My last education and schools work update for 2009:
- ‘Panic’ buttons to help children report inappropriate material online: Computers will have ‘panic’ button software to help children report inappropriate material online.
- Vote could force U-turn on Sats boycott: The National Union of Teachers is under pressure to do an embarrassing U-turn on its threat to boycott Sats after a ballot of members drew responses from only 25% of its membership.
- Heads reject plan to report bullies: Logging and reporting cases of bullying to local authorities would be a waste of time and effort, say school leaders
- Poor white boys ‘fall further behind at school’: Working class white boys are falling further behind their classmates at school.
- For children, an extra day’s holiday: The heavy snow led to more than 500,000 schoolchildren getting an extra day’s Christmas holiday.
- Faith academies fuel rise in school chaplains: The number of dedicated school chaplains has increased by 25% in five years, fuelled by increasing numbers of faith schools in the state sector, figures released by the Church of England show.
- Mandelson: do your degree in two years: Universities face a move towards two-year degree courses as the Government dramatically reduces higher education spending.