Availability of spaces for younger children in London's independent schools is currently extremely limited.
Despite fears of recession and the talk of belt-tightening, relocating families are finding it harder to secure slots in private schools. This is most felt in the early years, Reception through to Year 2 (ages 4 to 7).
This is focused not on central London but also popular areas for relocating families, such as Hampstead, Richmond and Wimbledon.
The state sector is struggling to provide much slack in the system. The better state schools in London tend to be full with waiting lists, and there is such pressure on space that the Government is earmarking a large chunk of cash to help provide more school spaces.
Relocating families will need to think flexibly about where they should live and also consider what back-up strategies to employ to pin down school places for their children.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Monday, 19 September 2011
State school families facing delays
Many relocating families are currently facing long delays when applying for state school places.
Families placing "in-year" applications - those made outside the normal admissions points of Reception, Year 3 and Year 7 - are finding that councils take up to four weeks to respond to their application. The problem is at its worst in London and the south-east but is being mirrored across the country.
At the heart of the problem are the councils that now handle school admissions in most areas. They appear to be overwhelmed by the workload of managing the applications. There is also evidence of institutional inefficiency and incompetence, with lost applications and paperwork sitting on desks gathering dust.
One inner-city council worker told me last week, "we are overwhelmed by the number of applications that arrive with us each day, we have to phone the schools for each application and don't have enough staff for the job."
This particular council had not processed an application that arrived nearly three months ago.
In some areas, for example Hampshire, local authorities have recognised the level of the challenge and have passed control of admissions back to schools. Historically, when schools handle their own entry, applications can be turned around in as little as one or two days.
However, relocating families, and their employers, will need to factor in such delays when planning a move, especially if they are intending to move during the school holidays.
Families placing "in-year" applications - those made outside the normal admissions points of Reception, Year 3 and Year 7 - are finding that councils take up to four weeks to respond to their application. The problem is at its worst in London and the south-east but is being mirrored across the country.
At the heart of the problem are the councils that now handle school admissions in most areas. They appear to be overwhelmed by the workload of managing the applications. There is also evidence of institutional inefficiency and incompetence, with lost applications and paperwork sitting on desks gathering dust.
One inner-city council worker told me last week, "we are overwhelmed by the number of applications that arrive with us each day, we have to phone the schools for each application and don't have enough staff for the job."
This particular council had not processed an application that arrived nearly three months ago.
In some areas, for example Hampshire, local authorities have recognised the level of the challenge and have passed control of admissions back to schools. Historically, when schools handle their own entry, applications can be turned around in as little as one or two days.
However, relocating families, and their employers, will need to factor in such delays when planning a move, especially if they are intending to move during the school holidays.
Friday, 18 March 2011
Education News - March 2011
Welcome to Dean Associates' March 2011 newsletter highlighting the key education stories for the relocation market.
You can now also follow us on Twitter at @educationda bringing you the key education news and comment as it breaks.
Change in Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Provision for special educational needs (SEN) is facing its "biggest change in three decades" if government reforms are passed.
Ministers want to replace statements - the documents that agree and set out individual children's needs - with education and health care plans drawn up after a single assessment.
The aim is to remove the heavy burden of bureaucracy that leaves many parents exhausted in their quest to find the right level of support for their children. This is often worse for the families moving into the UK who have children with SEN.
But there are warnings that spending cuts will hit any improvements and that what looks sensible on paper will be impossible to implement on the ground under current conditions.
One in five pupils in England - some 1.7 million children - is believed to have some form of special needs.
More English Universities to charge the full £9000 tuition fee
Oxford University and the University of Surrey are planning to raise tuition fees to the maximum level of £9,000 per year - balanced by a package of fee subsidies and bursaries.
Critics have said that the government should recognise that students, through tuition fees and other spending, benefit Britain economically, and contribute to enhancing the UK's place in the world.
Wolf review of vocational education
Hundreds of thousands of young people are doing vocational courses which do not lead to university or a job says a review of vocational education led by the academic Dr Alison Wolf.
