Here we have compiled the key stories from May 2019 so that you can keep up-to-date and well informed about the most relevant education-related stories. The was replete with numerous important news stories that addressed the most pressing areas of education for children and schools across the UK, from current exam updates to government-led school reforms, here are the vital stories to keep you in the know.
11th May – Ofqual is killing off modern foreign language education
The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is an organisation that regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. The letter making up this article is callings on Ofqual to urgently change their grade boundaries and to realise proper quality control for Modern Foreign Language exams and is signed by 152 high-ranking university teachers. A recent BBC survey, revealed that 76% of English schools reported that the perception of languages as “difficult” was the main reason behind the drop in pupils studying for MFL exams. French A Level entries in England have dropped from 15,000 to 8,000 in a decade and it would seem that unreliable grading and high difficulty of the exams are deterring students.
13th May – Sats are no better than teachers at predicting pupil’s GCSE and A-Level results, study finds
A study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and carried out by researchers from King’s College London, found that teacher assessments at age 7, 11 and 14 were just as effective as using Sats results to predict pupils’ later exam success. Dr Kaili Rimield, a lead author on the report, stated that “The fact that exam scores correlate so highly with the teacher assessments raises questions about the value of the testing culture that characterises compulsory education in the UK.” This development proves particularly interesting when coupled with the fact that a Labour government would replace Sats with an alternative form of assessment taking into account “the learning needs of each child”.
21st May – Oxford University to offer free year of study to disadvantaged students with lower grades
Oxford University is launching new programmes aiming to aid disadvantaged students. If these students fail to meet the required A Level grades for their Oxford offer, they will be offered a free year of study under these new measures. These students, having experienced severe disadvantage or educational disruption, and are not in a position to make what the university is calling “competitive application”, will be offered a foundation year. This programme aims to widen access and could include refugees and children in care or with care responsibilities themselves. This news comes in the wake of comments by Angela Rayner, Labour’s shadow education secretary, that “Universities have not taken the necessary steps required to improve access and the government has taken no meaningful action to hold them to account for a shocking lack of progress.”
22nd May – School music lessons should cover hip-hop and grime, says charity
A national charity, Youth Music, has called for school music lessons to be changed so that the curriculum includes grime, electronic music and hip-hop. This demand finds its roots in recent research that found that more inclusive music-making improves attendance among pupils at risk of exclusion. The charity is collaborating with Birmingham City University to set up partnerships with contemporary community music organisations and secondary schools in England to examine the impact of introducing a modern music curriculum. Close to 1,000 pupils aged 11-15 experienced the new lessons and researchers found that young people who were at risk of exclusion at the beginning continued to maintain high levels of attendance (over 95%) throughout the programme.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-48358532
23rd May – Teenagers given updated advice on A-level choices
The Russell Group has launched a new, interactive website to replace a list of traditional academic subjects controversially said to aid entry. This change in advice for young people choosing A Levels reflects the declarations by multiple arts organisations who have said that the old approach led to the marginalisation of creative subjects in schools. This new approach is much more flexible and allows for a wider range of A Levels to be emphasised. Pupils will be able to type in a subject area on the new website and then see the range of degrees on offer, or they can choose a particular university course and see what A Levels would be needed to secure a place. Creative or other less traditional subjects, like psychology, are given more prominence than before.
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