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Schools

Former schools inspector Gervase Phinn reflects on some festive muddles

Published: 15 December 2005

Inadvertent comedy - from grumpy innkeepers to nit-ridden Virgin Marys - is a staple of nativity plays.

Education Quandary

Published: 15 December 2005

Sex education for the under-11s? At my school we want our children to enjoy their childhood

BETT Show: Innovation in the classroom

Published: 15 December 2005

Books on mobile phones? Musical computers? You can find them all at the BETT show, says Tim Walker

Leading article: Pupils need to learn a language

Published: 15 December 2005

This week, the German ambassador, Thomas Matussek, issued a timely reminder on the state of language learning in the UK. In a cleverly crafted speech - his parting address to the UK before moving on to take up a post in India - he praised the Government's efforts to boost language learning, while at the same time pointing out that it was "unfortunate" that the take-up of languages was still falling.

John White: Multiple intelligence? It's a flaky theory

Published: 08 December 2005

'How many of your intelligences have you used today?' This notice at the entrance to an Australian school refers to Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence (MI) theory, which is big in school improvement in Britain and across the world. Gardner claims that there are eight or more intelligences - not just one - including musical, spatial and bodily-kinaesthetic as well as the linguistic and mathematical sorts found in intelligence tests. There is only one problem: the intelligences don't exist.

Education Quandary

Published: 08 December 2005

'I want to give my teacher wife a donation to a small educational charity for Christmas. Any ideas?'

Could a new reading scheme turn Britain's children into bookworms?

Published: 08 December 2005

Synthetic phonics can teach children how to read, but getting them to enjoy reading is the next challenge. An American method, currently being tried out in Britain, does just that. Steve McCormack reports

Leading article: Getting the reading habit

Published: 08 December 2005

Today we report on a new reading system that has crossed the Atlantic and is being piloted in a number of schools in London. It is not about teaching children to read. That is best done by a method such as synthetic phonics, recommended by Jim Rose, the former Ofsted inspector. The American scheme is concerned with persuading children to read more, and to read more fluently, once they have learnt the business of decoding the words and letters on a page.

Leading article: A muddle that needs sorting

Published: 01 December 2005

Signs of muddle and panic are emerging at the heart of government thinking over the future of schools. The White Paper and its policies - more academies and closure within a year for weaker schools - are not consistent with the previous policy of using the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for the refurbishment of most schools.

Martin Johnson: Why parent power will only increase tension

Published: 01 December 2005

When you read the small print, "parent power" hardly describes the new arrangements outlined in the Education White Paper, and neither does Parents Driving Improvement - the title of the relevant chapter. But an unavoidable question arises from the White Paper: who is the parent Ruth Kelly is talking about?

An autistic boy's fight against exclusion

Published: 01 December 2005

William Speed's school has excluded him for his difficult behaviour. But his parents say the autistic teenager needs to stay put. It's a case that tests the rights of Britain's special needs children

Education Quandary

Published: 01 December 2005

'My son's school says that he needs a physics tutor. Shouldn't they be teaching him properly?'

Literary classics digitally remastered

Published: 24 November 2005

The literary classics can be brought to life with some help from your electronic friends

Education Quandary

Published: 24 November 2005

'My daughter is a gifted cellist - but how can I persuade her to practise regularly?'

Christopher Price: The Government is obsessed with elitism

Published: 24 November 2005

When the Tomlinson report was publis- hed, the Government rejected the thrust of it. The proposal for a universal framework of qualifications was too radical, with a general election looming and Daily Mail leader writers lurking. But the Government and the Opposition did like post-qualification admissions (PQA), whereby students could apply to university once they knew their A-level grades. It was designed to simplify admissions, free teachers from predicting grades, and allow admissions officers to perform wider, more useful tasks. It has been shelvedbecause admissions officers and their flaccid managers, the vice-chancellors, object. The Secondary Heads Association has called the decision tragic.

Learning To Type: Lessons in one of life's key skills

Published: 24 November 2005

As the amount of on-screen work increases, children need to learn how to touch-type from an early age. Kate Hilpern reports

Bullying: Sticks, stones and web chat

Published: 24 November 2005

Recent high-profile cases suggest that bullying is getting worse. As the nation's schools mark Anti-Bullying Week, Steve McCormack weighs up the evidence

Maths: Add ICT into the equation

Published: 24 November 2005

The use of computers in maths lessons can help children overcome a mental block, says Amy McLellan

Leading article: Teacher will know

Published: 24 November 2005

Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary, is right to order a subject-by-subject review of the amount of coursework to be used in GCSE. However, it remains to be seen whether the special adviser appointed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to help schools and exam boards detect plagiarism in coursework will be successful in her task. We think that teachers are best placed to spot cheating because they can compare the coursework submitted with pupils' classroom work.

Bridging the digital divide

Published: 24 November 2005

One in four pupils does not have access to a computer at home. Kate Hilpern finds out how schools are helping out

Management information systems: Systems of survival

Published: 24 November 2005

School administration has become a high-tech job - but it needn't cost the earth, says Amy McLellan

Children's coursework: We're all at it

Published: 23 November 2005

Parents doing their children's coursework? Guilty, says Henry McLynn

Can you charm your way into Oxbridge?

Published: 17 November 2005

State-school pupils have not traditionally been taught the social skills to shine at Oxford and Cambridge interviews. Hilary Wilce visits a comprehensive where they are learning to talk with confidence

Leading article: Why toddlers need a curriculum

Published: 17 November 2005

There was a predictable outcry last week when the Government announced that it was extending the principle of a compulsory curriculum to babies and toddlers, the nought- to five-year-olds. But the detractors really should wait to see what is proposed before rushing into print with their objections.

John Rae: You get what you pay for - but not at public school

Published: 17 November 2005

Ignorance of the law is no defence, though it is odd that this particular change was shrouded in secrecy
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