A group of parents who dreamed of having a school in their village have seen their dream come true - they have been given permission to open one.Villagers from Bolnore in West Sussex are the first parents in England to have won the right to open their own school through a competitive process. Their primary school for 210 children will be built in regenerating woodland near Haywards Heath.At the moment, children from the village travel to 20 different schools.Most are driven to schools three miles away.People in Bolnore - a growing community - had long wanted to have a school in the village and when West Sussex Council announced last year that one was needed they seized their chance. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. emp_load.getEmpEmbeddedParams("emp_7450852"); Parents speak of their delight at the decisionThe council, in line with government policy, invited proposals to establish a primary school there. Local authorities in England can no longer just build schools which they then run, but have to put proposals for new schools "out to tender". This policy came in two years ago, and applies only to England. Cassandra Yeend, vice-chair of the Bolnore School Group, told the BBC News website how villagers' dreams began to become reality."It was one lady, Julia - it was her dream and goal. She is my neighbour and she knocked on my door and asked if I would be interested in getting involved."The Bolnore group - made up of eight parents and two other villagers - drew up their proposals and West Sussex County Council has now given it the green light to create a new foundation school for boys and girls aged from four to 11 from September 2009.DreamThe school will initially open in a primary school in Haywards Heath, three miles away, but will move to new buildings in September 2010. Our proposal is about partnership. It's about bringing together the best people to ensure that every child can flourish and reach... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
A new apprenticeship scheme is to be introduced in some of Wales' poorest areas. £70m will be spent on creating more than 14,000 training places to improve the skills of the workforce. The three-year project will target parts of Wales which already receive money from the European social fund. The Welsh Assembly Government says it will help achieve its goal of 80% of adults in Wales having basic literacy skills. Without this course I would never have gained the skills required for a career in this industry John Baker, apprentice Deputy Minister for Skills, John Griffiths said the scheme ... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
More than one and a half million young people in England are to become eligible for £7,000 each to spend on improving their qualifications. The offer is open to 18-to-25-year-olds who want to boost their education to GCSE or A-level standard.Ministers want to challenge the perception that a university education is the only one worth having.And the Welsh Assembly Government is announcing a £70m scheme to provide apprenticeships in poor areas.Plans have been announced for 14,000 new training places targeted at young people in West Wales and the Valleys. England's plans - in a... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
Children's minds are being damaged by a culture of therapy in the classroom, a leading educationalist has argued.Dennis Hayes, visiting professor at the Westminster Institute of Education, said the push to get pupils to talk about feelings also harmed education. "Therapeutic education" which places emotions over intellect, puts up barriers to learning by assuming everyone has problems, he said. Instead teachers should concentrate on teaching their subjects, he argued.The stress young children face as a result of tests and the pressures of modern life have featured in the media in... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
The leading voice of the independent schools sector has resigned after two months after sparking controversy by criticising state schools.Chris Parry left the Independent Schools Council (ISC), which represents 1200 private schools, by "mutual agreement" it has said.This followed a meeting of leading public school heads on Wednesday.The heads had expressed "deep concern" over his war-like view of relations between private and state schools.Early last month he clashed with Barry Sheerman, the chair of the Commons schools committee, claiming failings in the state system made ... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
One in 10 academically promising state school pupils in England do not go on to university, a report has claimed.The study also says thousands of bright pupils are let down by schools because they fall back after high levels of early achievement.The report for education charity the Sutton Trust says 60,000 high achievers do not go on to university every year.The government said it was determined that children's talents, no matter what their background, would not be wasted. If you get A-levels you are as highly likely as any other pupil to subsequently enrol on a degree course Sutton Trust... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
Schools which most successfully revive after being labelled failures have strong leadership, self-knowledge and sense of identity, Ofsted says. The English education inspectorate said the foundation for improvement was honest and accurate self-assessment, a theme now common around the UK. Involving pupils as "stakeholders", through a school council, house system or open forum, was crucial, it said. Continuous review was common in "the relentless pursuit of excellence".Ofsted has been promoting the importance of self-evaluation for a decade but the latest inspection regime... View More » Comenta la noticia. »
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