Posts in Education
The Guardian: Tory MPs back ditching GCSE exams in English school system overhaul
The Guardian: Tory MPs back ditching GCSE exams in English school system overhaul

Covid-19 crisis has allowed for a radical rethink of education system, says One Nation group.

The disruption caused by the coronavirus allows for a “radical” rethink of England’s school system, according to a group of Conservative MPs who advocate scrapping GCSEs, delaying the start of formal education and introducing longer school days.

A paper from the One Nation caucus of centrist Conservative MPs is the latest assault on GCSEs, arguing that England is unusual in making teenagers sit two sets of high-stakes exams within the space of three years, and that this is partly responsible for high levels of stress and unhappiness among pupils.

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Education, Exam Results, Family, Health, Lockdown, Media Article, Mental Health, PandemicSarah NorrisLando EducationLando Education, Lando, Tory MPs, MPs, Tories, Conservatives, GCSE, exams, school system, school, overhaul, Covid19, pandemic, scrapping GCSEs, radical, disruption, formal education, Flick Drummond, teenagers, MP for Meon Valley, the Children’s Society, baccalaureate, A-levels, vocational qualifications, coalition of state and independent school leaders, independent school leaders, state school leaders, One Nation group, One Nation, children, opportunities, Cherilyn Mackrory, MP for Truro and Falmouth, schoolingComment
The Guardian: Air pollution particles in young brains linked to Alzheimer's damage
The Guardian: Air pollution particles in young brains linked to Alzheimer's damage

Exclusive: if discovery is confirmed it will have global implications as 90% of people breathe dirty air.

Tiny air pollution particles have been revealed in the brain stems of young people and are intimately associated with molecular damage linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

If the groundbreaking discovery is confirmed by future research, it would have worldwide implications because 90% of the global population live with unsafe air. Medical experts are cautious about the findings and said that while the nanoparticles are a likely cause of the damage, whether this leads to disease later in life remains to be seen.

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Education, Environment, Family, Health, Media ArticleSarah NorrisLando Educationair pollution, Lando Education, Lando, Alzheimer's, children, brainstems, groundbreaking discovery, nanoparticles, statistical evidence, neurodegenerative diseases, Mexico City, Prof Barbara Maher, Lancaster University, smoking gun, young people, dementia, Lilian Calderón-Garcidueña, University of Montana, defence mechanisms, neurotoxicants, Jordi Sunyer, Prof Louise Serpell, University of Sussex, University of Barcelona, David Dexter, Parkinson’s UK, metal toxicity, Dr Susan Kohlhaas, Alzheimer’s Research UKComment
The Guardian: Hong Kong primary teacher deregistered 'for talking about independence'
The Guardian: Hong Kong primary teacher deregistered 'for talking about independence'

Teacher accused of violating legislation, reportedly discussing freedom of speech with pupils.

A Hong Kong primary school teacher has been deregistered after being accused of using pro-independence materials in class, reportedly to teach students about the concepts of freedom of speech and independence.

The education bureau accused the teacher of a premeditated act in violation of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, its de facto constitution, by having “spread a message about Hong Kong independence”.

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Education, History, Media Article, Hong KongSarah NorrisLando EducationLando Education, Lando, Hong Kong, The Guardian, primary teacher, independence, deregistered, freedom of speech, education bureau, teacher, Hong Kong’s Basic Law, Hong Kong independence, pro-independence activist, professional misconduct, black sheep, Beijing, ecretary for education, Kevin Yeung, national security law, Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, Hong Kong SAR, special administrative regionComment
The Guardian: Ban on overnight school trips threatens 15,000 UK jobs, ministers warned
The Guardian: Ban on overnight school trips threatens 15,000 UK jobs, ministers warned

Generation of children missing out on life-changing benefits, say parents, schools and industry.

A ban on residential school trips risks an “economic, social and cultural disaster” and the loss of 15,000 UK jobs unless it is lifted by spring, ministers are being warned.

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Business, Education, Family, Holiday Activity, Lockdown, PandemicSarah NorrisLando EducationLando, Lando Education, The Guardian, children, overnight school trips, school trips, Covid-19 restrictions, PGL, specialist school travel company, school travel sector, UK Outdoors, Andy Robinson, Institute for Outdoor Learning, Department for Education, ohn Rankin schools, John Rankin schools, Public Health England, Public Health England advicComment
The Guardian: Manchester students organising 'Covid Positive' parties
The Guardian: Manchester students organising 'Covid Positive' parties

Dress codes are nothing new to students going out in Manchester – no trainers, no football shirts and, increasingly, no man bags. But one student party this weekend had a special entry requirement: Covid.