Her report says: "The staple offer for between a quarter and a third of the post-16 cohort is a diet of low-level vocational qualifications, most of which have little to no labour market value.
Among 16 to 19 year olds, the review estimates that at least 350,000 get little to no benefit from the post-16 education system."
You can now also follow us on Twitter at @educationda bringing you the key education news and comment as it breaks.
Change in Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Provision for special educational needs (SEN) is facing its "biggest change in three decades" if government reforms are passed.
Ministers want to replace statements - the documents that agree and set out individual children's needs - with education and health care plans drawn up after a single assessment.
The aim is to remove the heavy burden of bureaucracy that leaves many parents exhausted in their quest to find the right level of support for their children. This is often worse for the families moving into the UK who have children with SEN.
But there are warnings that spending cuts will hit any improvements and that what looks sensible on paper will be impossible to implement on the ground under current conditions.
One in five pupils in England - some 1.7 million children - is believed to have some form of special needs.
More English Universities to charge the full £9000 tuition fee
Oxford University and the University of Surrey are planning to raise tuition fees to the maximum level of £9,000 per year - balanced by a package of fee subsidies and bursaries.
Six universities have announced that they intend to charge the maximum fee level from the autumn of 2012. It is looking likely that the majority of other institutions will follow this lead.
EU students could be charged higher tuition fees in Scotland
Students from other EU countries could be charged to study in Scotland, the education secretary has revealed.
The SNP government, if elected, would also increase fees to students from other parts of the UK.
Scottish students studying at home currently pay no tuition fees, while other UK students at Scottish universities pay about £1,900 per year.
Under EU rules, students coming to Scotland from other European countries have to be treated in the same way as Scottish students. This has seen a large increase in the number of applicants from both other UK and EU countries.
Change in visa laws hits overseas students
Proposals by the government to limit the number of overseas students coming to Britain could "cripple" the prosperous education sector, a cross-party Commons committee has declared.
Critics have said that the government should recognise that students, through tuition fees and other spending, benefit Britain economically, and contribute to enhancing the UK's place in the world.
Wolf review of vocational education
Hundreds of thousands of young people are doing vocational courses which do not lead to university or a job says a review of vocational education led by the academic Dr Alison Wolf.
The review, commissioned by ministers, recommends a radical shake-up of vocational education in England.
It says all pupils should study a core of academic subjects until they are 16.Her report says: "The staple offer for between a quarter and a third of the post-16 cohort is a diet of low-level vocational qualifications, most of which have little to no labour market value.
Among 16 to 19 year olds, the review estimates that at least 350,000 get little to no benefit from the post-16 education system."
Monday, 17 January 2011
Welcome to Dean Associates' January 2011 education update, bringing you the key stories in the UK's education market.
What is the English "Bac"?
The Government has introduced a new measurement for English secondary schools - what has been described as the English "Bac" (short for Baccalaureate).
The measurement shows the percentage of pupils who achieve GCSE A*-C grades in English, Maths, a Science, a Language and either History or Geography. As such, it an indicator of traditional academic achievement.
The national average achieving the English "Bac" in 2010 was just under 16%.
One of the reasons for the introduction is that many schools have "inflated" their GCSE results by pushing students towards less academically rigorous subjects. For example, one secondary school in west London achieves 46% A-C grades but only 1% obtaining the "Bac".
Many schools are angry that this measurement has been rushed in, although since it is simply a different way to interpret existing results, the protests seem a little hollow. However, the "Bac" does present a challenge to those schools who have done a good job in engaging students who are traditionally academic and could be seen as undermining their work.
Timings of A Levels could change
The Government is considering changing the timing of A Levels so that students can apply to university with their actual grades, rather than with their predicted grades.
Research shows that students from poorer backgrounds would benefit from this move, as they tend to achieve better actual than predicted results. At the moment, they face a crunch period during the "Clearing" process to upgrade their university choices.
Since A-Levels, and their timing, have been hard-wired into the system for over a generation, any changes would take substantial planning and upheaval. There does seem to be a great deal of sense and evidence to show that this would be worthwhile.
