ISC Daily News Summary

Education Guardian

The Education Guardian supplement includes a feature on the different types of schools in Bristol, with reference made to Queen Elizabeth's Hospital and Bristol Grammar School. Bristol Grammar Headmaster, Dr David Mascord, is quoted throughout the article.

To have and have not (Education Guardian)

BBC News Online, all national broadsheets, Daily Mirror, Herald, Evening Standard

Further coverage of the news that the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has authorised a number of private firms to award in-house qualifications. There is also widespread coverage today of a number of other training reforms announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday, including withdrawing benefit from those who refuse training and giving apprentices financial rewards for completing courses. The Daily Telegraph reports on a study by the Institute of Education (IoE), which claims that the educational gulf between the rich and poor has widened over the last 20 years. IoE says that Brown's reforms are unlikely to bridge this 'educational divide'.

PM wants one in five apprenticed (BBC News Online)
You want fries with that? No, just a brighter future (Times)
Flipping burgers taught me more than A-levels (times)
Learn more skills or face losing benefit, jobless will be told (Times)
You say A-level, I say McFlybeRail Cert (Times)
McMastery (Times letters)
‘McQualification' derided as Brown launches training reforms (Guardian)
Learning on the job (Guardian)
Mc A-levels will produce mere cogs in the machine (Guardian)
Teachers furious at plans for 'McDonald's diplomas' (Independent)
Don't let McDonald's dish out burger bar A-levels (Independent)
Frying tonight... (Independent)
Education gap between rich and poor has widened under Labour (Daily Telegraph)
Train or lose benefits, warns Brown (Daily Telegraph)
Schooling to age 18 'will damage economy' (Daily Telegraph)
McQualifications won't fool anyone (Daily Telegraph)
McDonald's training is welcome, but it isn't the same as an academic A-level (Daily Telegraph letters)
Welcome for 'McQualifications' (Financial Times)
Managers learn their trade at Hamburger University (Financial Times)
PM focuses on private sector for welfare-to-work (Financial Times)
Mc A-grade levels (Financial Times)
‘Train up our girls' (Daily Mirror)
Brown to unveil new policy to boost skills of the nation (Herald)
Brown backs new A-levels in Big Mac management (Evening Standard)

BBC News Online, Daily Star

A study by the British Cleaning Council (BCC) has warned that children are unwilling to use unhygienic, badly equipped toilets at schools for fear of being bullied.

School toilets 'bullying fears' (BBC News Online)
School loosers (Daily Star not online)

BBC News Online

The latest official figures show that secondary schools in England are seeing an increasing number of empty places - with surplus places up by 34,000.

Secondary empty places increasing (BBC News Online)

Evening Standard

The Evening Standard reports that London's most popular state primary schools receive more than nine applications for every place.

Nine pupils chase each place in London's best primaries (Evening Standard)
Still too few good schools (Evening Standard not online)

Times, Daily Telegraph

A report by Ofsted suggests that trainee college lecturers cannot identify students' problems with reading and mathematics because their own literacy and numeracy skills are so weak. The Daily Telegraph reports that undergraduates are increasingly relying on Wikipedia to help them write essays.

Trainee lecturers lack knowledge of basics (Times)
Wiki-degrees (Daily Telegraph not online)

Daily Star

Chef Gordon Ramsay is to set up his own 'chef academy' because he is concerned about the poor standards in catering colleges.

Gordon cooks up chef school (Daily Star not online)

Herald

The Scottish government is proposing a landmark £10million funding boost for universities as it seeks to mend damaged relations with the higher education sector.

Universities offered landmark new accord on funding (Herald)
Increase in freedom will be more welcome than short-term cash (Herald)
Parents unite to fight 'rushed' closure of school (Herald)

Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror

The Daily Telegraph and Daily Mirror report on a number of government proposals for sex education in schools.

Children of nine may get sex advice booklets (Daily Telegraph)
Sex education (Daily Telegraph letters)
‘Sex help at school' (Daily Mirror)

BBC News Online, Financial Times

The Daycare Trust says that childcare costs are rising above the rate of inflation, with parents paying more than £8,000 a year.

Charity says childcare costs soar (BBC news Online)
Nursery fees rise ahead of inflation (Financial Times)

Scotsman

Obituary dedicated to former head of the English department at George Watson's College, Harry Quinn.

Harry Quinn (Scotsman)

A school sport that misses the target (Guardian)
Full consultation over Pimlico School (Independent)

Today's Education Guardian also includes articles on the social segregation of schools, a shortage of interpreters, homophobic bullying and university admissions. Today's Guardian also includes a Teaching Awards supplement (not online).

The third Junior Schools Heads' Conference, which is open to all Heads of Junior Schools across ISC Associations, takes place on 21st and 22nd February in Stratford-upon-Avon. For further information contact IAPS Courses & Conferences Manager Larraine Curzon on 01926 887833 or Larraine@iaps.org.uk. 

Daily Mail, Daily Express, BBC News Online, Sun

An eleven-year-old boy is celebrating getting his hearing back after being partially deaf for nine years. The mystery condition, which doctors failed to diagnose, was solved when the tip of a cotton bud popped out of Jerome Bartens' ear after being stuck there since he was two.

Cotton bud that made me deaf for nine years (Daily Mail)
'Deaf' boy cured after bud falls out of his ear (Daily Express not online)
Deaf boy's cotton wool bud 'cure' (BBC News Online)
Bud in ear made lad deaf 9yrs (Sun)