The Learning Exchange Library

Let’s get clear about quality   The Learning Exchange explores how we measure quality in extra-curricular activities and whether it's worth striving for. For more insights into quality issues, you can read the full conversation with Ian Durrant Senior Lecturer (Study Support and Extended Services) at Canterbury Christ Church University.

About Quality in Study Support (QiSS) and QiSS First Steps   Canterbury Christ Church University uses two frameworks in its quality assurance processes. This document explains what to expect if you embark on Extended Learning Opportunities: a Framework for Self-evaluation in Study Support (ELO) or QiSS First Steps.

Achievement for All: links to extra-curricular provision   This national evaluation project examined the impact of Achievement for All on a range of outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in fifteen schools; and also, which practices and processes worked best. Several schools involved in the pilot saw links between improvements in their SEND pupils’ behaviour, attendance and achievements and their extra-curricular provision. (The pilot worked best where the attached funding was used to improve what schools were already doing around SEND provision, including offering in extra-curricular programmes.)

Robots @ School   This study is about what motivates and inspires children to learn and be creative. Latitudeº, in collaboration with LEGO® Learning Institute & Project Synthesis are looking at ways of understanding children's social, creative and learning aspirations by using robots - with fascinating results. 

Why good writing and spelling skills are so important   A message from the real world.
 
True here as it is in Mexico: parents matter in schools   Mexico has Latin America’s second best educated children, after Chile. It is improving in maths faster than any other country in the 65-country OECD PISA study.  Empowering schools and parents is the key.  Also, read this blog about it.

Well-being: Pyramid Club file – a new resource   If you work on a Pyramid programme, you can now log into the main ContinYou website’s Pyramid members’ pages and download this new resource from the Pyramid members’ area on the main ContinYou website. This contains useful information and templates on session plans, permissions, school safety, questionnaires, and so on. 

Pyramid a short, sweet introduction   Here’s a DVD explaining what Pyramid is about, hosted by Youtube.

Well-being: 'peripheral' or fundamental to attainment?   This article in the Guardian looks at pupils' well-being. For many in education it is where academic excellence and good behaviour begin. Does it need to be focused on separately? Can extra-curricular activities enhance pupils' well-being? Does improving pupils' wellbeing need to be inspected as a separate feature of what schools do?

Is happiness in the bin?   Here are two letters responding to the Guardian article Whatever happened to happiness? (dated 16 January and cited in the Gem above). They're from John Walker, Chair of Wilderspin National School Museum, Barton upon Humbe and Jean Humphrys Director, Education and Care, Ofsted. 

Breakfast clubs: children need them   Children attend breakfast clubs for many different reasons, not just because they may not be receiving a good breakfast at home. Listen again on Radio 4’s Today Programme (23 January) to Magic Breakfast’s Carmel McConnell make a great argument for the existence of breakfast clubs. 

The 3 D’s: a word from the Commissar of Enlightenment    We’re hearing lots about the three R’s these days – some of it sensible – the rest… well… let’s leave it there. Read what Jonathan Wolff says about how we could rework the national curriculum under his direction. With the way things are however, the three D’s may need to be tackled in extra-curricular time... (sorry Mr. Commissar!)

The Mike Baker Top Ten   If you are a fan of Mike Baker’s blogs – we post a lot of them – here is the top ten list of blogs he has written over the past year – chosen by us, his readers.

London schooling: lessons from the capital   This report from CentreForum shows that some of the poorest children in the capital are achieving excellent results at Key Stage 4. Its analysis supports the hypothesis that these results are down to the quality of the schools, nothwistanding factors such as poverty, ethnicity, a child's first language and gender. On the whole, the city’s pupils do not appear to be particularly disadvantaged in reading skills either; however, due to high poverty levels in some areas of the capital, the city still has patches with some of the poorest reading scores in the country.

Children’s rights and the welfare caps   The Children’s Commissioner is critical of the proposed welfare reform bill, saying caps infringe children’s rights and may increase child poverty, poorer health and educational outcomes for children.  

Scratch stories   A testament to the creativity of children when they get their hands on interesting software. 

Big Society: David Cameron's 'big idea'   Episode 3 on Radio 4 via BBC iPlayer.

Does a longer school day raise achievement?   This blog from teacher Laura McInerney looks at a longitudinal study from Chile where they investigated the idea thoroughly. You can follow Laura on Twitter. (From Library section: Education articles)

New Teaching Standards: extra-curricular activities implicit?   Here is the NAHT (Association for all school Leaders) guide to the new teaching standards, which all teachers in English maintained schools will work to from September 2012. Although not spelled out exactly in black and white, there appears to be implicit reference to extra-curricular and other activities beyond school. See Standard No. 8: ‘Fulfil wider professional responsibilities: Teachers are asked to make a positive contribution to the wider life and ethos of the school’.

(Un)Satisfactory? Enhancing life chances by improving 'satisfactory' schools   December 2011 report from the RSA which partly inspired Osted's recent decision to try and change their ratings system.

Gruffalo pancakes anyone?   This case study from Coleridge Primary School and Children Centre in Rotherham, South Yorkshire  is testament to the benefit of involving parents in extra- curricular cooking activities.

Funding guide for workforce development   Useful new (free) guide from NCYS containing information on charitable funding for organisations, public sector funding; low cost and cost-free ways to support learning and development; funding schemes for training providers; unding for learners; future funding and developments.

Consulting through questionnaires   A 'toolbox' of useful ideas and pointers on consulting young people. It includes tips on designing questionnairies. (This is a 2003 Communicating... consulting pupils project newsletter from the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.)

Child poverty: map of the UK   Latest UK Child poverty figures published

David Cameron’s Big Idea   The second part in the BBC Radio 4 series in which Steve Richards of the Independent sifts through what the big society idea is all about. 

The Good Childhood Report 2012: déjà vu?   Very similar to Every Child Matters aims, the six priorities to ensure that children’s well-being can thrive are outlined in this latest report from the Children’s Society. The priorities are: The conditions to learn and develop; a positive view of themselves and an identity that is respected; have enough of what matters; positive relationships with family and friends; a safe and suitable home environment and local area; opportunity to take part in positive activities to thrive

Austerity and pocketmoney    The Learning Exchange rates Tim Harford, the Undercover Economist who also fronts the BBC Radio 4 programme More or less programme, which tries to help demystify and interpret statistics in a balanced way.  Here's his entertaining (only slightly tongue-in-cheek) but serious blog about how austerity may affect families over the next few years. As he says: macro-economic predictions are notoriously unreliable.

Achieving efficiencies and value for money    These pages on the National Council for Voluntary Organisations' website list the implications that are arising from the current need for organisations to become more efficient and demonstrate more value for money. There are useful links to advice and pointers to ways forward.

Is history being lost in schools? Does it matter?   Listen again to Giles Marshall, history teacher at Sutton Grammar School and Labour MP and historian Tristram Hunt discuss how few pupils take history for their GCSE's and whether it matters. low number of students taking up history for their GCSE's.

Neets: transition from school to work   '[The] English system sees no links between the preparation for employment and citizenship, either during the latter part of general education in schools and colleges or particularly in the workplace.' This is from a new report by IPPR called Rethinking apprenticeships. The Learning Exchange asks: would an extra-curricular approach to addressing transition from school to work for young people be a way forward?

School improvement: getting coasting schools up to speed   Sir Michael Wilshaw speaks to Radio 4's World At One about the challenges that face school leaders and his role as Ofsted's chief inspector. (Listen on BBC iPlayer from 21:03 to 29:19 until 26 December). (From Library section: Videos and podcasts)

Raising attainment: the role of coaches     Could coaching be the answer in helping young people who are in danger of joining the ranks of NEETS to get back on track?

Do we need a ‘big society’ minister?    Such a minister would need a lot of powers as they would need to work across all departments, says Kaye Wiggins in this Third Sector Blog. 
 
Exam board furore: a welcome perspective   Mike Baker summarises and brings some welcome perspective to the examination board furore. The comments at the bottom of the blog are interesting.

What exactly is a critical friend?  John McBeath, Professor of Education Leadership, Cambridge University sees the 'Critical Friend' as embodying 'true friendship' – a successful marrying of unconditional support and unconditional critique.

Youth services: 'Mix it up' says Lord Wei   Not a silver bullet, he says, but if communities change the saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ to ‘ Raise up the village to raise the child’ perhaps youth services around the country have more chance of surviving. Work with businesses, individuals, local authorities, police and other ‘village’ stakeholders – and Community Foundations could facilitate partnerships.

Primary school league tables: the pinch of salt required?  Polly Curtis in the Guardian does a reality check on the primary school league tables to see what they really could signify – or not.

Raising attainment: ways to use the Pupil Premium   Here’s a list of illustrative suggestions from the Department for Education on hows schools might use the pupil premium funds allocated to children who are registered to receive Free School Meals in England. The various Ofsted school reports to which this DfE page links imply in a 'broad brushstroke' way what successful schools have focused on in order to succeed in raising their disadvantaged pupil's attainment levels, improve their attendance and behaviour and improve their schools. At a more specific level, pupil premium funds can be used in many creative ways to address the learning needs of disadvantaged pupils. As the DfE note says, these examples are only illustrative.

Attainment and inspiration: good argument for a wider definition of education   In Comment is Free, Yvonne Roberts wonders why young people are not being given an alternative story about what it is important to learn.

Measuring the social impact of extra-curricular programmes    The Learning Exchange has produced a publication called Monitoring outcomes in our Extra-curricular practice series. To reinforce the ideas in it, here’s an article from the Third Sector Research Centre about why it is important for voluntary sector organisations and social enterprises to use the social impacts they can demonstrate in an entrepreneurial way; for example, to build relationships, to compete for resources and to create organisational brands and a professional image - all of which are grist for the mill when organisations offering extra-curricular programmes need to catch the attention of schools and further funding. The research report Social impact measurement as an entrepreneurial process by Fergus Lyon (Middlesex University) and Malin Arvidson (University of Southampton) can be downloaded here.

Free their tinkering passion     Primary Engineer is Engineering' UK's programme offering schools various ways to inspire an interest in engineering in young people. Engineering clubs and projects can be useful at stimulating interest and engagement among children who are in transition from primary to secondary school for example.

Engineering careers: odd perceptions   Despite the tremendous challenges faced by British industry to keep growing, this report is optimistic about the engineering profession. However, an odd thing emerged from the 2011 annual Engineering and Engineers Brand Monitor: a fifth of teachers said it was undesirable for students to choose engineering careers; yet 70 per cent of 12- to 16-year-olds said they like science. Let's hear what extra-curricular engineering clukbs are doing, please. Send in your case studies to the Learning Exchange. 

This is why we need engineers   If you are running an extra-curricular engineering club, this site has some great information on it about why engineering is so important in our lives and could be an inspiring place for club members to explore. Great case studies and profiles of people who are working in fascinating engineering fields, plus links to useful websites.

It’s the poor wot gets the blame…    Though there are upsides in this report, it seems, for the first time in the history of the British Social Attitudes Survey, that British people have turned nastier towards the poor during difficult economic times. The survey shows that 54 per cent of us think benefits are too high, that people are poor because they are feckless and have no willpower. Julia Lewis, Director of Communications at Joseph Rowntree Foundation pulls together the main points from the survey.
 
British Social Attitudes survey No. 28     3,000 people are surveyed annually to find out what they think about a range of issues, including poverty. It appears that this year, attitudes have hardened around making choices easier for poorer families.

Financial Education and the Curriculum   This report is the result of an intensive inquiry by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Financial Education for Young People  into how much financial education  primary and secondary schools are offering.

Personal finance: ideas for extra-curricular clubs    Though many of these projects took place within the curriculum time, these case studies provide a good source of ideas for extra-curricular clubs.

The penny is dropping   Activities that involve personal finance education learning slot well into extra-curricular programmes. In view of this week's report from the MP group that looked into the state of personal finance teaching in schools, this article (an older Library Gem) may be useful. It points out that when trying to work with children around learning about money and managing it better, the pitch and approach need to be right for the group.

Apprenticeships: what’s on offer for young people   Louise Tickle at guardian.co.uk looks at the types of training designed by industries in order to cultivate the skills they need.

Riot causes: we can't blame gangs for everything   Professor Simon Hallsworth, London Metropolitan University’s director of the Centre for Social and Evaluation Research says that unquestioning acceptance, across the media, of gangs being at the heart of the recent riots as well as practically every other problem in society, entirely misses the underlying cause. He warns that a neo-liberal ‘perverse form of capitalism’ here and in the USA is not working for the majority and is causing upward mobility to stall. Professor Hallsworth has worked closely with gangs and in deprived neighbourhoods for ten years. He is particularly critical of the Riots, Communities and Victims Panel interim report on the causes of the riots.
 
Riot causes: Dysfunctional relationships   Listen again to Paul Lewis (Guardian) talking to BBC Radio 4’s Today’s programme about research undertaken by the Guardian and London School of Economics into the cause of the recent riots. The empirical study appears to endorse some of Professor Hallsworth’s views (see above). A single driver appears to be the dysfunctional relationships between police and local communities – particularly young people. (If the link doesn’t work when you get around to looking at this item, try BBCiPlayer.) 

EYFS Profile Attainment by Pupil Characteristics in England, 2010/11     This statistical release, published on the DfE website, shows 'attainment by pupil characteristics, specifically gender, ethnicity, eligibility for free school meals (FSM), special educational needs (SEN) and English as a first language'. The figures combine information from the School Census and 2011 EYFS teacher assessments - and could be a useful source of data for targeting intervention programmes.

YouthPolicy.org   This could be an excellent site to keep an eye on if your job is connected with youth work. It's a global community and knowledge base on youth policy – (defined on the site as ‘policies pertaining to young people’s rights and realities – in the making’). In particular, take a look at this page.

What are young girls thinking?  Find out what girls think about a range of issues through the 2011 Girl Guides attitudes survey. 

Smaller classes    The evidence that smaller classes are more beneficial to learning has been around a while but clinical psychologist, author and broadcaster Oliver James argues that in a tight fiscal climate, it may be too late to reduce class sizes and increase the ratio of teachers to children. The comments under the article are interesting. Here is the link to Class Size Research IOE London Institute of Edcuation.

WISE prize for education work with impoverished families   Sir Fazle Hasan Abed has been awarded the inaugural World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha, Qatar. 

Myths, evidence and innovation    A new CfBT report containing guidance on making the most of Free School freedoms. There is a short section on extra-curricular activities at the back.

Smart cuts? Public spending on children’s social care   A report from NSPCC which puts recent spending cuts into the context of spending patterns over the last ten years. 

PFI gravy train puffing to a standstill     Or is it? PFI, often likened to a 'giant government credit card', is now maxed out at £40bn. PFI borrowing has funded a vast array of public infrastructure up to now and the final, dreaded bill for it all lies in wait for us, the public, in 30 years time. But the government will soon say that PFI as we know it is over; and, on Tuesday 29 November, it will announce plans to boost growth by investment in infrastructure projects funded by borrowing from cash-rich pension funds. Will this send the PFI gravy train hurtling along another line, racking up yet more public debt and making yet more millions for investors? Watch BBC Panorama tonight - 28 November 2011.

What prospects for mobility in the UK?     A report from the Sutton Trust. released on 28 November 2011, looks as a large cross-national study of how advantage is transmitted from one generation to another. Finding 1: Gaps in school readiness in England between less advantaged children and their more advantaged counterparts are larger than those in similar nations such as Canada and Australia, but smaller than those in the United States. Canada has the smallest gaps. (From Library section: Addressing disadvantage/narrowing the gap.)