Scottish universities seen as a "cheap" option
The Scottish government is concerned at the rise in overseas applicants for undergraduate courses from the EU.
Scottish universities offer free tuition to Scottish residents and, because of EU law, have to offer this to EU applicants as well.
Applicants from England still have to pay tuition fees, though at half the cost of English universities.
The latest admissions figures show the number of students from other EU countries taking up places at Scottish universities has nearly doubled in a decade to almost 16,000 last year, at a cost of nearly £75m.
Why private schools score badly in GCSE league tables.
Many independent schools are scoring below some of the worst-performing English state schools in GCSE league tables.
The reason for this is that many independent schools have switched to the IGCSE (the International GCSE). The government does not count the IGCSE in its league tables, hence the independent schools often appear to have dreadful results.
English curriculum review
Michael Gove, the education minister, has stated, "We have sunk in international league tables and the National Curriculum is substandard."
A review of the National Curriculum is to take place - with English, Maths, Science and PE compulsory parts of teaching 5 to 16 year olds. A foreign language may also be introduced. Teaching of the new curriculum will begin in September 2013.
We will keep you updated on all the inevitable arguments and compromises!
What is the English "Bac"?
The Government has introduced a new measurement for English secondary schools - what has been described as the English "Bac" (short for Baccalaureate).
The measurement shows the percentage of pupils who achieve GCSE A*-C grades in English, Maths, a Science, a Language and either History or Geography. As such, it an indicator of traditional academic achievement.
The national average achieving the English "Bac" in 2010 was just under 16%.
One of the reasons for the introduction is that many schools have "inflated" their GCSE results by pushing students towards less academically rigorous subjects. For example, one secondary school in west London achieves 46% A-C grades but only 1% obtaining the "Bac".
Many schools are angry that this measurement has been rushed in, although since it is simply a different way to interpret existing results, the protests seem a little hollow. However, the "Bac" does present a challenge to those schools who have done a good job in engaging students who are traditionally academic and could be seen as undermining their work.
Timings of A Levels could change
The Government is considering changing the timing of A Levels so that students can apply to university with their actual grades, rather than with their predicted grades.
Research shows that students from poorer backgrounds would benefit from this move, as they tend to achieve better actual than predicted results. At the moment, they face a crunch period during the "Clearing" process to upgrade their university choices.
Since A-Levels, and their timing, have been hard-wired into the system for over a generation, any changes would take substantial planning and upheaval. There does seem to be a great deal of sense and evidence to show that this would be worthwhile.
Scottish universities seen as a "cheap" option
The Scottish government is concerned at the rise in overseas applicants for undergraduate courses from the EU.
Scottish universities offer free tuition to Scottish residents and, because of EU law, have to offer this to EU applicants as well.
Applicants from England still have to pay tuition fees, though at half the cost of English universities.
The latest admissions figures show the number of students from other EU countries taking up places at Scottish universities has nearly doubled in a decade to almost 16,000 last year, at a cost of nearly £75m.
Why private schools score badly in GCSE league tables.
Many independent schools are scoring below some of the worst-performing English state schools in GCSE league tables.
The reason for this is that many independent schools have switched to the IGCSE (the International GCSE). The government does not count the IGCSE in its league tables, hence the independent schools often appear to have dreadful results.
English curriculum review
Michael Gove, the education minister, has stated, "We have sunk in international league tables and the National Curriculum is substandard."
A review of the National Curriculum is to take place - with English, Maths, Science and PE compulsory parts of teaching 5 to 16 year olds. A foreign language may also be introduced. Teaching of the new curriculum will begin in September 2013.
We will keep you updated on all the inevitable arguments and compromises!
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
November 2010 Education News
Welcome to Dean Associates' round-up of the top education stories in the UK.
Tuition fees to rise to £9000
Following Lord Browne's review of university tuition fees - currently capped at £3290 per year - the Government is set up to propose that universities can charge up to £9000 per year from 2012.
