Skills shortage still threatens economy

Whilst the numbers of pupils studying sciences is up this year, the proportion of students achieving A and A* grades in the sciences has fallen in contrast to the trend in other subjects.

At the same time, the Institution of Engineering of Technology is warning that the UK faces a massive skills shortage in science-related professional jobs in the UK, unless the number of young people studying science and maths increases at a rapid pace.

Extra-curricular activities won’t improve university offers

The head of admissions at Oxford has made it clear that extra curricular activities undertaken by students to persuade universities to award them a place are a waste of time.

Secondary Leadership

GCSE exam pass-rate increases for the 23rd year

Despite the soaring number of A and A*s achieved by pupils in this year’s GCSEs, teenagers now face being squeezed out of college courses by university rejects.

Secondary Leadership

Key Stage 1 assessments published

This year's published primary school Key Stage 1 results show that there has been no change in the number of pupils achieving Level 2 or above in speaking and listening, writing, mathematics and science.

Primary Leadership

library articles

Stay Safe Online

A signifcant amount of time is spent online by young people.Because of this, it is important that young people from an early age, understand the potential risks associated with the Web.

Curriculum change can cause a crisis!

A radical overhaul for teaching and learning – just the thing to reinvigorate a struggling school, or a recipe for special measures? That’s the subject of this issue’s Leadership Dilemma.

Does our fragmented school system work?

Secondary education now offers parents a choice between many different types of school, but who benefits? This incisive research from Stephen Gorard turns up some uncomfortable answers.

Deaf children and social care provision

Deaf children are more likely to be abused, suffer mental health problems, struggle learning to read and become unemployed. Alys Young, Ros Hunt, Rosemary Oram and Carole Smith describe their Social Research with Deaf People research programme (SORD) – which investigated how local authorities help deaf children and adults.

SEN: Are we getting value for money?

Early support for children struggling with SEN can save thousands of pounds helping them at secondary school – so why aren’t more schools investing in specialist tutors, asks Jean Gross?

free features

How to get children to be “number happy”

Andrew Dunn, assistant director for schools, improvement and development with Darlington Borough Council discusses why mathematics is a key element of a children’s personal and academic development and explores how teachers can engage and encourage students to be passionate and enthusiastic about numeracy.