Advice from Ofsted (2011/2012 Annual Report)   Maintained schools that want to continue improving are advised to offer: a challenging, flexible curriculum with stimulating, relevant choices in learning pathways; targeted interventions for younger pupils who are falling behind - particularly in reading and writing; a wide range of extra-curricular activities that engage students' wider interests. However, one fifth of schools judged inadequate last year have made significant progress this year. But the gap in school quality between socially deprived and more advantaged areas is still a worry, though some schools are bucking the trend.

Guardian Datablog: this may be a useful tool for targeting extra-curricular programmes    If your organisation runs catch-up extra-curricular maths or literacy programmes for schools, the Guardian's summary of the key data for each secondary school in England could be useful. The summary demonstrates the variation in their spending and the academic achievement of pupils. The map and data show that the average spend per pupil across England is £5,547.13. The median (more typical), is £5,212.35. The tables show which schools are under-performing by the government's standards (the Coalition's 'floor target' is 35 per cent of pupils achieving five GCSEs at grades C or above).

School League tables   A list by local authority.

Are we going to hell in a handcart?      Do you put your fingers in your ears when the bad news comes? Do you think we're going to hell in a handcart? Professor of Education, Keri Facer, of Manchester Metropolitan University and formerly Futurelab, talks with others about why we shouldn't stop thinking about tomorrow and how educators, students - in fact everyone - can be better equipped to look at the future in a more open way. From RSAnimate at www.theRSA.org.

Comprehensives and academies: their virtues and failings   And does the state system of education replicate and perpetuate class divisions in society? Here is an excellent RSAnimate video of Melissa Benn, co-founder of the Local Schools Network making the case for maintaining the quality of comprehensive schools. Lucy Heller from ARC talks about academies. From RSAnimate at www.theRSA.org

Never mind the chair-chuckers…    Keep a watch over the quiet, disengaged pupils is what schools need to do, says Charlie Taylor, the Behaviour Tsar; or else, schools may find their Ofsted rating slipping a notch.

Inspiring learning spaces   Here is the Compendium of Exemplary Educational Facilities: a global range of excellent school designs ranging from revamped traditional facilities to ultra modern buildings where the inside becomes an extension of the outside. Mind you, with mountains as a backdrop, that puts some settings ahead of others from the start. 

High-immersion approach to teaching language to immigrants   By 2020, a fifth of Helsinki's pupils will be immigrants - many coming from  Russia, Estonia, Somalia and the Balkan countries. Finland has something to show us again. High-immersion Finnish language lessons bring these young people up to speed fast in their new country; and, Finland also supports them in continuing to learn their own languages.  

What did you learn in your history lessons?   How has history teaching changed? Look at this audio slide show and listen to these BBC interviewees talking about how they were taught history, their disappointments and their boredom, confusion and frustration.    

New research: The Right Kind of History   Listen again to British born David Cannadine talking on the Today programme about a two-year research project in which he and others traced how history has been taught in English state schools during the 20th Century. Professory Cannadine advocates making history lessons compulsory to age 16, but not at the expense of other important subjects.

A 'theory of change': what is that, exactly?    This page on the Theory of Change Community website explains what the 'theory of change' means. Using a 'theory of change' approach to designing extra-curricular activities and programmes is recommended by experts. (Note that to access other resources on the Theory of Change Community website, you need to register. It only takes a minute and it's free to do so.) (From Library section: Impact: monitoring and evaluation)

Monitoring outcomes   New in the Learning Exchange Extra-curricular practice series, this document thoroughly outlines concepts and good practice in relation to monitoring and evaluating extra-curricular programmes. (Login to Top Tips for members in the Extra-curricular activity section of the Library to access it).

Raising quality   New in the Learning Exchange Extra-curricular practice series, this document thoroughly outlines concepts and good practice in relation to raising quality in extra-curricular programmes. (Login to Top Tips for members in the Extra-curricular activity section of the Library to access it). 

So, how did it go?   New monitoring and evaluation tips and advice sheets on the Top Tips for members page (login required). We have posted a range of new advice sheets to supplement the new Monitoring outcomes document in the Extra-curricular practice series. The new documents include: Assessing the quality of your provision; Theory of change approach to monitoring and evaluating extra-curricular activities; Theory of change in an extra-curricular context; Developing monitoring and evaluation systems; Assessing outcomes of extra-curricular activities.

The Safe Network: Safeguarding children and young people    The Safe Network has been set up to help keep children safe when taking part in activities outside the home. This website offers free resources and information for voluntary organisations and community groups. (From Library section: Safeguarding.)

Making The Link: Preventing unintentional injury   This project is run by the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) which aims to support senior policymakers and practitioners in child accident prevention.(From Library section: Safeguarding.)

Third sector: survival of the fittest      Download this podcast by the BBC’s Peter Day from the World of Business Podcast pages on the BBC website. In Not for Profits, broadcast on 13 December 2010, Peter Day talks to two Harvard Business School professors, Allen Grossman and Robert Kaplan, who say the not-for-profit sector (third sector) must be more business-savvy. The trend is a world-wide one. If you want to read about it, rather than listen, here’s a link where Peter Day summarises the discussion.

Twixt localism and Westminster control   The Economist sums up its view of where the academies programme is steering schools. 

Face-to-face careers guidance on the radar   Patrick Watson is pleased the government is urging schools to offer pupils face-to-face careers guidance, particularly disadvantaged pupils.  

Shame on muddlers   The shock troops are here. Mr Cameron writes about what lies in store for schools in prosperous shires and market towns that appear to ‘coasting’.

Coasting schools: confusion all round?   Has Mr Cameron confused parents who fled to the shires to escape so-called 'poorly performing inner-city schools'? Will they be boarding trains back to the city any time soon, in search of good bog-standard comprehensives? Peter Standford, in The Telegraph, looks at the complexities…

Help Me Investigate: coasting schools   A stick will be poked into school league tables next year to stir things up. From June, the government says it will release performance data on all pupils. Data will be anonymised but will show where individual pupils began, what their progress was and where they have got to on their learning journey. This Help Me Investigate blog dissects the recent ‘coasting schools’ furore. 

Let's just call a pizza a pizza    One slice of pizza on an American school pupil's dinner plate is deemed to include a vegetable if buried under at least two tablespoons of tomato sauce. The US Agriculture Department wants to increase that amount to at least half a cup. But is the argument raging in Congress right now over school dinners really about American children's health? Valerie Strauss in the Washington Post Local thinks this lawmaking exercise should be part of citizenship lessons as it teaches young people who Congress is really working for. And it doesn't appear to young people.

Family reading breaks   NIACE says that children's literacy is heavily influenced by parents' reading habits; their Quick Reads campaign offers plenty of ideas and resources to encourage a love of reading in both. (From Library section: Parent support and family learning)

Here he comes! It's Ken... again   This Dave Hill blog looks at Team Livingstone's plans to create a London EMA for students. Tower Hamlets is already doing it.  

Legal structures at a glance   Learning Exchange member Mark Scarborough recently uploaded this handy table he used when he looked into setting up a social enterprise. (From Forum: Sustainability: What future for extended services?)

Make maths real - and fun    Is there a role for more extra-curricular maths clubs here? Mark Dawe, CEO of exam board OCR, said, just before a maths education conference, that too many students are failing to discover the pleasure inherent in mathematics so they can use it in their jobs and in everyday life. A new 'maths council' will gather views on where maths should be heading.

Should Bethany's dad be prosecuted?  When children truant, parents pay the price by being prosecuted. Listen to Bethany telling the BBC about her sister, who has good grade, but somehow... a complete phobia about going to school. Where is the help in cases like these?

Child poverty: distortions in perceptions?   According to this study done for the Child Poverty Unit, poverty is distributed within local authorities under these 'types':  consistently spread; complete range; and, pockets of low and high poverty. A couple of key findings that emerged from the study are: It is important to understand the distribution of poverty within an area in order to develop effective strategies to eradicate it. Also, local authorities vary greatly in size; looking at proportions alone could distort perceptions of child poverty within an authority by understating it. Many less deprived areas (measured by 'percentage in poverty'), still have large number of children in poverty siimply because they are bigger areas.

Debating the evidence     This research report, Debating the evidence: an international review of current situation and perceptions (by Rodie Akerman and Ian Neale, published by CfBT in 2011) could provide useful evidence if you are seeking funding to support an extra-curricular debating club. It reviews available evidence of the impact of debating on young people's development; key findings are that debating: improves academic attainment and literacy skills among pupils from diverse backgrounds; test performance; engagement and motivation; critical thinking communication and argumentation skills, including among pupils whose first language isn’t English. Students apply learning to the real world, their aspirations and confidence are boosted and their cultural awareness grows. Debating also increases participants’ longer-term academic aspirations and empowers young people. 

Bites and Bulletins   The Department for Education has kindly sorted out a massive array of research reports that could be useful for teachers or other staff in schools and other organizations. We shall pick through these from time to time in order to highlight material that may be useful to you. In the meantime, have a dig around yourselves; many useful and interesting reports in there.

Doing it together    This Best Practice Guide for local authorities and the voluntary and community sector, published by NCVO, gives good examples of how councils and community groups can work together better.

Confusing 'want' with 'need'   This, from @onlygeek's view of the world (the blog is by James Hargrave, citizen blogger with an interest in education and based in Stradbroke, Suffolk). He makes wry comment on the news that a free school and an academy are at loggerheads in the small town of Beccles. 

Free tool: The Mission Points ROI model    This tool allows llows organisations that have a lot of volunteers working for them to see volunteer contributions as an expense and measure their ROI (return on investment) in volunteers more effectively. Read the Tonygoodrow blog about managing volunteer resources more effectively here.

Sorry, from all us oldies   David Price OBE apologises toall young people in his blog: for stereotyping them, for mucking up their futures, for saddling them with a grim pile of debt - and not always seeing the great things they do actually do.

Nappy curriculum   Angela Harrison asks whether a 'early education for tots helps?

C'mon! be fair to Bill   Bill Gates addressed the G20 about poverty reduction. And he failed to mention education. Well - one has to eat an elephant is single bites - and he has started at one end, where the health issues are. Other rich enlightened people need to work at the education end of the elephant; perhaps keep Bill away from it (we agree) - because his ideas about education could be a tad suspect.

Do more schools need Patricks?   Staff carry walkie-talkies so they can call for back up with troublesome pupils at  Bridge Academy in West London. Patrick Ryan is the oil on troubled waters here; and he and his colleagues look for the stories behind pupils 'challenging' behaviour' in their effort to address their learning needs. Poor reading and writing skills lie beneath a lot of bad behaviour and children here are intensively supported in these areas.

Homophobia kills...  That's the sobering message in this powerful article by Charlie Condou in the Guardian.

State of the Art Review: ‘The internet and an ageing population’    More and more older people in the UK are realising that having access to online facilities and services can profoundly affect their quality of life. Intergenerational learning as well as peer mentoring are just two ways that can contribute to improving older people's access to ICT and online technologies. This report sets out where older people are now in relation to internet and ICT technologies and recommends what needs to be done to improve their access and involvement. Schools and voluntary and community sector organisations have a role to play.

ImagineNation   The skills and knowledge and experiences inherent in arts education is essential for young people's development.  ImagineNation is a new report from the Cultural Alliance outlining the importance of arts education and making a case for maintaining it in the curriculum. David Putnam, Kevin Spacey and Sir Nicholas Serota have all signed it.

Interns: the new slaves?   Nick Cohen takes a close look at what's happening in the intership racket.

Resources and support for the voluntary and community sector   A Children England briefing outlining the DfE's overarching strategic partnership for voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations that serve children, young people and families. The programme is led by Children England, which works with Community Matters, NCVYS, NAVCA, the Race Equality Foundation and Social Enterprise UK, and includes information, learning resources and opportunities, and peer support networks. (Also in Library Section: Communities: Voluntary and community sector & Cohesion.)

Assistance for voluntary and community sector organisations   NAVCA's website is where you can find support for your actions aimed at bringing local people.  (Also in Library Section: Communities: Voluntary and community sector & Cohesion.)

Coalition education policies: still puzzled?   If your brow still furrows when you wonder about  the why’s and wherefore’s and rationale behind the Coalition’s education policies, here is a handy briefing from Children England. It covers academies, pupil premium, funding and other issues. (Also in Library section: Key policies and research)

Plan A    (That’s the Chancellor’s plan) is nothing more than 'an exercise in economic sadomasochism' say the authors of Plan B (see below). Put forward this week by Compass think tank, Plan B suggests, among several other propositions, that we ought to embrace the Asian model of ‘an enabling state’. This would direct funds at certain industries (mainly in the ‘green economy’) to help them innovate and would promote the private sector while meeting wider national economic goals. But… will the Chancellor have any of it?

Plan B: the guts of it    A reasonably comprehensive explanation of Plan B, by Left Foot Forward.  

Plan B? No thanks   The Compass report has its detractors, and the Learning Exchange tries to put all sides of a story forward. So here is Tim Worstall of Chasing Rainbows fame, having a go at the Compass report. However, to quote Nick Cohen in an Amazon review, Tim is ‘…one of the few right-wing writers on economics leftish readers can bring themselves to read although we often hate ourselves (and him) for doing it. Although he takes a butcher's cleaver to many sacred cows of green thinking, his work is animated by a true concern about how to solve the great environmental challenges of our age.’ 

Cut the youth clubs and expect riots   Watch this prescient video, made before the recent riots, in which one young man predicts the unrest. Also, note the sad, anxious looks on these young people’s faces as they speak about the challenges they face in the streets of Haringey. 

Spot the signs of bullying   It can happen anywhere, including in an extra-curricular activity. Useful pointers here.  (Also in Library section: Attendance and behaviour)

Youth groups and the arts   Enthusiasm of the teachers, the young people’s joy in making art and music, dancing – all of this belies a view of young people as feckless and hopeless. The national arts groups mentioned in this Guardian article by Laura Barnett make great efforts to attract young people from state schools and disadvantaged groups into their fields to develop their creative potential. But if the gulf between ‘have’ and ‘have-not’ schools grows, the outlook for state-school pupils could be bleak.

Services for young people    Children England briefing    

What impact will free schools eventually have on the UK education system?   Free schools (and academies) are here – and probably to stay. They’re part of a ‘market-driven education system’, but are they going to raise standards? Some studies say they will, some say they won’t. And do huge financial problems lurk up ahead? What’s the verdict? Listen to Hugh Muir leading this discussion in a Guardian Focus podcast.  Also in News Centre under: The emerging school landscape/free schools.)

Get angry and get a grip   It’s the young, and their young in turn, who will pay the highest price in the global economic downturn. Polly Toynbee sees a dismal future as cuts bite deeper, politicians of the left fail to get angry or get a grip, as people steal basic foods and many recall, with rue, the Peter Mandeson’s words: ‘[we’re] … intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich’.

Raving dotard gets high-five   Coleridge lives on, bellowed from London fruit stalls and hiccupped in its night clubs. Poetry remains an antidote for eager new wheezes, writes the MortarBoard blogger, who gets a high-five from a former pupil.

