ISC Daily News Summary

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has announced that the Cambridge Pre-U qualification could potentially be worth more to students applying to university than A-levels, according to a new points system.

The Pre-U alternative to A-levels will be worth more points to students (Daily Telegraph)
New A-level rival - the Pre-U - is tougher than traditional exam, say university admissions chiefs (Daily Mail)

Feature in the Daily Telegraph on successful former pupils of Eton College.

Power players from the fields of Eton (Daily Telegraph)

Widespread coverage of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), which has found that has found that 54% of the work assessed in 159 UK universities is 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent'. For performance across all departments, the University of Cambridge has cemented its place as Britain's foremost centre for research, in the first RAE results published in seven years.

LSE beats Oxford and Cambridge to become best research centre (Independent)
Former polytechnics give Oxbridge a run for its money in rankings (Times)
'Mickey Mouse' studies are no longer a laughing stock (Times)
Success will help spread funding more widely (Times)
RAE: Cambridge is UK's top research university (Guardian)
The long wait is (almost) over (Guardian)
Cambridge university heads research table (Financial Times)
RAE 2008 proves UK research is world class (THE)
Universities get research praise (BBC News Online)

A BBC survey of the parents of grammar school pupils suggests that many children who pass the 11-plus exam have had extensive after-school help from professional tutors or family members.

11-plus exams tuition 'routine' (BBC News Online)

Feature in the Scotsman's Education & Learning section on proposals for a Scottish baccalaureate, which will aim to encourage more young people in Scotland to study more science and language courses.

Another chance to help Scotland's most able youngsters (Scotsman not online)

Make the case for free school meals (Guardian letters)

A 22-year-old university student has been stopped from buying a box of Christmas crackers under the Explosives Act 1875. Under the act, customers under the age of 16 cannot purchase Christmas crackers or party poppers. The student could not prove her age.

University student, 22, refused M&S Christmas crackers under Explosives Act (Daily Telegraph)
'Too young' to buy crackers (Sun)
M&S stopping kids under 16 buying Christmas crackers (Daily Mirror)