MP spurns ‘Oxbridge types’: The new Tory MP for Harlow plans to hire an apprentice instead of getting a free ‘posh’ researcher
- Warning as quarter of schools boycott Sats: The Coalition risked a fresh clash with teachers by vowing to press ahead with Sats tests next year.
- Teachers to get new powers over troublemakers: Teachers will be handed tough powers to search pupils for alcohol, drugs and mobile phones in a Government crackdown on bad behaviour.
- Gap-year students choose jobs over jollies: School leavers are getting serious, says Christopher Middleton.
