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Education news
July 11 2007
Gordon Brown announced in the Commons a range of bills that will feature in the Queen's Speech this Autumn.
This includes an Education and Skills Bill that will:
raise the minimum school leaving age to 18
setting a target of 95% of adults having basic numeracy and literacy skills
a new legal right for adults to get free training in basic skills
duties on employers to release young people for education or training
The Children in Care Bill will make the lives of children in care more stable and help them do better in school. Children will have a greater say in decisions about their education.
The Child Maintenance Bill will abolis the Child Support Agency and replace it with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, with toughre powers to make absent parents pay.
The Unclaimed Assets Bill will use unclaimed assets in dormant bank accounts to fund schemes such as more youth and community facilities.
June 2007
Gordon Brown announced in his first cabinet that the Department for Education and Skills will have its work split into two new departments - the Department for Children, Schools and Families, under Ed Balls, and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills under John Denham. For more details, click here
Conference 2007 – Education announcements
The watchdog monitoring curriculum and exams will be split. One body will set the national curriculum and monitor school standards. The other will be an independent watchdog of exam standards.
Teaching assistants will have a new pay structure that is more like that of teachers.
Every secondary school pupil will have a personal tutor.
There will be small-group tuition for 600,000 children, and one-to-one tuition for 300,000 primary school children.
There will be a catch-up programme for primary school writing skills.
We will work to end physical and cyber-bullying of children.
October 10 2007
Pre-budget report
The pre-budget report had a number of announcements on spending – see here for details
October 24 2007
Plan for new diplomas to replace A Levels
Ed Balls announced that diplomas would be expanded to include languages, sciences and humanities, academic subjects currently not covered. The progress of diplomas will be reviewed in 2013 and at that stage, A Levels could be scrapped.
November 1 2007
Failing schools should be closed
The Prime Minister said in a speech to head teachers that every school in England should reach the goal of having 30% of pupils achieve 5 A to C passes in GCSEs. He said he wants Britain to be a place where it is “no longer acceptable for any child to fall behind, for any school to fail its pupils.” 670 schools currently fail to achieve this target and they will be given annual targets for improvement. They face closure or takeover by a top performing school if they miss these targets.
November 6 2007
Queen’s Speech has new education bills
There were 29 bills and draft bills mentioned in the Queen’s Speech on November 6 2007. For more details on the Bills relating to this Commission, click here.
November 16 2007
30,000 training placements for adults to be created
John Denham announced the first apprenticeship programme for adults over 25, with 30,000 places to train adults in skills, to help them into work or better jobs.
November 2007
Investment in skills for prosperity
The Labour Government has announced a major investment programme to improve the skills and learning of the country.
Over the next three years more than £11 billion a year will be invested in education, employment and training initiatives for young people and adults.This includes an expansion in the overall number of apprenticeships from the current number of 250,000 to 400,000 by 2010/11, provided high quality employer places are available.Funding will be specifically targeted at expanding apprenticeships for adults aged over 25, meaning an additional 30,000 places over the next three years.
The new investment has been set out as part of the Learning and Skills Council funding priorities, seeking to meet the challenges set by Lord Leitch in his review of skills.
December 2007
Support for vulnerable children
Labour will pledge £18 million of funding in its forthcoming Children’s Plan to help the most vulnerable families keep their children safe.
As part of the Department for Children, Schools and Families scheme, which will be funded over three years, all families will be able to provide a safe home environment, with stair gates, fireguards and socket covers reducing the risks of accidents at home.
December 9 2007
Root-and-branch review of primary schools
A "root-and-branch" review is planned into what is taught in English primary schools to allow more time for reading, writing and maths, Ed Balls has said.
The children's minister said some set subjects and "clutter" would be cut to allow more flexibility and all primary pupils to be taught a foreign language.
It is part of a 10-year children's plan to be unveiled this week which aims to make the school system "world class".
December 19 2007
More money for foreign languages in schools
Primary schools in England will receive about £340 extra each next year to support compulsory languages teaching.
From 2010 all those over seven must learn a foreign language. That change, plus a recommendation that £50m be spent on language learning, was accepted by ministers in the spring after an independent review.
Other Education Pages
Commission Work Programme 2007
Education report 2006
Commission Work Programme 2006