According to one fresher at the University of Manchester, the “Covid Positive” party in the university’s Fallowfield campus halls of residence was broken up by security on Saturday. It is just one of the increasing instances of students’ risky behaviour during lockdown restrictions.

“There was a flat party a few days ago which had a policy that you could only get in if you were positive. It was like their health-and-safety measure,” the 18-year-old physics student said.

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Education, Health, Higher Education, Lockdown, Media Article, PandemicSarah NorrisLando EducationLando Education, Lando, The Guardian, Covid19, Pandemic, Manchester, Manchester University, parties, covid positive parties, Manchester Metropolitan University, flare-ups, students, Prof Fiona Measham, drug deaths, drugs, teenagers, university, university students, University of Nottingham, Greater Manchester policeComment
The Times: Afghan bomb victim Shamsea Alizada is nation’s top pupil
The Times: Afghan bomb victim Shamsea Alizada is nation’s top pupil

Another article about Shamsea Alizada, which makes her achievement even more inspirational.

A coalminer’s daughter whose tutoring centre was bombed by Isis has come top in an Afghan entrance exam.

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Education, Exam Results, Family, Higher Education, History, Interview, Media ArticleSarah NorrisLando Educationthe Times, Lando, Lando Education, Afghan bomb victim, Shamsea Alizada, nation’s top pupil, Afghan entrance exam, Kabul, Taliban, The bombing of Mawoud Academy, Mawoud Academy, AfghanistanComment
TED Talk: the Danger of a Single Story
TED Talk: the Danger of a Single Story

My daughter was asked to watch novelist Chimamanda Adichie’s TED talk for her geography homework. I was listening to it the background and it made me smile/laugh, quite a lot.

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

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TED talk, Television, Arts, Charity, Education, English, Family, Higher Education, History, Languages, Media Article, Reading, WritingSarah NorrisLando EducationChimamanda Adichie, TED Talk, Lando, Lando Education, geography, cultures, lives, overlapping stories, novelist, authentic cultural voice, cultural voice, homeworkComment
The Guardian: Oxford moves to protect students from China's Hong Kong security law
The Guardian: Oxford moves to protect students from China's Hong Kong security law

Students will submit work related to China anonymously and told not to record classes.

Students at Oxford University specialising in the study of China are being asked to submit some papers anonymously to protect them from the possibility of retribution under the sweeping new security law introduced three months ago in Hong Kong.

The anonymity ruling is to be applied in classes, and group tutorials are to be replaced by one-to-ones. Students are also to be warned it will be viewed as a disciplinary offence if they tape classes or share them with outside groups.

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Education, Higher Education, HistorySarah NorrisLando EducationThe Guardian, Lando, Lando Education, Oxford University, students, China, Hong Kong, anonymously, classes, protect, new security law, one-to-ones, Beijing, Hong Kong security law, Chinese government powers, Universities UK, the vice-chancellors’ group, Chinese scholars, academic, Chinese students, Overseas students, Patricia Thornton, associate professor of Chinese politics at Oxford University, associate professor of Chinese politics, academic freedom, Princeton University, Harvard Business School, Lord Patten, Eva Pils, professor of law at King’s College London, King’s College London, British Association for Chinese StudiesComment
The Guardian: Schools in England told not to use material from anti-capitalist groups
The Guardian: Schools in England told not to use material from anti-capitalist groups

Idea categorised as ‘extreme political stance’ equivalent to endorsing illegal activity.

The government has ordered schools in England not to use resources from organisations which have expressed a desire to end capitalism.

Department for Education (DfE) guidance issued on Thursday for school leaders and teachers involved in setting the relationship, sex and health curriculum categorised anti-capitalism as an “extreme political stance” and equated it with opposition to freedom of speech, antisemitism and endorsement of illegal activity.

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Business, Education, English, Exam Results, Higher Education, History, Media ArticleSarah NorrisLando EducationDepartment for Education, Lando Education, Lando, extreme political stance, anti-capitalist, anti-capitalist groups, The Guardian, school leaders, teachers, British History, John McDonnell, freedom of speech, antisemitism, democracy, capitalism, British history, politics, Jessica Simor QC, international lawComment
The Times: Open Letter - Rethinking Assessment: Mutant exam system is failing our children
The Times: Open Letter - Rethinking Assessment: Mutant exam system is failing our children

In this letter, leading educators demand urgent action as they launch a group aiming to overhaul the testing regime in schools.

