Welcome to Dean Associates’ run-down of the top education stories over the past month.
End of SATs for 14 year olds
The government’s decision to scrap official testing of 14-year-olds in England - the Key Stage 3 SATs - has been generally welcomed by the education community. It has also increased calls to scrap the tests that 11-year-olds take in the final year of primary school – one of the key statistics parents can use to evaluate school performance. Read more:
Scottish independent schools charity status questioned
Four Scottish independent schools have been told that they must implement changes to maintain their charitable status. The majority of private schools across the UK have charitable status, giving them significant tax advantages – but in return they must provide a wider public benefit. The decision will generate new calls to make private schools across the UK work harder to hold onto their charitable position. Read more:
Recession threatens prep schools
A leading conference of prep (junior, private) school headmasters has discussed the likelihood that a number of smaller schools will be forced to close or merge during the up-coming recession as parents face a financial squeeze. Read more:
"Chaos" in schools admissions
Over half of primary schools have been accused of not following the new schools admissions code that the government introduced last year. Some of the “mistakes” have included not giving priority to children in social care, interviewing parents, asking for a financial contribution and not defining “distance from school to home” precisely. It could mean much closer inspection of this year's admissions process. Read more:
Big changes planned for universities
The government are suggesting a series of major reforms for the higher education sector – including changing the traditional academic year, reforming degree classification and allowing more flexibility in studies. An initial report has been released to encourage debate prior to a review of “top up” fees due next year.
Read more:
Schools now offering the Cambridge Pre-U
The first wave of schools has begun teaching the new Cambridge Pre-U qualification. There are now fifty schools – independent and state – offering the qualification. The Pre U can be taken as individual subjects or as a diploma – three subjects, independent research and a series of seminars of practical problems facing the world. It has been developed in response to universities’ doubts over the rigour of the English A Level system.
Dean Associates news
Dean Associates has been recognised by BP for the value of its education support to their relocating families.
We are preparing a new “parents newsletter” to keep the families up-to-date with key education news and deadlines, as well as top stories from their home countries that could impact on future relocations.
We are pleased to announce the arrival of Sarah Heaton at Dean Associates. Sarah is an expert on nurseries and state schooling.
For more information, contact Nathaniel Price at nathaniel@deanassociates.co.uk or +44 1646 661 646.
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Monday, 6 October 2008
September 2008 News
Here is our monthly digest of the top education stories for internationally mobile families and their employers. From September 2008:
School fees rise again
Dean Associates’ recent survey of English independent school fees showed an average rise of nearly 6 per cent from the last academic year. Over the last five years, school fees have risen, on average, by a little over 33 per cent.
University “top up” fees inadequate
Vice-chancellors in English universities have stated that the “top up” fee that each student must pay – currently £3000 – is not sufficient to meet the rising cost of higher education. They say that it is inevitable that fees will rise when a cap on fees is lifted in 2009. There has been a new rigour in which universities inspect the “home fee” credentials of British families overseas, perhaps a knock-on effect of the financial situation.
New diplomas launched
2008 heralds a small revolution in education in England with the launch of the Diploma programme. Diplomas are to work alongside the existing GCSE and A Level curriculums, allowing students to study skills that have vocational relevance. Five areas have been launched in September 2008, with five more to come in 2009 and more in following years. 20,000 students are starting the courses this year, half the number that the government expected.
School age rise to 17
Children starting secondary schools in England in September will be the first to be legally required to stay in education until they are 17. This will rise to 18 in the next couple of years. Children do no necessarily need to be in school, and could look at vocational training as an alternative to the classroom.
New A* grade
The new academic year also welcomes the new A* grade at A Level, a new ruse to help universities pick out the brightest students. At the same time, the International Baccalaureate dipoma – seen by many university tutors as a better guide to ability than the A Levels – is more widely available than before. Over 130 private and state schools now offer the IB Diploma across the UK.
New “academies” opened
Nearly fifty new “academies” have opened in England in September 2008. Academies are state run schools established in partnership with privately run institutions – for example businesses, universities or faith groups. One of the main aims is to provide stronger schools for pupils in deprived areas. There are now 130 academy schools in England with more to follow.
School fees rise again
Dean Associates’ recent survey of English independent school fees showed an average rise of nearly 6 per cent from the last academic year. Over the last five years, school fees have risen, on average, by a little over 33 per cent.
University “top up” fees inadequate
Vice-chancellors in English universities have stated that the “top up” fee that each student must pay – currently £3000 – is not sufficient to meet the rising cost of higher education. They say that it is inevitable that fees will rise when a cap on fees is lifted in 2009. There has been a new rigour in which universities inspect the “home fee” credentials of British families overseas, perhaps a knock-on effect of the financial situation.