This will herald a transfer of university funding from "state to student" and is set against a backdrop of a £3 billion cut in the higher education teaching budget outlined in the Government's October 2010 Spending Review.
The Russell Group of leading universities described the decision as a "life-saving transfusion of money."
Many students, and some of the newer universities, view it as burdening the next generation with debt and another barrier for children of poorer families to make it into university.
Major school funding change proposed
The Government is looking to centralise the way in which funding for England's 20,000 state schools is allocated.
Local authorities have managed school budgets for over a century. The new form will give headteachers more authority to decide their priorities.
Proponents of the change state that it will even out inequalities. Currently, two schools in different parts of the country but with a similar social and economic intake can receive vastly different funding sums.
Critics - headed up by the main teachers' union and local authority representatives - say that centralisation will create more red tape and make the system insensitive to local needs.
Review of primary school exams
The Government has announced a review of primary school exams in England.
At present children sit SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) in English, Maths and Science in Years 2 and 6. The Year 6 results are published and are often used as a guide to a school's worth by parents.
Last year many schools boycotted the Year 6 SATs, insisting that too much teaching is aimed at prepping pupils for the exams rather than more productive education.
The review will focus on whether the SATs can be improved, yet still maintaining statistical basis to help benchmark childrens' attainment levels and to provide information on school performance to parents.
Under-performing schools to be turned into academies
The Government has announced that all under-performing schools should be turned into academies. He has asked councils to draw up "black lists" of the worst schools to place under consideration.
Academy schools were founded by the previous Labour administration, with autonomy from the local education authorities, and control over management and budget.
Welsh schools falling behind?
Research from the University of Bristol has concluded that Welsh secondary schools are performing worse since league tables were scrapped in 2001.
The end of "naming and shaming" the worst schools has taken away the incentive to improve performance, the study suggested.
It goes on to say that English children are now more likely to do well at GCSE in comparison to their English peers.
Basic skills failing in Northern Ireland?
There is growing concern in Northern Ireland that children are leaving school without basic literacy and numeracy skills.
It comes on the back of published statistics which highlighted that 60% of sign-ups for adult courses designed to provide basic maths and reading skills were from the 16-19 year group.
Nearly 40% of the Northern Irish workforce has no qualifications, as opposed to a UK-wide average of 19%.
Educators are wondering whether pupils show now stay in primary school until they have achieved these basic skills.
Tuition fees to rise to £9000
Following Lord Browne's review of university tuition fees - currently capped at £3290 per year - the Government is set up to propose that universities can charge up to £9000 per year from 2012.
This will herald a transfer of university funding from "state to student" and is set against a backdrop of a £3 billion cut in the higher education teaching budget outlined in the Government's October 2010 Spending Review.
The Russell Group of leading universities described the decision as a "life-saving transfusion of money."
Many students, and some of the newer universities, view it as burdening the next generation with debt and another barrier for children of poorer families to make it into university.
Major school funding change proposed
The Government is looking to centralise the way in which funding for England's 20,000 state schools is allocated.
Local authorities have managed school budgets for over a century. The new form will give headteachers more authority to decide their priorities.
Proponents of the change state that it will even out inequalities. Currently, two schools in different parts of the country but with a similar social and economic intake can receive vastly different funding sums.
Critics - headed up by the main teachers' union and local authority representatives - say that centralisation will create more red tape and make the system insensitive to local needs.
Review of primary school exams
The Government has announced a review of primary school exams in England.
At present children sit SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) in English, Maths and Science in Years 2 and 6. The Year 6 results are published and are often used as a guide to a school's worth by parents.
Last year many schools boycotted the Year 6 SATs, insisting that too much teaching is aimed at prepping pupils for the exams rather than more productive education.
The review will focus on whether the SATs can be improved, yet still maintaining statistical basis to help benchmark childrens' attainment levels and to provide information on school performance to parents.
Under-performing schools to be turned into academies
The Government has announced that all under-performing schools should be turned into academies. He has asked councils to draw up "black lists" of the worst schools to place under consideration.