The four H's   Thank you to Judy Friedberg who noted this on Guardian's Cribsheet on 2 November. It's the four H's from John Dunford, which are what make a good school leader. It could just as easily apply to anyone managing extended and extra-curricular services, particularly in the present difficult funding climate. And, Every Child Matters is still there, which is good to see. We like. Here are John Dunford's ten top tips for school leaders. (Also in Library section: Extended services/Leadership and practical know-how)

At your bidding   A free commissioning guide for anyone who is a charity trustee. It's from NAVCA (Local focus national voice), and offers lots of advice about strategic commissioning. (Also in Library section: Commissioning)

Why commission with community organisations?   The main audience for this publication from the Kindle partnership includes directors of children’s services, lead members for children’s services, strategic commissioners, children’s services managers across all local, partner agencies and children’s services providers from the voluntary and community sector.  It looks at why these professionals should commission the voluntary and community sector. Turn that on its head towards the perspective of VCS organisations themselves – and the guide will offer insights into how VCS organisations can persuade commissioners to choose their services.  (Also in Library section: Commissioning)

Parliament takes no chances    Did you know that to this day the cellars underneath Parliament are searched by the Yeoman Guard before each parliamentary opening. Here is an excellent and entertaining explanation of the Guy Fawkes gunpowder plot.

Checkmate and change their lives   Chess Grandmaster Susan Polgar wants to get chess in front of every education decision maker to make it part of the curriculum - particularly for girls. She says chess teaches young people the life skills of discipline, analytical thinking, time management, focus and patience.

Diary? Check. Sitting up straight? Check. Listening? Check.   Avril Stockley, a teacher at Woodend Park Community School talks about YOYOB (You Own Your Own Behaviour) and how her school is implementing Charlie Taylor's behaviour checklist idea. The essence: good pupil behaviour reaps rewards - and, behaviour is improving at the school. 

Sure Start: what was it all about?   And what lessons does the Sure Start experience have for Coalition policy makers. This is a summary of an INstitute for Government discussion that included Lord Adonis and Naomi Eisenstadt, former Director of Sure Start and author of Providing a Sure Start.

Youth Labour's Lost   This recent Demos think tank pamphlet suggests four ways to keep the NEETs numbers from spiralling out of control: pay attention to post-16 vocational education; offer young people more and better incentives to work; offer them one-to-one job search advice; and create more targeted programmes for young people with personal problems. It says the government is on the right track but needs to up its game.

I can't read; therefore, I'll riot. Right?    Deborah Orr wrote an article which linked low literacy skills to the rioting and here, Judy Friedberg in the Guardian's Cribsheet (27 October) looks at the argument and the responses to Deborah's article. You can link to Deborah Orr's article from the Cribsheet piece.

Child poverty: where will it really be by 2020?    The government wants means-tested benefits and tax credits to be replaced by one integrated benefit - the Universal Credit - which on the face of it, ought to reduce relative poverty. But when considered in the context of other cuts and the fact that all benefits are to be CPI-indexed (consumer price index), this could mean greater poverty for children. This IFS report, Child and Working-Age Poverty from 2010 to 2020, while pointing out limitations imposed by various factors on the researchers' ability to make accurate predictions, attempts to look at the impact on poverty of the coalition government’s reforms.

Education spending falls: Library Gem... or Zirconia?    After year-on-year increases in education spending during the 2000s, here comes the big dip. The latest IFS report, Trends in education and school spending, shows that education spending will drop more than it has since the 1950s. But, the reports says, precisely where cuts will be felt most is hard to predict from government data. We're not sure this item warrants Library Gem status. More of a 'cubic zirconia', we think - a 'false diamond', perhaps?

Do black boys fail on purpose? BBC readers' views   Most disagree.

Boys knitting? An unlikely yarn   A Guardian feature about Craft Club, the national programme of after-school knitting clubs which is proving a hit. Follow CraftClubUk on Twitter. (From Library section: Articles)

Youth groups, vanguard for the arts   A profile of some youth groups which are leading the way in arts education. (From Library section: Articles)

It's raining cats and...    They will always land on their feet. The Laws of Physics win every time. If you're running an after-school maths and/or physics club, this could be an interesting article to share with your enthusiasts

Hail the golden age of evidence-based policy making   In her blog, Ten Steps to Transform the Use of Evidence, Ruth Puttick of NESTA (Making Innovation Flourish) outlines why it is more important than ever to collect high-quality evidence.  Apparently, of 70 initiatives in education examined by the Institute for Goverment, only three had been robustly evaluated. So, if we want to keep on doing what we know works - we need to prove it. We're now in a age of evidence-based policy making and that's why it's more important than ever to systematically collect good quality evidence about what we do.

The age of the 'Big Local Authority' in Whitehall   The government says it is creating a 'schools market' where consumers will give the thumbs up or thumbs down about which schools thrive or fall. Mike Baker, in his usual interesting take on things, thinks otherwise. He thinks academies and free schools, because they are funded on seven-year rolling contracts and are accountable directly to Whitehall, are in fact 'nationalised' schools.

Low aspirations and no ambition? Here's a myth buster   This new study - The influence of parents, places and poverty on educational attitudes and aspirations - published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation challenges the idea that low aspirations among young people and families in disadvantaged areas account for their poor educational outcomes. The study shows that different factors, peculiar to different areas - parental circumstances and attitudes, school, and opportunity structures combine in peculiarly unique ways in urban deprived areas to shape aspirations and outcomes. The report shows that, sadly, while many young people actually do have ambition and aspirations, they often have no idea how to fulfil them.

Special Educational Needs Information Act: An Analysis - 2011   This DfE document includes new information on pupils with SEN as well as further interpretation of existing findings. The Guardian has written a short blog highlighting some of the key parts. (From Library section: Special educational needs)

Play therapy: the evidence   Evidence-based research by Play Therapy UK (PTUK) into the beneficial effects of play therapy on children’s well-being shows that between 74 per cent and 83 per cent of children receiving play therapy from PTUK Members experience positive changes. Since 2008, the outcomes have been demonstrated to be replicable and they are being used to justify funding for play therapy services. The research report is called: An Effective Way of Promoting Children’s Wellbeing and Alleviating Emotional, Behavioural and Mental Health Problems - the Latest Research. (From Library section: Sport, PE, Health and Well-being under Promoting well-being.)

New Ofsted boss' secret of school success   A feature from Radio 4's Today programme about Michael Wilshaw, the Mossbourne Academy headteacher who has just been made Ofsted's new chief inspector. (From Library section: Videos and podcasts)

Independent schools and branching into the state sector   Toby Young, founder of the West London Free School, talks about his recent visit to the annual HMC meeting where he asked the private schools present to become more involved in setting up free schools and academies. (From News section: Free schools and academies)

Why you should contact Speakers For Schools   Martha Lane Fox, entrepreneur and the government's digital czar, is just one of the people you could welcome to your school to give free inspirational talks to pupils. (From Library section: Articles)

A can of worms   Lawyer David Wolfe's fully comprehensive resource for those with legal questions about free schools and academies. (From News section: Free schools and academies)

From private to free   A look at the arguments from both sides about the approval of certain fee-paying schools becoming part of the new wave of free schools. (From Library section: Articles)

Stay hungry, stay foolish   Now immortal words, that could be worth living by. Here are some extraordinary tributes to Steve Jobs, Apple's geek extraordinaire, who sadly died this week, aged only 56.

Improving services for young people   Faiza Shaheen and Helen Kersleyworks of New Economics Foundation interviewed young people to help figure out which changes would benefit the young people most and how what economic and social benefits the changes would engender. Here is their report.

Build up those wee characters   Nobel prize winner James Heckman argues that developing character skills rather than cognitive skills during early years and puberty has the most important bearing on a child's future.

Finding a way back   Extended services and extra-curricular activities should be a cornerstone of alternative provision in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs). Vivien Janes, a former head of a PRU and now member of the Learning Exchange says extended services motivate disengaged pupils and can provide a route back to mainstream education. Read her article in ETC Magazine Issue 10 September 2008. (From Library section: Reaching 'hard-to-reach' groups)

Getting NEETs back on track   Three essential features of effective programmes for NEETs: they offer one-to-one support; thye help young people work towards defined goals; they cultivate good relationships with families and schools. 

Lean on me   Surprise fact: poorly run mentoring schemes can be more harmful than beneficial. Here's a report about mentoring for young people at risk.

Affluence and disadvantage: what effect on attainment?  Another study from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which uses longitudinal data which looks at the links between parents, family background, relative wealth and poverty, and behaviour and educational outcomes.

Sport as the 'hook'    This March 2011 report, Teenage kicks: The value of sport in tackling youth crime, by Camilla Nevill and Matthew van Poortvliet, looks at why well-run sports projects can offer a road back to engagement to disengaged young people.

Special school buses   For these children from low-income families in India, going to school on a bus has a different meaning to what it means in the UK.  

Watch those pennies   Handy little document found on the Family Learning Network website which lists a number of organisations offering goods and services to charities and voluntary organisations at very reasonable rates.

Impact measurement in the youth justice sector (2011)   It is vital for youth organisations to prove that what they do is effective. Here is a useful document from Philanthropy Captial, which offers approaches that youth charities can use to measure the impact of what they do more effectively - by working together. 

'Place' matters when it comes to dreams    We can raise aspirations. But do they necessarily translate into realised educational outcomes in deprived areas? Apparently, not too much is known about exactly how this occurs. The authors of this new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, The influence of parents, places and poverty on educational attitudes and aspirations, say that policies aiming to increase social mobility must take 'place' and the influence of parents more into account. Also, young people need better information about how the world of schooling, training and/or university education and the world of work fit together. (Here is the summary of the report.)

Passmore Academy's A Team   Emine Saner talks to Mr Drew and Mr Goddard.

Keep up with Big Mouth   What are people saying at the Conservative Conference? What did that say at Labour's and the Lib Dem's? Big Mouth, John Harris, has been out and about again with his microphone and his billboard holders.

Your education needs: regular... or special?   Jose Vilson was once labelled as 'special needs'. This has changed the way he teaches. 

Melinda Gates tells it like it is. Wait a second...is it like she's telling it?  In his 26 September blog, Anthony Cody, who is keen on deep learning, looks at how the Gates Foundation is measuring what makes good teaching. 

Poverty across the pond: 'tis in the eyes of the beholder   Most Americans according to the reputable Pew Research Center do not believe an economic divide exists.

Vocational training: taking the European temperature   A Eurobarometer measures Attitudes towards vocational education and training. Here is a summary of the report.

Free Olympic download: The Big Countdown   The Creative Exchange website has gone live. Click ‘resources’ for the first - Faster Higher Stronger - in a series of free Olympic downloads. 

Trust the professional judgement of teachers   Fifty two per cent of schools have changed their curriculum offer since teh EBacc was announced. Mike Baker wonders why teachers are letting the DfE tell them what they should offer their pupils.

Get a positive grip on things   But it'll be tricky for Mr Cameron, says David Skelton in the New Statesman's Rolling Blog. Deficit reduction is not enough. There must now be a clearly outlined, positive growth strategy. And, Mr Cameron also needs to be clear about how the Coaliltion's approach to education will close the attainment gap and address the needs of pupils in disadvantaged areas.

Extended services in practice: a summary of evaluation evidence for headteachers   This DfE-commissioned research published in September 2011 shows the benefits of extended services on both pupils and their families. (From Library sections: Key documents; Extended services: embedding principles)

Geoff Mulgan: a short intro to the studio school   Geoff Mulgan from the Young Foundation gives a TED talk on the innovative school type which encourages learning based around real-life projects. (From Library section: Videos)

Summer holidays: learning loss   Find out what experts know about ‘summer learning loss’ in these three reports from the Wallace Foundation. Effective and Promising Summer Learning Programs and Approaches for Economically-Disadvantaged Children and Youth covers a range of  helpful programmes; It’s Time for Summer: An Analysis of Recent Policy and Funding Opportunities surveys the public policy landscape – a useful document if you are undertaking research, as it’s relevant to the United States; and Building Quality in Summer Learning Programs: Approaches and Recommendations looks at summer activity programmes that work. (From the Library section: Extra-curricular activities: Holiday activities)

The big summer slide   No, it’s not a water shute in a fun park. It’s the backward learning slide that students in deprived areas experience, particularly during long summer breaks. Read Making Summer Count: How Summer Programs Can Boost Children’s Learning, a report from the Wallace Foundation on how summer programmes can help stop it. (From the Library section: Extra-curricular activities: Holiday activities)

Happy students = rich dividends   The co-op model for academies is a possible route for community comprehensives to pursue towards academyhood. Kirkby Stephen Grammar School in North Yorkshire is the UK's first co-op academy. Read this Northerner Blog on guardian.co.uk.

How are the schools in your area doing?  Planning to offer extra-curricular maths and reading activities and programmes to the schools in your area? Here are the latest school data. Thank you Guardian.co.uk.

Get in behind Danny   Backed by O2's Think Big programme and supported by radio DJ and TV presenter Reggie Yates, Danny Bartlett, a young political activist, has launched the Hands Up, Who's Bored? campaign to stop citizenship education being pushed off the National Curriculum. The campaign will deliver its petition directly to Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove MP in the new year.

Please be our friend   We're on Facebook now.

All hands on deck for an honourable tradition   The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has undertaken extensive study and research in poor and deprived neighbourhoods across the UK. In the shadow of the recent riots, it compiled this report to summarise that work. The report looks at: the problems in these areas; challenges of living and working there; misconceptions and stereotypes; representation and participation in society; and the need for appropriate services. One finding has been that community organisations and active residents play a vital role in uplifting neighbourhoods. But, the report says, 'all hands are needed on deck' to keep up the UK's honourable tradition of supporting and regenerating its deprived communities. (From Library section: Addressing disadvantage/narrowing the gap)

Priorities to prevent more riots: a list that won't surprise you.    Key facts about the recent riots, according to Guardian statistics: 66 per cent of the 2,000 people arrested were under 25; 17 per cent were aged between 11 and 17. Only a few were over 30; and 90 per cent were male. Here are the priorities we need to focus on according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The list won't surprise you.

Pupil voice case studies   The Inspiring Schools: Case Studies for Change report plus its case studies is the result of the Carnegie Young People Initiative and illustrates different ways of involving pupils in meaningful decision making. Spin-offs for schools involved in the Initiatve were: a sense of pride that pupils and staff felt about pupil voice work; more trust between staff and pupils; better pupil behaviour; and better relationships between the school and community. (Available in future in the Case study bank under More case studies.)

Shake it all up   Use art and stories to teach perspective to our children - that's  Artist Raghava KK's message as he shows off his children's book for iPad with its feature that allows kids to shake up the world they're reading about.

Go compare, go improve    Governments everywhere in the world are engaged in a full-on 'go compare, go improve' revolution when it comes to their education systems. Why now? This Economist article sheds some light.

It'll be back   You have to dig to find ECM documents and guidance these days. Government is busily archiving them. But Garath Symonds, Assistant Director for Young People at Surrey County Council, looks forward to the day when the ideas behind Every Child Matters resurface and are recycled. Local authorities, he says in this blog, are hanging onto them. We hope schools are too.

Slap on the wrist for the grand larcenists; walloping for children   Polly Toynbee, in full flight about the interesting times in which we live. Children are hammered, again and again, while politicians indulge in blame talk. Meanwhile, grand larcenists in the banking world get off relatively lightly, if almost unchallenged.

Meaning, magic, mystery, and a state of wonder and admiration...    This report, The Arts Case: Why the arts make a difference, by Gerard Lemos, and produced by the City Bridge Trust, was written as a response to drastic austerity cuts in funding to the arts. If you are looking for eloquent and evidenced arguments to back a bid for funds to get your art-based extra-curricular programme going, this document may offer you some useful material. (Look at page 10 and 11 in particular.)