We were told this summer that it was a “mutant algorithm” that had caused the anguish of the exam fiasco. Covid may have exposed the failings, but in truth, something more profound is going on, and it has been brewing for years: we have a mutant exam system.

Created with good intentions — “to raise standards” — it has mutated into something that neither measures the right things nor is very reliable, and leaves in its wake a trail of stress and unfairness.

Many of those who are involved in the exams merry-go-round are reaching the same conclusion — it’s not fit for purpose and needs to change.

This week a new group— Rethinking Assessment — is being launched to do something about it.

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Business, Charity, Education, Exam Results, Family, Interview, Lockdown, Media Article, Pandemic, Self & WellbeingSarah NorrisLando EducationOpen letter, Lando Education, Lando, GCSEs, kill off GCSEs, exam fiasco, Covid, Pandemic, Rethinking Assessment, Independent schools, OECD statistics, PwC, KPMG, EY, Lord Baker, Dame Glenys Stacey, Ofqual, Pisa programme, OECD’s Pisa programme, TechnologyComment
The Times: Cheated in class? No mortgage for you, Chinese government warns
The Times: Cheated in class? No mortgage for you, Chinese government warns

The Chinese government is threatening to withdraw a postgraduate’s ability to secure a mortgage if they are found to have plagiarised someone else’s work.

In a joint statement, the ministries of education and finance and the National Development and Reform Commission announced they would include academic dishonesty as part of the country’s social credit scheme.

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Business, Education, Exam Results, Higher EducationSarah NorrisLando EducationChina, Cheated in class, Chinese governmen, Lando, Lando Education, The Times, media article, mortgage, antisocial behaviour, degree dissertations, punishmentComment
The Guardian: London maths teacher shortlisted for $1m teaching prize
The Guardian: London maths teacher shortlisted for $1m teaching prize

Dr Jamie Frost’s tuition website went viral during lockdown, helping millions of pupils around the world with their studies.

A London mathematics teacher has been shortlisted for a $1m (£780,000) international teaching prize after his tuition website went global during lockdown, helping millions of pupils in the UK and around the world to continue their maths studies at home.

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Education, Exam Results, Maths, Lockdown, Media Article, Pandemic, STEAM, STEMSarah NorrisLando Education$1m teaching prize, Dr Jamie Frost, The Varkey Foundation, maths, Lando Education, Lando, maths lead, Tiffin School, DrFrostMaths, pupils, teachers, school, Oxford University, website, Unesco, Stefania Giannini, Mokhudu Cynthia Machaba, Leah Juelke, Yun Jeong-hyun, Andria Zafirakou, Peter TabichiComment
The Times: British universities charter jets to fly in Chinese students
The Times: British universities charter jets to fly in Chinese students

A flight carrying hundreds of students to Belfast from Beijing has become the first of several expected to be chartered by British universities to bring a record number of Chinese people into the country to study.

More than 24,000 Chinese students sought admission to British universities this year, up by 23 per cent, of which 8,570 were accepted, a rise of 14 per cent.

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Business, Education, English, Higher Education, Lockdown, Pandemic, Media ArticleSarah NorrisLando EducationLando Education, The Times, Lando, flights, students, Belfast, Beijing, chartered flights, Chinese, Chinese students, British Universities, universities, global travel, pandemicComment
The Times: School funding ‘unfair to poor white pupils’
The Times: School funding ‘unfair to poor white pupils’

Poor white children do significantly worse at school in part because education funding is targeted at larger cities with more ethnically diverse populations, academics have argued.

They accused the Department for Education of making it difficult for experts to analyse underachievement by white pupils because this “did not align” with the government’s focus.

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Charity, Education, Exam Results, Family, Media ArticleSarah NorrisLando EducationThe Times, media article, Lando, Lando Education, school, school funding, London, London boroughs, Department for Education, Poor white children, University of Plymouth, academics, MPsComment
The Times: Pupils aren’t up to sitting exams next year, say teachers
The Times: Pupils aren’t up to sitting exams next year, say teachers

A survey found that over 50 per cent of teachers with pupils due to take exams next summer felt they were not on track to get the results they should achieve.

Questions surround next year’s GCSE and A-level exams after ministers, unions and private schools raised doubts that they would run as normal.

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Education, Exam Results, Higher Education, Lockdown, Media Article, Pandemic, ScotlandSarah NorrisLando EducationLando Education, Lando, lockdown, pandemic, The Times, teaching, exams, schools, GCSEs, pupils, teachers, survey, Scotland, Highers, Higher Education, National Education Union, Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference, HMC, Simon Hyde, curriculum, Teacher Tapp appComment
The Times: Coronavirus in Scotland: Parents want end to confusion over next year’s exams
The Times: Coronavirus in Scotland: Parents want end to confusion over next year’s exams

Parents are demanding an “unequivocal statement” from John Swinney about the fate of next year’s school exams amid claims that they may be cancelled again due to Covid-19.