Academy schools were founded by the previous Labour administration, with autonomy from the local education authorities, and control over management and budget.
Welsh schools falling behind?
Research from the University of Bristol has concluded that Welsh secondary schools are performing worse since league tables were scrapped in 2001.
The end of "naming and shaming" the worst schools has taken away the incentive to improve performance, the study suggested.
It goes on to say that English children are now more likely to do well at GCSE in comparison to their English peers.
Basic skills failing in Northern Ireland?
There is growing concern in Northern Ireland that children are leaving school without basic literacy and numeracy skills.
It comes on the back of published statistics which highlighted that 60% of sign-ups for adult courses designed to provide basic maths and reading skills were from the 16-19 year group.
Nearly 40% of the Northern Irish workforce has no qualifications, as opposed to a UK-wide average of 19%.
Educators are wondering whether pupils show now stay in primary school until they have achieved these basic skills.
Thursday, 14 October 2010
University fees - an update
In our October 2010 newsletter we highlighted Lord Browne's review of university fees in England.
The full report was published on 11th October and a handy executive summary can be downloaded here.
The coalition Government's initial response to this hottest of political potatoes is neatly summarised here.
There is a fair distance to run with this story. Government's like big reviews - remember Mike Tomlinson's innovative recommendations to secondary education in 2004 - but they tend to like their reforms with more than a splash of water.
The full report was published on 11th October and a handy executive summary can be downloaded here.
The coalition Government's initial response to this hottest of political potatoes is neatly summarised here.
There is a fair distance to run with this story. Government's like big reviews - remember Mike Tomlinson's innovative recommendations to secondary education in 2004 - but they tend to like their reforms with more than a splash of water.
Friday, 1 October 2010
Welcome to Dean Associates' October update, highlighting the important stories in education in the UK.
University tuition fees - what future?
On 11th October, Lord Browne is due to release his independent review of higher education and student finance.
Sources close to the report state that he is likely to recommend that the cap on English university tuition fees rises to between £6000 and £7000 per year. These fees are currently capped at £3225, a figure that universities see as unsustainable if England wants to maintain the quality of its higher education facilities.
An alternative idea - and one pushed heavily by the Liberal Democrat members of the Coalition government - is for a graduate tax: those who benefit from a university education paying once they start receiving a pay packet. Lord Brown is said to be unconvinced by this.
Those against a rise in tuition fees say that poorer families will be unable to afford higher education.
The first "free schools"
The Coalition government has recently announced that 16 new, "free" schools have been given the go-ahead to open.
Free schools are central to Government policy, allowing parents, teachers, charities and other voluntary bodies to establish a school independent from the local education authority and with direct funding from central government.
The Coalition's hope is that this will provide greater choice for parents, quoting similar schemes in the US and Sweden as examples.
However, many commentators are concerned that half of the 16 free schools will be linked to a "faith" and may operate admissions policies based on religious affiliation, closing the door on families who are not religious.
Proper perspective will only come after a year, when it will be clearer if the concept of free schools are popular and whether the initial concerns are valid.
Surrey explores turning all secondary schools into academies
An update on our September newsletter regarding the Coalition's Academy programme.
Gaining an Academy status allows the school to operate in a similar way to a free school, independent of the local education authority and with direct funding. The government has recently invited all schools to become academies.
Surrey County Council is contemplating changing all 53 of its secondary schools into Academies in one move.
This could have positive consequences for many companies and families that operate in the Surrey area. State education in Surrey is broadly of good standard but it can be hard for relocating parents to obtain places in the better secondary schools. The change to Academies could lead to admission policies being less bureaucratic and more flexible to the needs of mobile families.
New admissions codes for primary and secondary schools
The Coalition has announced that state schools may be offered additional central funding if they allocate places in the admissions round to families eligible for free school meals.
Reformers hope that poorer families will gain the opportunity to land places in state schools that are situated in predominantly middle class areas and where affordable housing is not always available.
Not special needs. Better teaching
Ofsted has accused many schools of labelling children as having "special educational needs" (SEN) when the balance of fault lies with poor day-to-day teaching or parenting.