Pupil Premium: is the extra money what it seems to be?    Polly Curtis does a reality check with Guardian's education editor Jeevan Vasagar

The LAIT: no, not caffè latte-making tool    The LAIT is better than that. It's an Excel-based tool, reportedly providing 'user-friendly access to a system that brings together a consistent set of local authority (LA) performance and data items including: inspectorate judgements, contextual information about individual LAs, including number and type of schools, social deprivation factors, pupil attainment, health, looked-after children, post-1', and so on.

Leadership of more than one school   This Ofsted report looks at the effect on pupils and staff of school federations, where a single headteacher is responsible for more than one school.

D.. O..G... What does that say? Dog. Yes, good boy!   A new phonics test for 6-year olds at the end of Year 1 in England will find out whether they have a basic understanding of simple words and letters. Supporters say it will help teachers set up helpful interventions earlier. This is the Radio 4 discussion on the Today programme between Sir Jim Rose and Professor Greg Brooks a member of the European Commission high level group on literacy. 

Henry's not 'losing it' anymore. He's over the moon.   Henry Winkler, aka the Fonz from the TV serial Happy Days tells BBC Radio 4's James Naughtie why he's so happy. He loves what he does: telling kids no matter how they learn, they all have some greatness in them. And now, he's been appointed an honorary OBE for his educational work on dyslexia in the UK.

Take time out of school to build a robot? Well, why not?   Former hedge fund trader Sal Khan founded the Khan Academy, a nonprofit organisation that helps kids learn in new ways. His philosphy: on-demand, project-based learning. Here Khan talks about what schools in the future could look like. 

Mike Baker: the joy of learning for its own sake   Mike is our favourite education journalist at the Learning Exchange. He was recently made an Honorary Doctor of Education by Oxford Brookes University and addressed the graduating education students at their ceremony. His speech took an interesting look back at how we have arrived at point we have in our education system, and where the tests, the National Curriculum and league tables that confound us came from. But mostly, it’s a tribute to what Mike says is ‘…teaching just for the joy of the learning, learning for its own sake…’.

Are schools breaking the law? No excuses: A review of educational exclusion  This September 2011 policy report from the Centre for Social Justice, led by Adele Eastman, makes for a sometimes shocking but important read. It covers the present scene with regard to school exclusions and makes several important recommendations. The report scopes the shortcomings of how BESD (Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties) schools and local authorities are dealing with exclusions and anti-social behaviour among young people, and makes many recommendations about how they should deal with them and what would make it easier to do so. (From Library section: Attendance and behaviour improvement)

Our children need time, not stuff   Unicef claims that UK children are the unhappiest amongst developed nations. What can be done to make them happier? (From Library section: Articles)

They work for you: Questions in the house - Young People: Politics   On 14 September, Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat) asked questions in the House about how young people will be encouraged by the Coalition government to become more involved in politics. Lord Lord Beecham (Labour) also asked the Minister to 'explain how the Localism Bill's abolition of the duty to promote democracy will encourage more young people, or indeed any people, to engage with democratic institutions?' We'd like to know too...

Do muggers read the classics?   Perhaps not. However, whether some criminals have or haven’t read any of the classics, the exclusionthat people who cannot read experience must be truly awful. This is not to say that all non-readers become criminals, but reading really is the golden key to achieving everything else in life, as Mike Baker argues in this blog entry. He wants to make being able to read the number one education priority for all schools in the UK. Find out why.

Safeguarding: pragmatism and common sense     The Ofsted report Safeguarding in schools: best practice has received a positive thumbs up from teachers and headteachers. Pragmatic common sense must be the watchword.

Bust that awful evaluation jargon   Jargonbuster is a wonderful little book, produced by the Jargonbuster Group, has been written to help charities and voluntary and community sector organisations (in fact anyone involved in running a project that involves procurement or evaluation activities in the course of running it) to use technical terms more consistently and to have a clearer understanding of the ideas behind the technical terms.  (Also on Library page: Impact: monitoring and evaluation)

Not too late: Time for a fresh start   In the light of the recent street turbulence, it's interesting to look at this 2010 report of the Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour argues for a fresh start in the way UK's society and institutions deal with youth crime. It wants to see the choice of interventions and sanctions guided by an understanding of children's welfare needs.

Do young people mimic celebrities' drinking habits?   'Celebrities drink that vodka brand, so I will too.' Well, there’s little evidence to support the claim that young people think this way. This study by Harry Sumnall et al, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, explores how the ways in which alcohol consumption is depicted through entertainment media influences young people. A key finding: ‘Parents' and friends' attitudes and behaviours were better predictors of young people's alcohol use.’ However, the researchers conclude that the media does have a positive role to play in influencing young people’s acohol use. (Also on Library page: Young people 14 to 19)

Hot potato: tax credit cuts start to bite   Chris Goulden, in this Joseph Rowntree Foundation blog, rounds up the evidence that tax credit cuts and the way that the proposed Universal Credit pans out could be the hottest political potato the Coalition finds itself holding. His blog links to the Save the Children and Daycare Trust survey on the share of working parents’ income that childcare gobbles up; also, it links to the Minimum Income Standard for the UK, published in July. Goulden proposes a stronger focus on job creation and job quality to obviate fall out from the welfare and tax credit reforms.

Stop the parroting, start the thinking   A new study done at the Institute of Education, University of London, shows that if parents want to help their children with maths, getting them to understand basic principles is better than getting them to memorise answers like parrots. 

Create a country to call your own   MyUK is a new online game, which looks like fun. It’s from Parliament’s Education Service and it aims, while young people who play it ‘create a country to call their own’ set new rules by which the UK should live – and even try their hand at being the Prime Minister. We’re wondering if Parliament knows what’s in store for it?

Poets... 'n they dnt no it...   Creative young texters - will they be tomorrow's poets? Carol Ann Duffey, poet laureate, thinks they will.

Free school opening: back to elitism?   Read the article, but notice the comments at the bottom which illuminate what many people dread about free schools.

Aup! Black clouds in the north...    Ed Jacobs blogs in the Guardian about the storm brewing up in Yorkshire over the setting up of several free schools and state schools losing funds.

Free schools frenzy: potential long-term fall out   Once the down sides of free schools take hold in public perceptions, Melissa Benn speculates about whether people will start flocking back to local schools.

Have a lie-in why don't you dear?   Teenagers at a North Tyneside school are being allowed to sleep in a little longer. And exam results are improving, quite remarkably. There could be something in what the scientists are saying about teenage morning sluggishness being a biological fact we need to accommodate a little better. 

'Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Breast'   But so does nurture, says Liz Lightfoot, writing in the TES magazine about the effect that nurture groups can have on aggressive and disruptive children's behaviour.

EAL pupils do well at Key Stage 2   Despite scaremongering and inaccurate Daily Mail reports, Key Stage 2 pupils whose second language is English often outperform other pupils. Jeremy Sutcliffe explains why in the TES magazine.

The school curriculum: stop the political gaming   Trevor Fisher, historian and writer on educational issues sets out his views on the implications of the EBacc and its influence on the school system and students' choices.

Every free school a little acorn?   And from it will an oak tree grow? In the rush to set up free schools, this article in the Independent muses on the seedlings that have been trampled in the rush for approval.

Was it the gangs? How do we know?   Read the wide variety of opinion about whether gangs were behind the riots or whether they just got in on the act.

It's not down to discipline in schools    Ascerbic and biting as ever, Phil Beadle writes in the Guardian that politicians should stop blaming schools for the riots.

Localism Bill: what does it really mean for community ownership   A big 'localism fear' is that publicly owned land and buildings will be sold off to private developers rather than social enterprises or neighbourhood trusts. In his latest blog at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Julian Dobson looks at the implications of community asset ownership.

Engaging young citizens   Another excellent resource from Young Advisors. Advice on engaging young people ranges across five themes: thinking differently; listening harder; broadening opportunities, making it possible; rewarding experience. All sounds like common sense to us! (From Library section: Participation, engagement.)

The Big Book of Interesting Statistics   This is a great free resource from Young Advisors, which offers a huge range of reliably sourced, clearly set out and up-to-date statistics. There are useful data in this publication for youth workers and extra-curricular activity practitioners who need facts and figures to back up funding applications or to help plan and target activities appropriately. (From Library section: Data: collection and managing.)

Shimmer of choice confirms class hierarchies   This is Melissa Benn's view of the 'panoply' of school choices that are emerging on the UK education scene. In this Guardian interview with Peter Wilby, Benn decries the routine denigration of 'hard-working', creative' comprehensive schools and believes that when parents get involved with a school, they can make a great difference to how it runs. HOwever, she says, with regard to discipline in schools: '... I think the right is on to something.'

Quick Reads Family Reading Breakfast Toolkit   From the National Family Learning Network, this kit has lots of ideas in it for family reading breakfasts.

Your local library: a street-corner university   Edinburgh libraries are building communication networks, offering learning services and developing well-informed neighbourhoods.

Joey's potted wisdom    Is Twitter where autodidacts (self-educators) like footballer Joey Barton can safely hold forth? As long as he refrains from stubbing his cigars out in people's eyes, or bursts of headbutting and punching, we say: go Joey! This article pulls together a range of fascinating views of the tweeted gleanings from his eclectic reading adventures. Here's one of the less patronising views from Simon Kuper of the Financial times: 'In effect Barton is an autodidact, educating himself. And if he gets the odd thing wrong, so what. It's inspiring he wants to share his learning. Many of us did that in the uni bar, confidently expressing things we may not have completely understood. He is doing the same to many more followers on Twitter.' (450,000 are following @Joey7Barton - so far.)

The name is Bond... Social Impact Bond   If all the talk of social bonds has passed you by, you can catch up here. Back in January, the BBC's Mark Easton looked at what social impact bonds mean and why the government is considering this innovation. Here's how he explains what the idea of social bonds means - in a nutshell: 'The central idea is that investors buy bonds and the money funds preventive social schemes now. The bond issuer (usually a government department) will repay the bond with a return on top at a later date - after the benefits of the scheme have started to feed through.'

What's the use of a history degree?   This article is well worth showing young people who are concerned now about where their choice of school subjects now might lead them in future. And here is another one about how history graduates fare in the world of business. The news is good. 

The EBacc and the law of unintended consequences   This Guardian Comment is free editorial points out that warnings by MPs on the Commons Education Committee indicate there may be a certain hubristic aspect to the government's keenness on the proposed E Bacc, despite its many possible advantages. Some MPs are concerned that '... trying to shoehorn students into a narrow range of courses risk[s] more, not less, disengagement – and more, not fewer, young people out of education, employment or training.' 

The Social Evils Project    This Joseph Rowntree project, back in 2007, reaped fascinating results. Ordinary people were asked to articulate their perceptions, fears and hopes about Britain's social ills. Have the recent riots in our cities been a symptom of the disquiet expressed back then?

Learning a Living   This Working Links report recommends more funding for pre-Apprenticeship training to help young people gain the right balance of academic and vocational skills to progress into full Apprenticeship training. Such training should focus on critical 'soft skills' which employers want, such as communication, behaviour, attitudinal and social skills. Ninety-one per cent of employers cite enthusiasm and motivation as vital qualities they look for in recruits; 91 per cent say poor literacy and numercay are reasons not to hire young people. The report also recommends a bigger role for youth services in reducing youth unemployment, and that a statutory duty be placed on schools to offer proper career guidance that explains the full educational offer, including apprenticeships, to young people.

Savage face-off    Despite savage cuts and the education and school system being turned on its head, the values of comprehensive schools will prevail. That's the message of hope in this article by Melissa Benn (author of School Wars: The Battle for Britain's Education and founder Local Schools Network). She sets out in stark terms what is happening to education in Britain. Her view is bleak but her article makes a fascinating read.

Blame it all on the liberal intelligentsia, why don't you?    Some people come perilously close to hurling their radios out of their kitchen windows when they hear Melanie Phillips' voice on Radio 4's Moral Maze. So you've been warned. This blog offers more of the same. Don't toss out your computer!

The 'glamourous geek' effect?   The rise in uptake of A-level maths and science subjects could be attributed to the effect that Professor Brian Cox has had through his engaging personality and television presentations. Or, did the onset of the global financial downturn have a salutary effect on young people's view of these subjects? Some think the numbers taking maths and science are still too low, and modern foreign languages are way below the 'safety water-line'.

They might not last five minutes   Saci Lloyd teaches pupils in London's Newham, who arrive at school exhausted and nerve-wracked, having had to catch three buses to avoid going into 'enemy [gang] territory' on the way. How long would politicians last if they had to support and teach these young people in the kinds of environments they live in?

Citizenship: observe the bizarre disconnect    The government, through the Department for Education, proposes removing citizenship from the curriculum as a compulsory subject. On the other hand it wants young people to understand their responsibilities and it has even set up a National Citizen Service. Emma Jones, in this Guardian Mortarboard Blog wants to see citizenship remain compulsory and even be taught earlier. Citizenship activities and studies are a vital avenue for student voice. Remove it and young people loose that avenue. We agree. Particularly in view of the recent riots. 

Visit a museum or a gallery this summer   Astounding to see new museums and galleries opening at a time of austerity like this. But, Joanna Moorhead has brought these ones, which are bringing local history to life, to our attention on guardian.co.uk.

Here's a choice video    Warning: Choosing this gem might make you wee bit anxious. It's a new RSAnimate, in which Professor Renata Salecl looks at what limitless choices does to us. Are we really masters of our own lives? We're thinking: what does limitless choice do to young people? How does Professor's Salecl's view apply to the young people who rampaged through our streets this week?

Simply Understand   What on earth do they mean? Is that what you grumble, through grinding teeth, when you plod through turgid government documents that require a response - such as that ubiquitous tool of democracy, 'the consultation'? Well, this site is terrific - and has been called 'a labour of love' by Theyworkforyou.com. Basically, the hero behind this site, converst bills, consultations and other great lumpy government tomes into (very) Plain English. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Keep your eye on the site for clearer versions and more understanding on matters such as the new Localism Bill, the Universal credit (welfare reform), debt and insolvency and many others.  

Free schools: preparing for the new school year   The TES speaks to excited and optimistic teachers who are readying themselves for the opening of their free schools this September. (From News section: Free schools: views)

Make Lunch initiative: free school meals during school holidays   Two pilot schemes based in Corby and Luton are involving the local community to help provide hundreds of FSM pupils proper meals whilst away from school. Visit the Make Lunch website for more information. (From Library section: Articles)

Yoo hoo, Nanny State haters...   Just when you thought you were shot of the five-a-day approach to changing behaviour, along comes the CentreForum think tank to tell the government that it should tell parents to adopt this approach to bringing up their children. Well, parents do play a huge role in their children's learning and development, so perhaps it's not a bad idea. And let's face it, parenting skills aren't something we are born with.

Hope you die before you get really old? Well, you probably won't...   If ever there was an argument for working out a new set of consumer values for parents and schools to pass on to children and young people, this is it. Research shows that we humans, especially very young people, cannot identify easily with the idea of ourselves as old people. But perhaps, while we building pupils general self esteem inside and beyond classrooms and help them formulate their values, we need to add this vital reflection what we impart: Love yourself now... and in the future.

Put 'fact and figure punch' into your arguments   For facts and figures that can help support the case for addressing poverty or setting up interventions for children, young people and families in deprived areas, here are the latest areas covered at www.poverty.org.uk. State benefit levels; school inclusions; Neets; criminal record statistics; drug use among young people; access to transport; non-decent homes; fuel poverty; unmet housing needs. #

Goodbye Mr Criche     Dave Eggers - you've met him before at 826 Valencia - says, in his moving tribute to Mr Criche, the teacher who encouraged him to write: 'I don't want to make this remembrance about the state of teachers in America, but Mr. Criche's passing came just when teachers are at their most vulnerable, at a time when they're fighting to assert and retain the dignity and artistry of their work.' We didn't know Mr Criche at the Learning Exchange, but may he rest in peace. And, bless all teachers, everywhere, who inspire their pupils this way.