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Education, Exam Results, Family, Lockdown, Media Article, Pandemic, ScotlandSarah NorrisLando EducationScotland, S3, S4, pupils, exams, Covid19, Pandemic, Lando, Lando Education, government, cancelled, virus, The Times, course assessments, scrappedComment
The Sunday Times: UK university rankings: the best universities by subject
The Sunday Times: UK university rankings: the best universities by subject

As well as institutional rankings, The Sunday Times and The Times have identified the centres of excellence within each of 67 subject areas. The subject rankings are based on student opinion on teaching quality and their wider university experiences, combined with the outcomes of the 2014 research assessments, graduate job prospects and course entry standards.

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Education, Exam Results, Higher Education, Languages, History, Maths, Media Article, Medicine, Music, Science, Space, STEAM, STEM, Technology, WritingSarah NorrisLando EducationThe Sunday Times, UK University Rankings, university, rankings, sujects, research assessments, graduate, graduate job prospects, Cambridge, Aeronautical and manufacturing engineering, anatomy and physiology, anthropology, archaeology and forensic science, biological sciences, chemical engineering, chemistry, civil engineering, classics and ancient history, computer science, East and South Asian studies, education, electrical and electronic engineering, French, geography and environmental science, geology, German, history, history of art, architecture and design, Iberian languages, Italian, land and property management, materials technology, maths, mechanical engineering, Middle Eastern and African studies, physics and astronomy, Russian and eastern European languages, sociology, theology and religious studies, town and country planning, landscape, Economics, English, linguistics, medicine, psychology, Oxford, Glasgow, St Andrews, University of Edinburgh, Birmingham, Strathclyde, Bangor, Bath, Bristol, LSE, Animal science, dentistry, food science, sports scienceComment
The Times: A Zoom-ful of sugar from virtual babysitters helps kids learn and parents get on
The Times: A Zoom-ful of sugar from virtual babysitters helps kids learn and parents get on

She might be singing nursery rhymes or helping a child to learn the alphabet. While it sounds like an average day for a nanny, there is a difference. Danielle Manton-Kelly is not in the room with the children: she is a Zoomsitter, an online nanny, and she is one of a growing breed.

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Business, Education, Family, Lockdown, Media Article, PandemicSarah NorrisLando EducationZoom, Lando Education, Lando, the Times, virtual, virtual babysitters, kids, leraning, childcare, Childcare.co.uk, parents, childcare providers, Richard Conway, nannies, childrenComment
The Times: Forget mutinous Tories — it’s parents Boris Johnson fears
The Times: Forget mutinous Tories — it’s parents Boris Johnson fears

My daughter is back at school and touch wood, there haven’t been any cases of Covid at her school yet. They have cameras in each of the classrooms, so girls in quarantine at home, can join in lessons. However several independent and state schools in London have put entire year groups or individual classes into quarantine, several days after starting back. We have friends with daughters currently confined to home school as a result.

Whatever happens at Westminster, the prime minister knows closing schools again would be political suicide.

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Education, Family, Media ArticleSarah NorrisLando EducationBoris Johnson, Tories, schools, Lando, Lando Education, Labour, edcuation, Spectator, Downing Street, Covid19, pandemic, focus groups, parentsComment
TES: Why we must scrap GCSEs: 4 ways to form a better system
TES: Why we must scrap GCSEs: 4 ways to form a better system

Sarah Fletcher, the high mistress of St Paul's Girls' School in London and a member of the HMC, offers thoughts on better ways young people can be assessed than out-dated GCSEs.

Everything has changed over the past few months.

We have put students from across the world in the same classrooms, safeguarded new ways of working and shared resources and online platforms.

Most extraordinary of all, teachers have helped in the awarding of grades and we have cancelled all assessments from key stage 1 to key stage 5.

Imagining the unimaginable is something we should do more often! And what better place to start than with the curriculum?

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Education, Business, Exam Results, Family, Higher Education, Lockdown, Media Article, Pandemic, Self & WellbeingSarah NorrisLando EducationSPGS, St Paul's Girls' School, independent schools, private schools, state schools, GCSE, kill off GCSEs, Sarah Fletcher, headmistress, students, classrooms, teachers, key stage 5, modern curriculum, outdated system, demagogy of a cyber world, demagogy, cyber world, Global affairsComment