ISC Daily News Summary

TES
Geoff Lucas, Secretary of HMC, has a full-page article published in this week's TES (page 39) on confusion surrounding the new A* A-level grade.
Failing to make the grade over the new A* (TES page 39 not online)

Daily Mail, Guardian, Daily Telegraph
GCSEs will be easier to pass when reforms are introduced later this year, the head of the country's biggest exam board admitted yesterday. Dr Mike Cresswell predicted pass rates will jump as a result of changes that split courses into bite-size, pass-as-you-go chunks. From September, teenagers will be able to bump up their marks by re-sitting units as they go along. Cresswell's warning comes as Wellington College this week announced that it is to ditch GCSEs because of concerns they are getting too assessment driven. Wellington College's headteacher, Anthony Seldon, said today he made the decision to teach pupils the middle-school version of the International Baccalaureate because GCSEs had become too much about passing exams and not enough about exciting learning.
New modular GCSEs will be easier to pass, warns UK exam board chief (Daily Mail)
Warning that new GCSEs will result in higher grades (Guardian)
GCSE reforms will lead to more passes, says exam chief (Daily Telegraph)

Daily Telegraph,
Academics and independent schools heads have put pressure on ministers to scrap AS-levels, saying the tests - sat during the first year of A-levels - were getting in the way of teaching. Many schools are forced to abandon normal lessons for three weeks just a few months after courses start to prepare for exams, it was claimed. The Conservatives admitted they were "sceptical" about AS-levels, raising the possibility that they could be reviewed or even dropped under a Tory government. The comments came as thousands of teenagers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received the results of new-style AS exams sat in January. In a statement released today, Ofqual, the new exam's regulator, said it was "satisfied" that standards in the reformed tests had been maintained this year.
Martin Stephen, High Master of St Paul's School, Vicky Tuck, Principal of The Cheltenham Ladies' College and Barnaby Lenon, headmaster of Harrow School, are quoted.
AS level exams a 'waste of time' (Daily Telegraph)
A-level failings (Daily Telegraph leader, not online)

Jill Berry, President of GSA, was interviewed on the Simon Mayo Show, Radio 5 Live, earlier this week, in a debate on girls-only education in light of research by the Good Schools Guide.

Times
The Times today includes an interview with Peter Neyroud, the first Winchester old boy to be a chief constable. The article reports that ‘the police is hardly on the radar  among middle class parents as an option for their university-educated children'. MrNeyroud sais thre must be changes to recurinment and promotion practrices if the police are to attract graduates.
Police seek to recruit university graduates (Times)

Daily Telegraph
Schools Secretary Ed Balls will be given new powers to dictate the content of every exam in England under new plans. In a little-noticed move, legislation will give Mr Balls the right to set "minimum requirements" for GCSEs, A-levels, diplomas and other qualifications. According to guidance, it will give the Government additional powers to dictate issues including "which authors' works needed to be studied for someone to gain a GCSE in English".
Row over 'political interference' in exams (Daily Telegraph)

BBC, Daily Mail
Poor pupils are still far behind their richer classmates in their academic performance when they leave primary school, figures show. Government statistics show that just six in ten (63%) children on free school meals (FSM) - a measure of poverty - achieved a Level 4, the level expected of 11-year-olds, in their maths Sats tests last year. In comparison, eight in ten (81%) children not on FSM achieved this level. In 2006/07, 60% of FSM children and 80% of non-FSM children achieved a Level 4 in maths.
Poorer pupils' test results lag (BBC Online)
White working class boys are worst performing ethnic group in schools by age of (Daily Mail)

The TES front page headline reads ‘Ofsted's first ‘dawn raid': the verdict, with the article reporting that Ofsted has carried out its first ‘dawn raid' on a school as the watchdog pushes ahead with no-notice inspections, despite fierce opposition from school leaders. Inside the paper, there is a report on the news that Brighton College is to open branches overseas. Richard Cairns is quoted. There is also an article on the IGCSE (page 15) in light of Ed Balls' comments on the qualification last week. The paper also includes a feature on private tuition (page 30).
The TES magazine this week reports that some 20 schools a week are hit by arson, and looks at some of the reasons why. There is also a look at the debate on the age at which children start primary school, an article on how best to tell pupils about major world events such as terrorist attacks, and Sally Gunnell talks about her favourite teacher.
TES

 

Guardian
Ronald McDonald is famous for his burgers and fries, and for being the grinning face of a global fast-food empire. He is less known for his maths skills. But yesterday McDDonalds announced plans to teach the children of Australia their sums.The Guardian reports.
McDonald's to sponsor Australian maths lessons (Guardian)

Daily Telegraph, Times
Dozens of colleges may be forced into insolvency after ordering millions of pounds' worth of construction work only to be told the money is no longer available. Sion Simon, the Further Education Minister, admitted "mistakes have been made" over plans to rebuild 79 institutions across England.
Colleges 'could go bust' over rebuilding blunders (Daily Telegraph) 
Learning and Skills Council funding crisis disaster for colleges (Times)

Times
SEN leaders in schools should pioneer social support and liaison with amilies and the community as well as focusing on learnind, according to education minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry speaking yesterday at a conference to launch the national representative body ffor SEN experts, the Federation of Leaders in Special Education.
(SEN, Times not online)

Non-EU students face services levy
Financial Times
Students from outside the EU will be charged a 30 pound levy towards the cost of the public services they will use, the Home Office said yesterday.
Non-EU students face services levy (Financial Times, not online)

Financial Times, Times
Two letters on the subject of the A*.
When Cambridge changes, so will the schools (Financial Times)
Rethink applications (Times)

Times
Schools that employ business managers to handle budgets, projects and fundraising make big savings and allow head teachers to concentrate on pupils' education and welfare, a pilot scheme run by the National College of Schools Leadership has shown.
Managers lift schools (Times not online)

Times
Oxford University weighed in for the Xchanging Boat Race on March 29 as the heaviest crew in the event's 180-year history. They will also be one of the tallest, with three rowers more than 6ft 7in, and have five who competed in the Beijing Olympics last year, including Colin Smith, the president, who stroked Great Britain to a silver medal.
Oxford University aim to throw their weight around in Boat Race (Times)