Care farms: do they work?   Bibi van der Zee went to see one of the care farms that are part of the 'ecotherapy' option which increasing numbers of schools are choosing for children who have particularly complex behaviour and learning issues. (From Library section: Improving attendance and behaviour through extended services)

A clip across the lug? A swift whack on the knuckles?   A recent study published in Social Development looked at whether there are causal relations between sparing the rod and badly behaved young people. Victoria Talwar and Stephanie M. Carlson write about their findings in the Guardian's Comment is free. Their study showed that the longer children are exposed to punitive environments the more detrimental is the effect on their 'excecutive functioning' - that is, cognitive control over their own thoughts, actions and emotions. (From Library section: Improving attendance and behaviour through extended services)

Vocational skills: stuck in the U-bend of predjudice?   This is a fascinating and illuminating cross-section of views on attitudes in schools, among tradespeople, academics and the public towards the merits of gaining a 'vocational skill' beside what academic choices in life offer.(From Library section:  Information and guidance related to young people not in education, employment or training (Neets)

Don't force young people to stay in their classrooms?   Kenny Frederick's (headteacher at George Green School, LB of Tower Hamlets) response to Lord Digby Jones's suggestions: 'If it were that simple, we'd all be doing it'. Well, a bit of friendly head-butting on the telly is okay. But this issue is deadly serious. There's a place for both sides of this argument - and more to the point for focused extra-curricular activities, which will help young people make successful transitions to the world of work that help engender the kind of attitudes to learning, working and earning their livings that young people need, .

Getting back to work in Salford: skills and confidence are key    Family learning settings, based in schools and linked to children's centres and services, are definitely a way for people to achieve confidence and progress to gaining skills - particularly people who are in families beset by complex problems. If you need convincing, here's another example: Glasshouse Centre in Yorkshire and Humber. (from Library section: Family learning/family support/parent support)

The National Family Learning Network   Here's a reminder to use this great one-stop shop for events and news about family learning. The link is always on the right hand side of our News index page and in our Library section: Family learning/family support/parent support. Become a member and keep up with family learning news and know-how - it's free to join. Also, find out about the Big Impact project.

Preventing and tackling bullying: advice for school leaders, staff and governing bodies   The Department for Education's updated guidance on how to deal with bullying in and around schools. (From Library section: Attendance and behaviour)

Autistic children: Drama-based activities may hold the key   Communication, socialising and playing imaginatively can be improved among autistic children according to research at the University of Kent, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

Who you gonna call...?    First we called the Ghost Busters - now we can call on the Barrier Busters. This is a new website from Communities and Local Government which aims to break down barriers for people wherever they are attempting to improve their lives (in local authorities, neighbourhoods, small community groups).

Name your algorithm   Did you know that mathematicians name the algorithms they create? Meet a few: there's the ‘the Bin-packing Algorithm’, there's ‘Carnival’, the ‘Boston Shuffler’ and the ‘Knife’… But Kevin Slavin, in describing at TED how our world is increasingly controlled by algorithms, warns that some code being created may have unforeseen implications. Just the kind of science-fiction/truth scenario that might fascinate young people in an extra-curricular maths club?

UK's education 'haves' & education 'have-nots'   Recent analysis by the UCU points out a great educational divide across the UK. The research ranks 632 parliamentary constituencies in England, Scotland and Wales according to how the percentage of working age people between 16 and 64 who have no qualifications.

Silliness: an alternative route to improved achievement and behaviour   Jeremy Strong's Campaign for Fun has been taken up passionately by some schools, and making things fun is paying dividends. (From Library section: Articles)

School Leaders, Community Cohesion and the Big Society   CfBT and the Citizenship Foundation's perspective report includes background on the community cohesion duty and insights from interviews with teachers and school leaders from three local authorities, as well as possibilities for future policy. (From Library section: Community cohesion)

Teaching, Learning and Community Cohesion: a study of primary and secondary schools' responses to a new statutory duty   This research report from CfBT and the Citizenship Foundation used evidence from schools across three local authorities to give detailed guidance for teachers and school leaders. (From Library section: Community cohesion)

Zone in on Summer   The Really Big Summer Adventure will inspire children and families to keep active and eat healthily over the summer holidays with lots of tools, advice, hints and tips. Children can download an adventure map and access over 100 ideas for games and play from the activity generator. And, there are money-off deals for a range of food, drink and activities for parents. (From Library section: Holiday Activities Pilot).

On the dangers of cherry picking   There is a danger when governments of both left and right hue use international evidence to fit an ideological viewpoint. Take the Pisa international league tables, for example. Jonathan Clifton comments in TES that, in the light of the eduation changes England is undergoing, international evidence in education policy needs to be used systematically to avoid inconsistencies in the spread of good practice.

Giving White Paper: 'what's hot, and what's not'   If you've not yet read the Giving White Paper this analysisis worth a read. (From Big Society: Reports, research, analysis)

Phonics: all the news about the argument against the method   Catch up here on all the news related to the case against phonics. (From News)  

Civil Dialogue: Ideas for better working between government and civil society   The new think tank, Civil Exchange, calls for clarity about the Big Society and a new social contract based on greater clarity of purpose on the part of both government and civil society. This would include sharing of experience, establishment of new funding and commissioning arrangements, and respect for independence. (From Big Society: Reports, research, analysis)

Promoting community cohesion: the role of extended services   This 2010 document from the TDA and Institute of Community Cohesion has a clear definition of what community cohesion is and includes good examples of how schools in many areas, particularly disadvantaged areas, are using the extended services approach to help foster and build it in their communities by establishing links with individuals and groups beyond the school. (From Library section: Community cohesion)

Supporting Families in the Foundation Years   This recently released government document summarises the Government's vision for the foundation years, as well as providing the Government's response to: Rt Hon Frank Field MP's review, The Foundation Years: Preventing poor children becoming poor adults; Graham Allen MP's report Early intervention: the next steps - an independent report to Her Majesty’s Government and Early Intervention: Smart Investment, Massive Savings; and Dame Clare Tickell's report The Early Years: Foundations for Life, Health and Learning. (From Library section: Early intervention) 

UK physical activity guidelines   The Department of Health's new guidelines contain detailed factsheets for different age groups. (From Library section: Play)

Housing benefit cuts: chaos up ahead for pupils?   This blog by Patrick Butler of guardian.co.uk looks at a risk analysis by Westminster Council, which predicts the housing benefit reduction will have a significant and detrimental impact on many families and children who will have to move out of central London to find cheaper accommodation. 

Behaviour and attendance: Classroom secrets:   Around three weeks a year of teaching time are lost in classrooms due to 'low level disruption'. Watch what happens and how parents react when they watch their children through a whole week at school. This video underscores how important the role of parents is in children's learning. You'll see surprising, dismaying but many hopeful things. There are seven days left to watch this on BBC.co.uk/iplayer. (From Library section: Videos and Podcasts)

Unsure about Sure Start   Amidst the current climate of cuts, Analysis on BBC Radio 4 asks a controversial question: is Sure Start worth saving? Read the accompanying article. (From Library section: Videos and podcasts)

Supporting children with challenging behaviour through a nurture group approach   Among the many key findings noted in this survey of Nurture Groups are: when these groups work well, they have a considerable beneficial impact on the behaviour and the social skills of participating pupils; nurture groups work well when schools have a consistent, firm and clearly defined approach to boundaries in pupil behaviour; and nurture groups that worked well, involved parents.

Church schools are a lesson in diversity   Church of England schools in Bradford are some of the few that are multi-religious and multi-ethnic, argues Rt Revd Nick Baines. (From Library section: Articles)

How Brazil changed vocational education   After the country acknowledged its increased need for skilled workers, the government not only increased funding but crucially managed to change people's perspective of 'professional education'. (From Library section: Articles)

Fewer disabled children in mainstream schools: is this what families want?   The reforms proposed in the special educational needs green paper pledge an end to the 'bias towards inclusion'. The Independent examines how people have been reacting during the consultation period that has just ended. (From Library section: Articles)

'So what is the difference between an academy chain and a local authority?'   Fiona Millar observes how the new rise in academy sponsors could create a similar chain of command as the comprehensive model. (From Library section: Articles)

Can we really ditch 'contextual value-added' from school inspections?   Mike Kent, headteacher at Comber Grove Primary, gives his option on the looming Ofsted reforms. (From Library section: Articles)

The report that pulls no punches   This recent HoC Education Committee Report: Services for young people Third Report of Session 2010–12 (Volume I) has much praise for youth services and how much value for money they have managed to extract from relatively few resources. It disagrees with the assertion that 'large slugs of public money' have been spent on youth services. (From Library section: Youth work)

Third sector accounting: advice on 'cart-before-horse' challenges   Some third sector organisations may not know if their funding will be renewed until after their accounts are due. How can this cart-before-horse challenge be dealt with. Start by putting all your cards on the table says Helena Wilkinson in this Guardian Voluntary Sector Network blog. (From News & events section: Big Society: Practical guidance)

Marketing: invest effort and cash in it wisely   This is an article by John Suart, a Canadian non-profit marketing and communications expert (JohnSuart.com). Figures quoted are in Canadian dollars; however, it has some useful food for thought about the importance of marketing to social enterprise organisations of all kinds. (From News & events section: Big Society: Practical guidance)

Changes to GCSE targets may hurt struggling schools   The end of comparing yearly pupil progress, combined with the new 50 per cent floor target, could mean many schools in deprived areas end up in special measures. (From Library section: Articles)

Warrington schools: innovation on a shoestring   Despite BSF plans being withdrawn, Woolston Community Primary School and others have been making sure they are providing new ways of educating children, including those with special educational needs. (From Library section: Articles)

Early Years Provision: latest national statistics   These data from the Department for Education were released on 22nd June 2011. (From Library section: Key documents: policies, research, guidelines, toolkits)

Other data: coming soon:   Keep an eye on the list of school-related statistical reports listed under 'coming soon' at this link. (From Library section: Key documents: policies, research, guidelines, toolkits)

'Far too many schools are still letting families down'   The Secretary of State Michael Gove gives an interview to The Independent about his current moves in education policy. (From News section: Interviews)

DaddyBeGood   A website offering advice, articles and special offers for fathers. (From Library section: Parent support)

Denver: an example for mainstream and free school collaboration?   The US state of Denver is committed to ensuring that their charter schools are integrated collaboratively into the mainstream system. Could this be a model for the UK? (From Library section: Articles)

'I think I must have been born bad'   Moving short documentary created by the Office of the Children's Commissioner about young people in the youth justice system. (From Library section: Youth justice; Videos)

Saturday arts club brings out the young artists   An article about the National Art and Design Saturday Club scheme which is currently showcasing the work of 400 14 to 16 year olds at a free exhibition in London. (From Library section: Articles)

Who wants to work in a free school?   The BBC's Daily Politics Show talks to some of the teachers who will be working in Langley Hall Primary, a free school in Berkshire. (From Library section: Videos)

Should schools hold more lessons outside?   BBC Breakfast looks at the campaign to make more lessons 'al fresco'. (From Library section: Videos)

Extra-curricular activities lead to higher earning adults   A US study of 5,000 people has found that children involved in after-school clubs and other activities go on to have on average 11.8 per cent higher earnings later as adults. You can download the full study here.

Children's Services: an update   People keep asking: 'What's happening to children's services?'. Here is a recent survey from the National College and the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) of gives a view of where services are going across the country.

Holiday Activities Pilot - Here are presentations about some of the individual pilots that ran last year, providing useful information on the practicalities and outcomes which resulted (please note the size of files before downloading):

• Calderdale (4.37Mb)
• Cornwall (0.16Mb)
• Ealing (3.26Mb)
• Lambeth (0.11Mb)
• Northamptonshire (1.39Mb)
• Nottinghamshire (1.93Mb)
• Portsmouth (10.38Mb)
• Rotherham (4.60Mb)
• Stockport (3.42Mb)
• Sutton (1.18Mb)
• Telford (0.17Mb)
• Walsall (1.60Mb
• Warrington (10.11Mb)

Young people and employment: House of Commons oral questions, 13 June 2011   A number of questions were raised and answered on the government's current efforts to help reduce unemployment amongst young people. More here and here. (From Library section: Not in employment, education or training)

Moving On    Here is an well-constructed and thought-through career education resource from BT and Edcoms.co.uk, which aims to help young people between 14 and 19 work out who they are, what life and work skills they need and how to develop these. And, most importantly, it takes young people through the process of how to present all of this to employers in a CV that helps them stand out. It's free - and doesn't need to be used during school hours. It could definitely be part of an extra-curricular study support offer. (From Library section: Neets: Young people not in education, employment or training)

Michael Gove talks about academy conversions   Radio 4's Today programme interviewed the Secretary of State about his plan to convert 200 primary schools and recent reports of budget calculation errors. (From Library sections: Videos and podcasts; Free schools and academies)

Careers Advice for young people   House of Lords: Written answers and statements, 14 June 201.

Financial literacy: young people's behaviours and attitudes to money   The findings of this RBS study (Money Sense Research Panel–Year 4 - 2010 High Level Findings of the most in depth survey into young people’s behaviours and attitudes to money) study could possibly offer a useful planning framework for schools that plan to offer extra-curricular programmes or extended services that address financial literacy. The study is in its fourth year and will run for five. Its analysis so far is under: gender, age, family and social strata.  You may also find the MoneySense for Schools programme useful. Run by RBS with Edcoms.co.uk this is a financial education programme to help students improve their personal finance skills.

Academies: Research into the leadership of sponsored and converting academies   This report covers the results of a project which looked at leadership in acadmies and how it is different from other schools. Among its many findings, the project showed that leaders of converting academies focus more on continuity and tend to be successful schools anyway, while leaders of sponsored academies are engaged in refocusing their schools' visions overall and are engaged in improving their schools from relative positions of 'believing they couldn't be high-achieving' to being outstanding all-ability schools.  (From News section: Academies, free schools, charter schools, chain schools - what's the difference? - Research, views and comment)

The Literacy Likely Lads   Boris Johnson and Peter Andre launch a literacy project for young children.

Gove compare: how effective are school budget comparisons?   The TES analyses whether publishing school budgets can really help parents decide about the value of a school's education services. (From Library section: Articles)

A new class war?    In relation to a Learning Exchange blog posted a while back called: Social mobility: statistical tripwires... (you will need to log in to read it), here's an article by Fiona Millar on guardian.co.uk about the same subject. As usual Millar's opinions draw fire as well as support. The fire is mostly of the vitriolic kind, lacking analysis. But, scroll down the page to a comment made by one 'S1syphus'. And be sure to look in on 'mariansummerlight'... 

Climate change: does it have a place in the National Curriculum?    Perhaps, in schools were climate change and environmental studies are pushed out of the curriculum, they could find their way into extra-curricular activities and projects?

James Dyson's army     The vacuum cleaner tycoon and inventor, James Dyson, is funding a scheme that aims to push design and technology into the main EBacc frame. The scheme will send Design and Technology (DT) Ambassadors into schools to encourage more students to study DT. These teachers will be able inspire young people with the creative ideas, new technologies and current industry information, which they'll bring back to classrooms from the cutting edge of industry. DT is being sidelined in many schools (even more than it already has been) with students being encouraged to move on to study Modern Foreign Languages. Should it be either/or though? Now there's a thought: DT students able to read technical manuals in Mandarin?