Ofsted’s report states that half of the 916,000 children on the “school action” register - the first stage of support - should not have been identified as having special needs. Inspectors say effective identification of SEN and good-quality extra help in schools is “not common” and this results in children developing needless problems.
The National Union of Teachers has accused Ofsted of being "insulting and wrong" saying that teachers are "scapegoats" for implementing government policy.
Currently 1 in 5 pupils in England - 1.7 million children in total - are diagnosed with some type of SEN.
New review of vocational qualifications
An independent review of vocational qualifications for 14 to 19 year-olds is to be undertaken by Professor Alison Wolf of King's College, London.
Current qualifications include BTECs and City and Guilds, as well as the new "Diplomas" that the Labour government founded.
However, there continues to a perception that vocational qualifications are "second best" to academic ones and that children who are not suited to academic learning are not being given effective options.
University tuition fees - what future?
On 11th October, Lord Browne is due to release his independent review of higher education and student finance.
Sources close to the report state that he is likely to recommend that the cap on English university tuition fees rises to between £6000 and £7000 per year. These fees are currently capped at £3225, a figure that universities see as unsustainable if England wants to maintain the quality of its higher education facilities.
An alternative idea - and one pushed heavily by the Liberal Democrat members of the Coalition government - is for a graduate tax: those who benefit from a university education paying once they start receiving a pay packet. Lord Brown is said to be unconvinced by this.
Those against a rise in tuition fees say that poorer families will be unable to afford higher education.
The first "free schools"
The Coalition government has recently announced that 16 new, "free" schools have been given the go-ahead to open.
Free schools are central to Government policy, allowing parents, teachers, charities and other voluntary bodies to establish a school independent from the local education authority and with direct funding from central government.
The Coalition's hope is that this will provide greater choice for parents, quoting similar schemes in the US and Sweden as examples.
However, many commentators are concerned that half of the 16 free schools will be linked to a "faith" and may operate admissions policies based on religious affiliation, closing the door on families who are not religious.
Proper perspective will only come after a year, when it will be clearer if the concept of free schools are popular and whether the initial concerns are valid.
Surrey explores turning all secondary schools into academies
An update on our September newsletter regarding the Coalition's Academy programme.
Gaining an Academy status allows the school to operate in a similar way to a free school, independent of the local education authority and with direct funding. The government has recently invited all schools to become academies.
Surrey County Council is contemplating changing all 53 of its secondary schools into Academies in one move.
This could have positive consequences for many companies and families that operate in the Surrey area. State education in Surrey is broadly of good standard but it can be hard for relocating parents to obtain places in the better secondary schools. The change to Academies could lead to admission policies being less bureaucratic and more flexible to the needs of mobile families.
New admissions codes for primary and secondary schools
The Coalition has announced that state schools may be offered additional central funding if they allocate places in the admissions round to families eligible for free school meals.
Reformers hope that poorer families will gain the opportunity to land places in state schools that are situated in predominantly middle class areas and where affordable housing is not always available.
Not special needs. Better teaching
Ofsted has accused many schools of labelling children as having "special educational needs" (SEN) when the balance of fault lies with poor day-to-day teaching or parenting.
Ofsted’s report states that half of the 916,000 children on the “school action” register - the first stage of support - should not have been identified as having special needs. Inspectors say effective identification of SEN and good-quality extra help in schools is “not common” and this results in children developing needless problems.
The National Union of Teachers has accused Ofsted of being "insulting and wrong" saying that teachers are "scapegoats" for implementing government policy.
Currently 1 in 5 pupils in England - 1.7 million children in total - are diagnosed with some type of SEN.
New review of vocational qualifications
An independent review of vocational qualifications for 14 to 19 year-olds is to be undertaken by Professor Alison Wolf of King's College, London.
Current qualifications include BTECs and City and Guilds, as well as the new "Diplomas" that the Labour government founded.
However, there continues to a perception that vocational qualifications are "second best" to academic ones and that children who are not suited to academic learning are not being given effective options.
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