New diplomas launched
2008 heralds a small revolution in education in England with the launch of the Diploma programme. Diplomas are to work alongside the existing GCSE and A Level curriculums, allowing students to study skills that have vocational relevance. Five areas have been launched in September 2008, with five more to come in 2009 and more in following years. 20,000 students are starting the courses this year, half the number that the government expected.
School age rise to 17
Children starting secondary schools in England in September will be the first to be legally required to stay in education until they are 17. This will rise to 18 in the next couple of years. Children do no necessarily need to be in school, and could look at vocational training as an alternative to the classroom.
New A* grade
The new academic year also welcomes the new A* grade at A Level, a new ruse to help universities pick out the brightest students. At the same time, the International Baccalaureate dipoma – seen by many university tutors as a better guide to ability than the A Levels – is more widely available than before. Over 130 private and state schools now offer the IB Diploma across the UK.
New “academies” opened
Nearly fifty new “academies” have opened in England in September 2008. Academies are state run schools established in partnership with privately run institutions – for example businesses, universities or faith groups. One of the main aims is to provide stronger schools for pupils in deprived areas. There are now 130 academy schools in England with more to follow.
Monday, 15 September 2008
The rise and rise of the church school
The first state-maintained Hindu school opened this week in Edgware, north London. The Church of England is set to become the biggest sponsor of the Labour government’s “academy” programme.
Across the UK, there are now schools run by a range of faiths, especially at primary level. The Church of England and the Roman Catholic churches have the biggest stakes, but there are seven Muslim schools and over thirty Jewish schools. Education and religion seem to be intertwined.
Does this matter? After all, the Anglican and Catholic churches have long played an active role in establishing and managing schools in the UK.
Those for the growth in faith schools see them widening parental choice and driving up standards by taking the day-to-day management out of government’s hands. It has been claimed that children in a church school can be a year ahead of their peers in a community primary school.
Many see church schools as socially divisive. Not just by potentially “ghetto-ising” religious groups but also because many Anglican and Catholic church schools seem to take pupils from a mainly middle-class background, effectively making them selective.
What is apparent is that faith schools have support of both the government and the church communities that they serve.
Across the UK, there are now schools run by a range of faiths, especially at primary level. The Church of England and the Roman Catholic churches have the biggest stakes, but there are seven Muslim schools and over thirty Jewish schools. Education and religion seem to be intertwined.
Does this matter? After all, the Anglican and Catholic churches have long played an active role in establishing and managing schools in the UK.
Those for the growth in faith schools see them widening parental choice and driving up standards by taking the day-to-day management out of government’s hands. It has been claimed that children in a church school can be a year ahead of their peers in a community primary school.
Many see church schools as socially divisive. Not just by potentially “ghetto-ising” religious groups but also because many Anglican and Catholic church schools seem to take pupils from a mainly middle-class background, effectively making them selective.
What is apparent is that faith schools have support of both the government and the church communities that they serve.
Monday, 10 March 2008
Winning the Lottery
Applying for a school place is a tense time for most parents, especially in the state sector.
There are a limited number of strong schools in the state sector across the UK and a lot of families chasing places in them. Only 7% of pupils in the UK attend a private school.
A new approach to allocate places has just been piloted in a number of areas across England – deciding by "lottery". Families apply for their preferred school as usual but when that school is oversubscribed, names are pulled out of a hat to decide who goes and who doesn't.
The lottery's main strength is that it removes the tendency for wealthier parents to group around the better schools, pushing out poorer families. Some argue that this "postcode education" is harming social cohesion.
Those who argue against note that it removes parental choice – a key theme of the government’s education policy - as well as pushing many families into the private sector. Independent schools in Brighton – where state secondary places have been decided by lottery for the first time this year – say that they saw a huge rise in applications this year.
The government's argument is that admissions policy is a red herring. The key to provide parents with choice and to heal society is to ensure that all schools are performing well. However, that is proving easier to say, than achieve.
There are a limited number of strong schools in the state sector across the UK and a lot of families chasing places in them. Only 7% of pupils in the UK attend a private school.
A new approach to allocate places has just been piloted in a number of areas across England – deciding by "lottery". Families apply for their preferred school as usual but when that school is oversubscribed, names are pulled out of a hat to decide who goes and who doesn't.
The lottery's main strength is that it removes the tendency for wealthier parents to group around the better schools, pushing out poorer families. Some argue that this "postcode education" is harming social cohesion.
Those who argue against note that it removes parental choice – a key theme of the government’s education policy - as well as pushing many families into the private sector. Independent schools in Brighton – where state secondary places have been decided by lottery for the first time this year – say that they saw a huge rise in applications this year.
The government's argument is that admissions policy is a red herring. The key to provide parents with choice and to heal society is to ensure that all schools are performing well. However, that is proving easier to say, than achieve.
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