Is competition a dirty word? No, but fighting for survival is   LKM Research looks at the Education Bill's proposals that increased competition will halp schools succeed. (From library section: Articles)

How many academies can we afford?   Due to the budget mistakes identified this week, Cathy Newman from Channel 4 News looks at the projections and tries to find answers. (From News section: Free schools and academies)

Is the academy programme the answer for failing schools?   Channel 4 News's FactCheck tries to look past the rhetoric and find concrete evidence for the government's claims. (From News section: Free schools and academies)

Reflections and views on the Bailey Review   Here are a number of videos outlining views on The Bailey Review into the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood.

Private Toby Young ducks incoming fire    Are you a left-wing enemy soldier aiming your irritable fire at free schools and exclusive high fee-paying private universities? (From News section: Free schools)

Holiday childcare and activities: Key learning for sustainability   Just in time for summer 2011, this useful publication summarises the good practice, learning and insights gleaned from the Holiday Activities Pilot run during 2010. It has gathered what works best in offering sustainable childcare and holiday activities, and presents case studies and tips on various aspects of organising and running them; for example, it offers a section on what works best when commissioning childcare and holiday activities. (Produced by 4Children and ContinYou.) (From Library section: Holiday Activities Pilot)

More than a game   Michael de Giorgio, CSJ Sport Working Group Chairman and founder of the charity Greenhouse, makes a case in this report from the Sport Working Group for carefully targeting a certain amount of sporting funding very specifically in order to harness the power of sport to transform the lives of disadvantaged young people. 

'It puts you in that mindset that you're lower than everyone else'   This BBC article contains interviews with children to find out what they think and feel about growing up poor. (From library section: Articles)

What works in combating childhood obesity   An anthology of the literature on effective whole-system approaches published by C4EO looks at eighteen reports about multi-agency obesity interventions published between 2003 and 2010. Extra-currricular (before and after-school) interventions are pivotal to the collection and all the interventions focused on diet, physical activity or a combination of both. They took varying approaches (some ‘top-down’, others prescriptive, and some more participatory, involving schools and community settings). It's worth noting that the successful programmes included in the anthology combined healthy eathing with physical activity. (From Library section: Health)

Learning Exchange: Practical tips: surveying hard-to-reach, school-shy parents in deprived neighbourhoods   Many parents still feel intimidated by the very idea of setting foot in their children's school - possibly due to their own negative experiences of education. Here are some practical tips about reaching out to reluctant school-shy parents with a view to encouraging them to share their skills, knowledge, talents and interests to benefit their children and the school. (From Library section: 'Hard-to-reach' groups)

Tricky questions   Phrasing questions in a parent survey can be an exercise mined with pitfalls. Unwitting bias and subliminal assumptions can lurk under many survey questions and can elicit results, which at best, are meaningless, or at worst, pernicious. This article by Alfie Kohn on www.GOOD.is discusses the pitfalls in questionnaires about homework and whether it benefits children; but at the end, he offers a series of questions that schools ought to ask parents. (From Library section: 'Hard-to-reach' groups)

Unshackling Good Neighbours   The Cabinet Office's new report is on how to cut red tape for small charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. You can read a Guardian article about it here. (From News section: Big Society research)

Northern Ireland: Educational attainment at age 16   One of the key points demontrated in these statistics on The Poverty Site is: 'Among pupils entitled to free schools meals, the proportion of school leavers who have fewer than five GCSEs has fallen sharply in recent years, from 31% in 2004/05 to 17% in 2009/10.  This proportion is, however, still more than twice that for school leavers on average.'

Northern Ireland: Not in education, employment or training     Among the key points demonstrated in this set of statistics from The Poverty Site, is that, on average, the more deprived an area is, the lower the proportion is of school leavers going on to further education or university. However, deprivation makes less difference if the area is Catholic than if it is Protestant. (From Library section: NEET)

European Union: Not in education or training    This graph shows the percentage of 18-24 year olds across European Union countries who are without better than International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) Level 2 and not attending education or training. The UK level is 15 per cent. Here are the ISCED levels. (From Library section: NEET)

European Union: Low educational attainment   This graph shows the proportion of people in the European Union aged 25 to 64 with low educational attainment - ie people with an education level ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) of 2 or less.  ISCED levels 0-2: pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education. Here are the ISCED levels.

Mentoring in Chicago: talking the talk can help kids walk the walk   Research shows that mentoring and simply talking about success can improve young people's academic ability and self-confidence. Young black boys can benefit particularly. This New York Times article looks at how mentoring in Chicago is helping place a reliable male adult presence in children's lives, where they lack good father figures. (From Library section: Articles)

Grabbing the sharp end of knife crime     No messing about at St Ignatius Catholic Primary School in London's Tottenham, which isn't tip-toeing around knife crime. The school is tackling the issue directly, using outreach workers  to help children to talk through their fears and learn about making good choices. Not everyone thinks this is a good approach however. (From Library section: Behaviour)

The new EMA bursaries: difficult choices ahead   The New Statesman argues that the new bursary system, which allows schools to choose who gets funding, may create its own new problems. (From Library section: Articles)

The Guide to Literacy Resources OnLine    This great new online literacy resource collection is searchable by key stage, subject area, format and other criteria. Resources are regularly updated to ensure they are appropriate and the site offers teachers an online discussion forum where they can share advice and information. (From Library section: Key documents)

Raising attainment of children on free school meals   This is an article from the Key: the Service for School Leaders, which makes an initial foray, with many useful links, into advice for schools on using the pupil premium to raise the attainment of disadvantaged groups of children. (From Library sections: Key documents; Disadvantage)

Powerful People, Responsible Society: the report of the Commission on Big Society   Recommendations include enabling umbrella bodies in the voluntary sector to take a lead, extended employment rights to allow workers to take time off for voluntary duties, and a new transition fund for 2012. (From News and Events pages: Big Society: Reports)

Equality Act 2010: 'Not just a cumbersome hunk of legislation'     The Equality Act 2010 is not an 'inaccessible, unenforceable' piece of lawmaking. It can make a difference, provided local communities can work collectively to make it work for them. This is the view expressed in a new publication from Race on the Agenda (ROTA) - www.rota.org.uk.

Does calling it a 'failing school' make it one?   GOOD looks at whether the Pygmalion effect is a problem for schools that are struggling. (From Library section: Articles)

A stitch in time     The government outlines what has driven its decisions around the pupil premium and lowering the education maintenance allowance (EMA). It says the Pupil Premium will be more effective in ensuring teenagers stay in education after 16 because 'prior attainment is the strongest factor in predicting participation in education and training post-16, independent of the specific financial support that is available'. 

Big Society: a wee goldmine of information and tips    In the NCVO blogspot, Jess Farr recently outlined a three-point thematic approach to the Big Society: Devolving power to communities and local government; A greater role in public services for VCOs and civil society organisations; and, Supporting the voluntary and community sector. And, under each, she has collected a range of useful links and resources to help voluntary sector organisations think more about collaboration, about what kind of skills they need to play a greater role in public service delivery; and finally, she has outlined the opportunities for leveraging off the funding and advice that does exist in this difficult environment. (From News and Events pages: Big Society: Practical guidance)

Must dog eat dog?   Despite the academy model becoming more widespread and competition being actively encouraged, Plymouth council is determined to ensure collaboration is still the key to ensuring the success of their local schools. (From Library section: Articles)

Measuring the Impossible? - Making a Start   This is a summary of V's recent study exploring the impact of youth volunteering through existing longitudinal research data. (From Library section: Young people)

Tackling inequality through character building   Nobel prize winner James Heckman argues that developing character skills rather than cognitive skills during early years and puberty has the most important bearing on a child's future. (From Library section: Early intervention)

Should Ofsted be split in two?   Various people in education and the early years sector give their views to NurseryWorld on the recent proposal to replace the inspections body with two smaller specialised organisations. (From Library section: Articles)

Changing School Autonomy: Academy Schools and their Introduction to England's Education   Amongst other findings, this report from the Centre for the Economics of Education says academies generate beneficial effects on performance in neighbouring schools. (From News & Events pages: Academies)

Could free schools share sites with existing schools?   This BBC article looks at the likeliness of future schools negotiating daily over the use of facilities and a salient case from the USA. (From Library section: Articles)

Trying to get by: Consulting with children and young people on child poverty   This consultation by NFER and the Children's Commissioner found many young people have a range of opinions that need to be heard. (From Library section: Child poverty)

The penny is dropping   The Uk's personal financial literacy levels need to rise more than a notch or two - particularly among young people. Parents can be involved in personal finance education, but the pitch needs to be right. (From Library section: Parent support)

Too much on their plates?   The Independent looks at the current free school meals system and asks whether it needs an overhaul. (From Library section: Articles)

The Children’s Manifesto   This is what children told the Guardian they want their schools to be like. And, extra-curricular activities feature pretty high up on their list.

Academies: scanning the horizon   Only around 19 per cent of schools are against changing into academies... Could clusters of academies offer economies of scale? (From News and Events pages: Academies)

Pupil Premium: spending it wisely   To do this, schools need the right information – among other things, says Jonathan Clifton in Comment is free on guardian.co.uk. He also wants to see accountability for how the Premium is spent. (From Library: Child poverty; also see Library: Disadvantage: Narrowing the gap)
 
Narrowing the Gaps (yes, there’s more than one…)     This is an overview of resources to support the achievement of Black and minority ethnic, disadvantaged and gifted and talented pupils. There are materials listed that can help schools to focus their action on improving the progress of under-achieving, disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils, looked-after children and pupils at risk of exclusion. (From Library: Child poverty; also see Library: Disadvantage: Narrowing the gap) 

All the national education strategies    All the current information and practical materials about school improvement are on this part of the Department for Education website.  (However, please note the statement related to accuracy and currency at the top of each page of the site. More at www.dfe.gov.uk.)

Community organising…starting the debate (March 2011)   This is a great document from the Newcastle Council for Voluntary Service. It gives excellent examples of what community organisers can achieve and examples of community organising projects in the US and the UK. (From: News & events: Big Society: Practical guidance)

Oldham schools bridging the race divide - one year on   BBC Newsnight visits Waterhead Academy where extra-curricular activities are being used as opportunities to mix children from formerly segregated schools. (From section: Videos)

The Magenta Book   Useful (and well written) guidance from HM Treasury about evaluation. Primarily for policy makers, but also aimed at anyone working in local government, in charities and the voluntary sector. It explains what to consider when designing effective evaluations and why it is so important to do so - and more importantly, the costs and losses incurred by not evaluating effectively. Also explains how to explain evaluation results and where they fit into policy design. (From Library: Evaluation...)

How do you tackle child poverty?   Radio 4's Today programme discusses the new report from the Organisation for Economic Development which says progress towards ending child poverty has stalled. (From section: Videos and podcasts)

Ending child poverty: progress has stalled   The Association of Teachers and Lecturers has produced in which 80 per cent of teachers interviewed said they are teaching pupils who live below the poverty line and this harms their ability to learn. (From Library: Child poverty)

The only school in the village   The Independent looks at the worrying trend of closures amongst small primary schools in rural areas. (From section: Articles)

Young people lead the way    Young Advisors aged between 15 and 21 are showing community leaders and decision makers how to engage young people in community life, local decision making and improving services. Here is a selection of case studies where they talk about their achievements, which are impressive.

Moving a primary school to academy status: a personal diary    Andrew Fielder has shared his personal diary entries from June last year, which give an insight into what's involved in turning a primary school into an academy. Not always plain sailing, but it seems as though the 'chain project', which is developing a group of academies that can sustain and keep improving standards. And the local authority officers proved very helpful, seeing the process as an opportunity rather than a threat.

Building trust: a slippery business...    Anyone who has worked at building collaborative relationships in a multi-agency team will understand exactly what Andrew Coleman means in his LDR magazine article, How to build a trust fund. He says: ‘Trust is like gravity  … the world cannot function without it … such is its essential nature, it is all too often taken for granted; [it] is largely intuitive and we know when it’s present, but it is also slippery and difficult to quantify. It takes time to build and is quickly lost.’ (From Library: Multi-agency working/Integrated working/Common Assessment Framework (CAF).

Seven good reasons for closing the achievement gap   This article by John Burnham-West offers much food for thought. In it, he looks at the essence of what closing the achievement gap means for school leaders. At its most basic, school leadership should be driven by ‘personal values that focus on enhancing achievement and well-being, irrespective of personal circumstances.’ (From Library: Disadvantage: narrowing the gap)

Understanding uncertainty: key to making better decisions   In this practical article, Decision making in uncertain times, headteacher Chris Luck outlines six different sources and kinds of uncertainty in the fast-changing education scene we are in, posing a way of behaving towards or tackling each. Every point made is relevant to anyone setting up and leading a social enterprise too. Understanding the uncertainties is key to making better decisions. Here are Chris’s three powerful top tips. (from Library: Sustainability: new ways to deliver extended services, including social enterprise models)

The Good Jobs Plan   This report from the New Economics Foundation (nef) says that if the government wishes to achieve its goals in all policy areas, it needs to develop a strong industrial policy that produces good jobs, and which address three goals: well-being, environmental sustainability and social justice. 

Firefighting vs prevention: which do we prefer?  Carlene Firmin, in her www.guardian.co.uk article, To tackle crime, we need to understand what's causing it, advocates policing powers being connected appropriately with the work of other agencies.

Experiential learning at its absolute best   Listen to Emily Pilloton at TED talk about her passion for design and where it has led her - and more importantly what it is doing for young people in the area she has chosen to live in.  Here is an article about the design project.

‘Nah, Miss! They can't do that!’?    That was the response from a student to the news that citizenship may be cut from the National Curriculum as a required subject. So, will young people now simply absorb what they need to know by osmosis? Citizenship teacher, Alicia Brown, who teaches at Villiers school says we cannot assume this will happen. Her pupils have contributed to the recent consultation on the National Curriculum, which has now closed for submissions.

All hands to the pump    During a credit crunch, even students pitch in at this Kent school with ideas on how to save money.

Pretty good after all    In some cases, the number of private school pupils switching to state schools to complete 6th Form has quadrupled. 

History Pin     Remember the 'I’m not a plastic bag' campaign– created by We are what we do? To remind you, here it is.  Well, History Pin is another of their campaigns aimed at getting older and younger generations talking to each other and sharing more. The Great Recipe Archive is another. So, dig out your old photos and your grannies' recipes – and come to think of it, History Pin could be a great focus for an extra-curricular club. It could bring intergenerational learning alive – students could bring in old family photos that might stimulate discussion and research about the wider events and times around them, they could build a History Pin map... link it to citizenship... or whatever topics the photos remind them of...

In praise of blogging...   Michael Shepherd, headteacher of Hawes Side Primary School, Blackpool explains what the benefits of blogging in his article article in LDR magazine, Why blogging makes good CPD sense: ‘Blogging provides me with a space for educational thinking and dialogue, and a fitting vehicle for keeping a log of my ideas, reflections, musings and deliberations.’ Now, where have Learning Exchange members heard that before?

Are you a 'High-FF’ or a 'High-AM'?   To be successful as a social entrepreneur, you need to take risks. But when you start out, don't think that you need to be the biggest, fastest and strongest. Tapping into the right support is more where it's at, says Robert Kelsey. 

What have Extended Schools ever done for us?   Case study evidence and professional reflections by Hertfordshire extended school co-ordinators.

