Pupils with poor GCSEs forced to study English and maths until 18 September 1, 2013 TEENAGERS who fail to achieve a C grade or better in GCSE English and maths will have to continue to study the subjects, the government will announced today. The rule change means that 16-year-olds who fail to achieve a good pass in the two core subjects will have to make moves towards resitting the exams [...]
Letters to the editor – 07/08 – Human ingenuity, Education reform, Best of Twitter August 6, 2013 Human ingenuity [Re: All hail the boffin burger: The next step in human nutrition, yesterday] We’re proud of our chefs for their innovative dishes. But experimentation can also help in tackling the age-old problem of food scarcity. Ideas like this artificial burger are becoming a reality, promising an age of cheap and nutritious food. Yet too often [...]
Against the Grain: We may be finally tackling the economic dilemma central to grade inflation October 15, 2013 YOUNG adults in England have scored almost the lowest results in the developed world in international literacy and numeracy tests. According to a recent study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), out of 24 countries, England’s 16-to-24-year olds rank 22nd for literacy and 21st for numeracy. New Labour and the educational establishment [...]
Former Goldman Sachs chair to join Department for Education July 28, 2013 FORMER Goldman Sachs Asset Management chairman Jim O’Neill has been drafted in to work alongside Michael Gove as a Department for Education (DfE) non-executive director. O’Neill, who is famed for coining the Bric term for developing nations Brazil, Russia, India and China, will take up the post in September, the department stated last night. The [...]
Our flawed education system is betraying our young people October 8, 2013 I F YOU want to understand the real crisis facing Britain, look no further than yesterday’s league tables on educational performance. The results were disgraceful: young people in England were rated a shocking 22nd out of 24 OECD countries for literacy and 21st for numeracy. We are the only country where 55-65 year olds are [...]
It’s time we put some X Factor into financial education in schools September 18, 2013 I DO not often cross paths with Gary Barlow, Nicole Scherzinger or Sharon Osbourne. I am told we move in different circles. This seemingly unusual point was brought home to me by new research showing that an 8 to 15-year old was twice as likely to be able to identify an X Factor judge as [...]
Michael Gove is courageously recovering our ancient tradition of learning November 15, 2012 IN 75 BC, when the great Roman politician and champion of liberal learning Cicero was quaestor in Sicily, he led an expedition to a neglected, overgrown jumble of funerary monuments just outside the city of Syracuse. Directing men with scythes to cut away the briars, he uncovered the tomb of Archimedes, lost for more than [...]
The coalition must fight to defend performance-related pay for teachers August 29, 2013 PUPILS will return to school next week with the usual trepidation and excitement. But this year more than most, teachers may feel the same. From September, all schools will be able to link teachers’ pay more closely with performance. The government’s reform to pay will transform the market for teachers. Pay rises based on length [...]
The Greeks have something to teach us about the importance of being idle August 20, 2013 BUSINESS and leisure seem like opposites. Ambition’s drive to succeed and achieve has little truck with the pleasures of idleness. With 135 graduates fighting for every opening at investment banks and fund managers, who can afford to be caught with their feet up? Yet leisure is essential, even for the driven. It’s a chance to [...]
Cameron calls off military action in Syria after losing Westminster vote August 29, 2013 DAVID Cameron last night suffered a major blow to his authority as parliament took the near-unprecedented step of vetoing military action desired by the government. Just 48 hours ago, the Prime Minister had hoped that last night’s vote would authorise immediate military strikes against the Syrian regime. Instead, Britain has now all but ruled out [...]