Live Q&A: Non financial support for social enterprises    This session at the Guardian's Social Enterprise Network site tackled questions around the non-financial support for social enterprises:
What kind is available? Where to start looking? How can you make best use of potential non-financial support to enable your social enterprise to grow and prosper? When should you look for  non-financial support? What could you expect from non-financial support? What are the implications of having non-financial support for your social enterprise?

Positive Images toolkit   This toolkit is for youth workers, teachers and other educators and aims to help them guide young people aged 12 and over through issues around migration and development and support them to get involved in supporting vulnerable migrants.

Free Evaluation workshop for Voluntary and Community Sector Family Learning Providers    This training will enable you to develop your current evaluation practice. You'll be given practical examples and resources to take away and use in your context. (From: Library: Parent support, family support, family learning.)

Involving Asian families in family learning   his video looks at some of the barriers that can prevent Asian families from becoming involved in their children's learning and suggests ways to overcome these. (From: Library: Parent support, family support, family learning.)

Family Learning Network: Have a dig in the Ideas Box     Some excellent family learning resources here. You'll see the Ideas Box on the right hand side of the page. (From: Library: Parent support, family support, family learning.)

Restorative Justice for young people: what's it all about?   Find out more about how schools are helping children and young people to deal creatively with conflict using restorative justice techniques. Add your voice to the campaign to make restorative justice a reality.

EMA: advice for the UK from the OECD   In its Going for Growth report released on 7 April, the OECD has made this recommendation: 'Increase further the resources for disadvantaged students and improve targeting mechanisms. Encourage participation in secondary education by reintroducing the Education Maintenance Allowance. Ensure that vocational programmes provide skills that are relevant for the labour market.'

Common Assessment Framework: cost-efficient in hard times?    There is less public funding now and whether or not the CAF process is cost-effecient has come under scrutiny. In 2010, 21 local authorities, as part of The Local Authority Research Consortium (LARC) researched this question. Early intervention, using the CAF process, and its cost effectiveness. Findings from LARC3, Easton, C., Gee, G., Durbin, B., and Teeman, D (2011) is the result of this work.  
Early intervention, using the CAF process, and its cost effectiveness.

Be a better writer  This site could be useful for extra-curricular activities involving creative writing or English homework and revision. It offers 50 free and useful resources to help you become a better writer.

Pupil Voice Wales   This is an excellent website, offering online materials which will encourage more vulnerable young people in special schools and pupil referral units to participate in decision-making. (from Library: Young people...)

Starting a Family Revolution: Putting families in charge: the Family Commission's final report     Families have told the Family Commission they feel that politicians are not listening to them - and that the state either 'ignores them or tries to take over'. This report  looks at how things could be changed and families given more control. There is also a summary leaflet. (From: Library: Parent support, family support, family learning.)

Citizenship education: integrate it across the whole school   Could this be the answer to addressing apathy in underachieving pupils? This inspiring article about the role of citizenship in motivating and inspiring young people to learn more and achieve better academic results gives the views of four headteachers in England who think that the subject is key to addressing underachievement. Results in their schools bear out what they say. 

EBD: nifty label, complex reality   A quote from this TES article: 'The Government's Green Paper on special educational needs, with its emphasis on inclusion for all, will be putting an unprecedented onus on mainstream schools to educate children presenting 'special challenges. It will not be plain sailing'. (Be sure to check out the other links to information about EBD and articles on behaviour and special needs on the page).

Guidance and policy: Behaviour and discipline in schools   April 2011: Guidance and policy documents for teachers on the Department for Education's website. (From: Library: Behaviour and attendance...)

Child Poverty Strategy   A New Approach to Child Poverty: Tackling the Causes of Disadvantage and Transforming Families' Lives

NIACE: Supporting vulnerable families (case studies about family learning)    For example, this collection of case studies includes a case study which describes how families at risk have been encouraged to take more control of their day-to-day finances; and a case study describing how young fathers who have been involved in criminal activities can be engaged; also one about family learning in womens' refuges. (From Library: Parent support, family learning...)

Adult Learners Week (May 14 -20 2011)   Lots of useful resources at the National Family Learning Network website. (From Library: Parent support, family learning...)

Book-reading habits of the young     A report, What Kids are reading: The book-reading habits of pupils in British schools 2011, shows that literacy levels have improved at primary school level, but as young people enter their secondary school phase, reading levels decline year on year. 

Opening Doors, Breaking Barriers: A Strategy for Social Mobility   How much parents earn and what social class they are in have more bearing on people's success in life than they should. This document sets out how the government intends to changing this.

A really worthwhile freebie: advertising space   If you are setting off down the path of remodelling the way you develop and manage extended services (setting up as a mutual or a social enterprise for example) and you are wanting to bring on board volunteers this guardian.co.uk offer could be worth looking into. To find out how to advertise your volunteering vacancies on the site, contact one of the Guardian's representatives on 020 3353 3400, email sales@guardian.co.uk or visit the volunteering audience page.

Extended services: an affirming review   This thematic review, Extended services evaluation: The role of local authorities was produced by the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching at Newcastle University and published by the Department for Education. It looks at how local authorities have managed and developed extended services over the past five years. 

Academies in Spain: how are they doing?    Spain introduced its concertadas (academies) in 1985. Meant to offer open access, practice is showing a different story.

Learning Outside the Classroom: case studies   This website is calling for more case studies. If you have any, do let them know, please. Meanwhile, have a look at the great collection they already have.

So... fund humanities!    Sarah Churchill in Comment is free at guardian.co.uk asks: if the government is serious about the need for pupils to read more, why did the Browne review recommend 100 per cent cutting of funding to the humanities at universities? She hopes Mr Gove can persuade his fellow ministers to 'put more of our money where his mouth is'.

Safer social networking site for Pontypridd young people    A dad in Wales has wokred with his children to develop a new and safer social networking site for children. With 656 members, and growing, the site has a radio station too, where children can download software and make their own radio shows. Plans are to roll out the site across the UK as 'Great British Kids'.

Families, parents and carers: Knowledge Reviews   There are three reviews in this series from C4EO, which are essential reading for anyone involved in family learning or parent support in and around schools. This one, The impact of parenting and family support strategies on children and young people's outcomes contains evidence of collected from service providers, parents and young people about what works best for them and what their needs are. You can find the others here.  (From Library: Family Learning, Family support, Parent support.) 

Reshaping local authority services   Nursery World analyses how, due to reduced funding, LAs are having to change tack in and around their services for young people. Includes an interview with the director of children's services in Barking and Dagenham. (From section: Articles)

The great sweep of history   How about History after-school clubs where pupils play Commerce, Conquest and Colonisation? Niall Ferguson, historian, thinks pupils (in state schools particularly) do not receive a thorough overview of historical events.

Promoting inclusivity in extended services   This Teaching Expertise article looks in detail at methods and ideas for future improvements you can make to your extra-curricular activities. (From section: Inclusion)

Bring back the constitutional   Walks in the country should be compulsory for all pupils. So says wildlife presenter Kate Humble - and, she has promised to have a chat with Education Secretary Michael Gove about it.

Student voice: a role for pupils in teacher recruitment    Oxford's Cherwell School gives its pupils a strong role in recruiting its teachers. Even people being interviewed for senior positions are subjected to tough interviews by student panels as well as adult panels.

The Accidental Head   A BBC 4 Radio Play by Jeremy Front in the Turf Wars series: Beth wages an eccentric battle to get her son into the school she wants him to go to. The law of unintended consequences stirs things up.  

Zadie Smith's impassioned defence of libraries    Zadie grew up surrounded by books from her local library and is fighting to keep Kensal Green Library open.

Goldie's Band: By Royal Appointment   The first episode in an inspiring three-part documentary following musician Goldie as he creates a band from young people around the UK whose lives have been turned around by music. Watch on BBC iPlayer by 16 April. (From section: Videos)

Better teacher pay would boost the economy   The former CEO of Tesco, Terry Leahy, believes it would also give the profession a more appropriate higher standing in society. (From section: Articles)

Bedfordshire music education changes could spread nationwide   With a large 70 per cent rise in fees for music tuition in the county, the Guardian's music correspondent Tom Service believes this new system could be copied elsewhere and leave music the preserve of the better off. (From section: Articles)

Sustainability: Working with the third sector and volunteers  This Learning Exchange advice sheet covers points to consider when looking for volunteers to help run and manage your extended services.

Trust Youth    This is an active citizenship programme designed to encourage and enable young people to make a difference within their communities. Trust Youth is also working to raise the profile of the voluntary sector within schools and to encourage more young people into volunteering. (Also in Library section: Voluntary sector...)

Time for more after-school book clubs?    Children in England may soon be issued the challenge of reading 50 books a year just as the children at the The Infinity Primary School, based in a very deprived part of Harlem, New York do.

Getting social    Here's a handy guide, called In Focus:Integrating social media, courtesy of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. Many groups of extended services practitioners are now forming charities, social enterprises, mutuals and so on in order to carry on offering their expertise to schools and local authorities. While many, as individuals, are already on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, using social media as an organisation means you could be putting your opinions online - and even on the line. So, if you and your extended services colleagues are in the process of constituting yourselves in different ways, it could be useful to devise a policy around how you all use social media to their best effect. 

Is Every Child Matters defunct?   CYP Now looks at what legacies the policy and its founding values have left under the current government. (From section: Articles)

Least well-off in society better identified by low spending than low income   Official UK government poverty measures are presently based on income. However, IFS researchers Mike Brewer and Cormac O'Dea say their recent paper, Least well-off in society better identified by low spending than low income, that people who report the lowest reported income do not necessarily live in the most severe poverty. Their research suggests that other measures should be used to complement the incomes measure as this will give a clearer picture of which groups have the lowest living standards and will enable progress on eliminating poverty to be better measured.

Learning Without Frontiers   Video highlights from Sir Ken Robinson's talk on encouraging creative learning given on 16 March 2011, in which he gives his view on how to improve the landscape of both education and well-being. (From section: Videos)

Give that poor man another fish?    Give a man a fish and he'll eat today; give him a rod, teach him how to fish and he'll feed himself forever. However, the current poverty target encourages politicians to not to tackle the underlying causes of poverty, blogs Neil O'Brien, Director of the think tank Policy Exchange in support of the recent IFS report. He suggests we need a very different set of targets in relation to tackling poverty. Instead of George Osborne spending the extra £8 billion on benefits to ensure 'no measurable impact on child poverty for two years', O'Brien, controversially, suggests that the money should be redirected to deal with the root causes of poverty.  

Teenagers eat breakfast too   An article by Eleanore Moore about setting up breakfast clubs for teenagers - not the easiest group to entice towards a bowl of health cereal at the start of the school day. (From Library:  Health: improving physical, emotional/mental health outcomes through extended services)

Bring something unique to the 'comprehensive school table'...   Aside from his views on free schools, John Fairhurst, head of Shenfield Secondary School in Essex, says when he offered girls only classes at Shenfield this was a great marketing idea - and 'people flocked' to enrol their children at the school. While many schools already include their extra-curricular programmes and extended services in the way they present what they offer pupils, perhaps taking a fresh look at the way these are presented (or marketed) would be beneficial to all schools, but especially comprehensive schools that may find themselves competing with academies and free schools for their intake... (just a thought...)

Inclusion Matters   Warrington Borough Council has worked with over 200 childcare and leisure groups to help them to enhance their services and develop a meaningful, active inclusion ethos and focus. Their video sets out their principles and gets some ducks in a spin... (From section: Inclusion)

How can we get children to find their niche?   Listen to creativity expert Ken Robinson talk about education and curriculum on Radio 4's Saturday Live using the BBC iPlayer, from 01.30min onwards. (From section: Videos and podcasts)

'It feels like every option is being shut off'   CYP Now looks at the bleak unemployment situation facing many young people, including Tej Kaur Rai who has been trying her hardest with little success. (From section: Not in employment, education or training)

The Big Society: Texas-style    Volunteers clocked up 89,634 hours last year, helping to run the the Texas city of Plano's fire service, monitoring parking and teaching children about energy conservation, for example. Their work amounted to a value of around $1.66m (£1.02m). But the scheme's organisers maintain that volunteers have to be free to take time off as and when they want, and that volunteers cannot provide consistency in services the way that staff can. Also, they need to be supervised. So, if city budgets are cut, it can mean there's less volunteering. However, Dame Elizabeth Hoodless says the scheme could be adapted to work here.  (From: Big Society: articles and comment)

Rash children's centre cuts will cost us all   Denise Burke writes in CYP Now about the changes happening and their long-term likely effects, offering up some smarter ideas to keep services going. (From section: Articles)

FAQs: special education needs   A list of questions about special education needs, updated on 8 March 2011. (From: Special education and extended services.)

SEN Green Paper: Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability   This Green Paper includes proposals to improve outcomes for children and young people who are disabled or have SEN, to minimise the adversarial nature of the system for families, as well as simplify processes related to the statementing of children with special needs. (From: Special education and extended services.)

Why you should reply to the SEN green paper   In this short video, Sarah Teather MP explains how the green paper is just a start and the new consultation period is vital for bringing about improvements in special educational needs. (From section: Videos)

'...we should be ashamed'   Alison Wolf, the lead on the recent vocational education review, writes in The Times about her findings and recommendations in relation to vocational education in England. (From section: Articles)

Go boldly beyond the back office   A new report from localism think tank NLGN points out the tough challenge facing councils that are sharing services to compensate for gaps caused by government spending cuts. If sharing services is to be worthwhile and frontline services protected, the report urges councils to innovate more and ‘boldly go beyond the back office’ to make efficiencies and changes in the way they operate. (There is a charge for the report. Read a report about it here.) 

The Good Society   A document outlining the ideas of Compass, a group which is focusing on finding new directions for politics and society. (From section: Big Society articles)

West Midlands: Public Library Health and Social Care Offer     The responsibility for public health may start to shift more and more from the health service to local authorities. This West Midlands campaign is about the role of libraries in promoting better public health.   

Is home really where the heart is?   The Keighley Schools Linking Project aimed to promote more community cohesion through a range of activities that children from different schools in the Keighley area could take part in at various Keighley community venues. This report is a thorough-going qualitative evaluation of the learning that occured among participants as well as the changes in their perceptions and attitudes. (From Library: Community cohesion; community access; communities for learning; social capital; neighbourhood renewal.)

What does a voluntary sector financial crisis look like?   Patrick Butler at The Guardian looks at the whole picture when putting together the growing number of 'microcuts'. (From section: Articles)

Big Society: international examples   The Office for Civil Society has compiled a list of examples of the 'big society' impulse from around the world.

Brotherhood of St. Laurence    An example of the Big Society in Yarra, Australia

The Labour market in winter: The State of working Britain 2010   This paper by economists Jonathan Wadsworth and Paul Gregg (and others) describes how the recession has been felt in different sectors of the economy. (From Library: Neets (Young people not in education, employment or training)

Exactly how lost is the 'lost generation'?    This blog by Stephen Overell on the Work Foundation's website summarises the perspective that John Wadsworth and Paul Gregg's paper on unemployment and the recession (see Gem above) brings to our understanding of the plight of NEETs. Large student numbers can skew the figures, for example. And though the youth unemployment rate is higher now than in the previous two recessions, as a percentage of unemployed in Britain, young people are not faring worse than others. And, here's a quote from the blog: 'Outflow rates from unemployment for young people are still higher than in previous recessions and higher too compared to other age groups. (From Library: Neets (Young people not in education, employment or training)

Growing the Social Investment Market: A vision and strategy   What would a thriving social investment market look like? Will social ventures be able to gain access to the money they need to grow? Will this build a better, stronger society? This document sets out the government's vision of a social investment market and what it hopes the Big Society Bank will achieve.

Decentralisation and the Localism Bill   This essential guide gives further background to the Localism Bill. It explains how then principles behind the Localism Bill are informing other government policies. It makes the case for the decentralisation of power from central government down to every citizen.

Plain English guide to the Localism Bill   If you’re still a bit in the dark about this Bill and what it means, here’s a guide. Track Bills through parliament here.

Soldiers give schools more bang for their buck   There’s been a lot of dissing and hissing about the idea of soldiers in classrooms. But, does this idea actually have any merit? 

Big Society: a work-in-progress    From the heart of 'red torydom', blogger Matt Leach looks at where the Big Society stands now, what it really is, and what it could become. He says it's a work-in-progress, with implications for health that are, as yet, not properly understood.

The cost of exclusion: counting the cost of youth disadvantage in the UK   This report from the Princes Trust looks at the cost of long-term youth unemployement and the exclusion it engenders. (From Library: Neets (Young people not in education, employment or training)

Who stays? Who goes? What to keep? What to ditch?   Patrick Butler of guardian.co.uk looks at the patterns emerging as Liverpool Council sifts its services applying cuts that vary in severity according to which category the service belongs: critical, regulatory, frontline… or other. Sadly, Sure Starts come under ‘other’; so do ‘libraries’ and others…  Liverpool’s pattern starts to give a picture of what is happening around the country, in varying degrees.

Putting the boot in. No excuses    Is tough, mean love really the answer when it comes to tackling the massive disadvantage and poverty some children face? A Mortarboard blogger thinks not.

The Munro Review of Child Protection – Part One: A Systems Analysis   Professor Eileen Munro is continuing to work with local children's services professional to research the child protection system to decide what needs changing and how best to do it. She will submit her second report in April and will make recommendations to the government on how to proceed. Tower Hamlets is cited in her interim report as an 'example of innovation, transformation and good practice'. (From Library section: Safeguarding.)

How will we know when things go wrong?   Sir Paul Ennals of the National Children's Bureau argues that vulnerable children still need monitoring and reduced inspections are likely to put them at risk of being overlooked. (From Library section: Safeguarding.)

Walk tall and shoot straight: some advice for headteachers who do   What's your school leadership style? True Grit? One of The Magnificent Seven? No? Okay, you're more like Little Big Man then? How do you deal to the die-hard banditos among your staff?

Family savings calculator    This is a great tool for local authority family intervention services. It helps people who are offering families intensive support to calculate, broadly and indicatively, what the cost benefits of their work is. Follow the links to download the tool. 

Young People and Money   Research shows strong evidence that young people want and need education in handling their personal finances. Young People and Money free training is for people who work with young NEETs across the UK. Explore the site for resources, advice and videos about personal finance education for young people.
Also: Money in the Mix: embedding financial capability in youth work is an excellent little guide from Consumer Financial Education Body, aimed at youth workers. Email Linda Jack to find out more.

Steep learning curve for teachers    In Jamie Oliver's Dream school, his hand-picked band of talented teachers who aren't school teachers found the kids to be tough. But they soldiered on - and the rewards have been worthwhile - for them and the kids. This interview with Jamie is really worth reading. 

No going back to jail   How the young offender institution in Feltham is working to keep down recidivism. (from section: Young people)

Meet the 'gapbusters'    Gender and Education (schools that close or narrow the attainment gap between boys and girls in English). Closing the persistent gap between boys' and girls' attainment remains a challenge. This research document addresses what factors have led to schools being successful in narrowing that gap.

The Building Bridges Project   An executive summary from Young People of London and Race on the Agenda about a project encouraging young people to share their insights about the issue of gangs by giving them a platform which allows them to be heard. (from section: Young people)

The Social Stock Exchange   With its own exchange about to launch, is social finance set for a game-changing boost? (from sections: Sustainability; Big Society articles)

Are young people really that internet-savvy?   Tim Davies explores the importance and complexities of digital literacy for young people. (CYPNow 22 February). (Also in Library on the Youth Pages.)

Young people: confidence-building resources   Excellent selection of activity ideas and tools to help young people build their self-belief, discover their strengths and learn how to voice their opinions with confidence. (Also in Library on the Youth Pages.)

Encouragement for extended services practitioners   In the recent report from the Education Select Committee, here is Recommendation 8, grist for the case that many are making to local authority and cluster employers about the importance of their roles in helping schools to develop their extended services.  (From section: Key documents)

Swinging from the rafters   This presentation about Enfield's use of the disadvantage subsidy is full of photos that showcase the wide variety of activities children are enjoying.

How we will release the grip of state control   The Prime Minister writes in The Telegraph about the new public services white paper and his mission to devolve power away from the public sector. (from section: Big Society articles)

* Breaking the link between disadvantage and low attainment: Everyone's business   This document summarises international and national evidence of the link between deprivation and education. It is for headteachers, education and training professionals, local authorities, researchers, schools, extended services practitioners.  

Get Involved: how Tooting distributes the Disadvantage Subsidy Fund   A presentation on how Tooting used vouchers to get people to use extended services, the challenges they faced and their future plans. (from section: Disadvantage)

* Early years: Breaking the link between disadvantage and low attainment: Everyone's business   This document outlines the progress so far in narrowing the achievement gap in the early years. It also offers some practical examples for leaders of early years services in local authorities, Sure Start Children’s Centres, schools and other settings, about what to do next. 

Sustaining Extended Services through Social Enterprise   David Burley's presentation explains how the concept of social enterprise complements extended services and could be used to sustain them. (from section: Sustainability)

* Government outlines first steps in its reform of early education   Children's Minister Sarah Teather's announcement on 16 November 2010.

Implementing Total Place and the Big Society   In a fiscally challenging time, download a slidepack from the Commissioning Support Programme's website. It introduces 'pragmatic, scalable ways of implementing Total Place and Big Society, leading to top-led bottom-up design of local services'. (Also in Library: Commissioning.)

Lord Baker and the creation of the national curriculum   A short BBC video interviewing the education secretary who first came up with the idea for standardised learning and league tables. (from section: Videos)

Commissioners’ Kitbag   A collection of practical resources developed by the Commissioning Support Programme. The resources are designed to complement each other and the CSP will add to them during the next few monts. Please email the CSR if you think of anything that could be added. (Also in Library: Commissioning.)

The pupil premium for looked-after children   Tim Loughton MP's written memorandum answers several questions regarding the government's policies for looked-after children. (from section: Funding know-how)

Families in the driving seat   This unique approach to multi-agency working with families in Swindon has shown some startling results. (Also in Library: Multi-agency working)

Blog early, blog often: the secret to making boys write properly   An inspiring idea from Heathfield Primary School in Bolton which other schools are now copying with similar success.

A McKinsey Education webinar: November 2010   How the world's most improved school systems keep getting better is a report written by Sir Michael Barber and Dr Mona Mourshed. For anyone deeply interested in school improvement and how that fits into the improvement of education systems overall, here is an excellent webinar in which education leaders discuss the report. It's well worth setting aside some time to watch it. The discussion is facilitated expertly by Sir Michael and Dr Mourshed, drawing in articulate experts from all the areas that the study covered - both in video links and voice connections.

Do we know what we need to know?   Shaping the future: How good education systems can become even better in the decade ahead is a report from McKinsey Education by Sir Michael Barber and Dr Mona Mourshed. It contends that what educated people will need to know in 20 years time is, to a large extent, unknown. It asks what students today need to be taught to cope with their futures. 

School improvement in Scotland and England   Dr John Dunford's article in TES looks at the different approaches.

It starts with a chat   Tackling big issues by linking small conversations: this pamplet from the New Economics Foundation says tackling the big issues in the world starts with small conversations between friends, families and neighbours. 

Follow this Bill   Keep up with the progress of the Public Services (Social Enterprise and Social Value) Bill 2010-11. The private member's aims to strengthen the social enterprise business sector and make the concept of 'social value' more relevant and important in the placement and provision of public services. Among other things, it also places a duty on the Secretary of State to publish a 'national social enterprise strategy' to encourage engagement in social enterprise. (Also in Library: Sustainability of extended services.)

E13 Learning Community    This group of schools in Newham, East London, has been cluster working since 2004. To address barriers to the group's development, the people involved have set up the E13 Learning Community. Find out how they did it and explore their useful documents. (Also in Library: Sustainability of extended services.)

Find your ideal partner   Do you want to establish or join a consortium? Work with other organisations to deliver your programme? Use this free service from Fundingcentral.org.uk will help you find collaborative working opportunities (Also in Library: Sustainability of extended services.)

Geography: learning to make a world of difference   This recent Ofsted report points out that good and regular fieldwork motivates pupils and enhances their geography learning

Evaluation of the Children's University 2010   Two key findings: being in the Children’s University significantly improves school attendance; and achievement is significantly better at Key Stages 1 to 3 for children who participate in Children’s University compared with non-attenders. 

A clean slate: here's the chance the next generation deserves   Mick Waters, president of the Curriculum Foundation, explains why he believes the current review of the national curriculum is very much in need. (from section: Articles)

Insight 2: Social inequality: can schools narrow the gap?   This critical review of literature around the issue of narrowing the achievement gap and what role schools play is from the British Educational Research Association. (Authors: Mel Ainscow, Chris Chapman, Alan Dyson, Helen Gunter, Dave Hall, Kirstin Kerr, Olwen McNamara, Daniel Muijs, Carlo Raffo and Mel West.) You can download it from this link, free of charge, but the document has had the references removed. If you wish to read the document with its references, you will need to go to the BERA and Manchester University websites.  (Also in the Library, on pages: Disadvantage: narrowing the gap; and De Montfort Extended Services module: Partnership for change.)

Debate over free school funding transparency   Radio 4's Today programme reports on the large purchases being made for free school projects and hosts a debate on the costs between Toby Young, a free school founder, and Francis Gilbert, teacher and member of the Local Schools Network.

Report a cut   If you know of or are involved in a voluntary or community group that has lost its statutory funding or had it reduced, share what has happened at voluntarysectorcuts.org. Fill in a simple form about your experience and help build the picture of what's happening across the sector.

Early Learning HQ   Free early years resources to download. Lots here, including ready made editable invitations.

A blot on the landscape and an affront to teachers    Manchester headteacher takes issue with free schools.

Mike Baker chaired a panel debate at the Independent Academies Association annual conference; the result of a discussion about academies was... interesting.

If the Big Society tsar can't find time, who can?   After it was announced Lord Wei had to cut his hours in his flagship role due to it being unpaid, The Evening Standard caught up with him for a candid interview. (from section: Interviews; you can find more news and articles about the Big Society here.)

Think tank clash 2011   Think tanks will battle it out again in London next month. This article from The Independent by Matt Chorley weighs up the odds. Scroll to the bottom of the aricle where Matt has listed the policy leanings of the various contenders, the policy areas they have already made an impact upon and what they each plan to investigate and think about this year.

Are soft skills the key to getting top jobs?   If, as is claimed, three out of four city finance directors have been privately educated, what chance do you think a young person from the East End of London with excellent grades in Maths and economics will have in the Square Mile?  (Quick look at the stats: 7% of children are privately educated; over 50% of the top doctors were privately educated; seven in ten judges and six in ten barristers went to independent schools).

Who gets the top jobs?   Birth or worth? This programme on BBC TV2 puts forward the contention that Britain is now less equal as a society than it has ever been since World War One. Richard Bilton examines the 'not for the likes of me' syndrome (Alan Milburn, Social Mobility Tsar's phrase) and how easy or hard it is to get into the professions. What he finds makes uncomfortable viewing. It throws some light on the 'internship culture' that young people who are trying to get on in their careers, must contend with. (You can watch this television programme on BBCiPlayer until 1.09 am on 16 February).

The Social Mobility Foundation   The Foundation supports high-achieving young people from low-income backgrounds and in receipt of Educational Maintenance Allowance into the top universities and professions. It provides a support programme of internships, mentoring, university application support and skills development.

A jumble of contradictions   Voice, the union for education professionals, comments on the Education Bill.

Becta resources: living on...    Becta may be closed, and some of its resources may no longer be driven by government policy. However Becta did produce many useful tools, guides and resources, so bookmark this link and forage for things you need in their final resting place, the National Archives.   

Northern Exposure: A Cold Wind in Oldham   BBC Radio 4's Allan Beswick presented this programme at 4pm on Tuesday 1 February. He'll have access to the meeting rooms where decisions about Oldham's council services are being made. This could be a tough listen, but you may want to tune in if you are in Oldham, where cuts of £25 million are being sought. (This show will only be available until 8 February).

Lambeth's proposal to become a co-operative council   But it's not about rolling back the state, according to Councillor Steve Reed, Chairman of the Co-operative Council Citizens’ Commission. Rather, he says, it's 'about putting the resources of the state at the disposal of citizens so that they can take control of the services they receive and the places where they live. More than just volunteering, it is about finding new ways in which citizens can participate in the decisions that affect their lives.' (Also in Big Society: News, research, analysis, practical guidance)
Here is a comment about it from Respublica think tank.

'This is the Big Society, you see. It must be big, to contain so many volunteers'   Celebrated author Philip Pullman gives an impassioned speech at Oxford's town hall on the council's plan to shut almost half of Oxfordshire's libraries. (from section: Big Society: comment)

Be paced, hold your nerve before making drastic cuts   Ray Jones, Professor of Social Work at Kingston University and St George's University of London says: 'We should stay angry about the cuts to children's social care, but it would be churlish not to grab the moment to build more integrated services, and to close the gaps so often commented upon in serious case reviews after a child has been seriously injured or killed.'

Education Bill: blow by blow   Mike Baker sets out the contents of the Education Bill. Here is his BBC article analysing the consequences.

Education Bill: the powers it gives the Secretary of State   By Jessica Shepherd of The Guardian.

Deglamorising gangs    Youth charity Rathbone calls for national awareness-raising campaign    which gives parents and schools well-researched information about gangs, and 'deglamourises' them.
 
Children and Gangs report   This recent report for Children & Young People Now magazine summarises qualitative evidence for why children are becoming involved in gangs at ever younger ages.

Was this man bonkers? Apparently not...   This a remarkable story.  It's about one man's dogged determination to realise his vision for Harlow College in Essex and his unshakeable belief that he was right in his radical approach to its improvement.

Sick of Punch hitting Judy?   The Milliband brothers want to mobilise a new army. Blair McDougall, its organiser and former Labour government adviser, says: 'Movement for Change will organise within and across communities to increase the power of citizens to bridge the gap between traditional 'Punch and Judy politics' and passionate concerns in communities about people's lives.' 

A forthright view on wielding the funding axe   Scroll to the bottom of this page to read Children and Young People Now’s Expert View. Matt Dunkley, Vice-president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services and the director of children's services at East Sussex asks the government to stop exhorting local authorities to spend money on their ‘pet priorities’; ‘if the ringfence is off,’ he says, ‘don't try to reassemble it. Don't hand us an axe and then tell us where not to wield it, please.’

BBC 5’s Family Week poll gives inaccurate picture of family life in Britain   Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) executive director Gavin Poole says the BBC Radio 5 Live’s ‘Family Week’ poll about the quality of British family life shows superficial results. He maintains the family in Britain is under pressure and points instead to the YouGov poll done for the Centre for Social Justice.

Removing Barriers to Literacy   Ofsted's January 2011 report highlights best practice in literacy from early years through to adult education.

Give ‘em Kindles!   Want to get your kids excited about reading? Give them e-book readers and who knows, future editions of these de rigeur gizmos might even empty your dustbins and clean your toilets.

Will music in schools be scrapped?     Darren Henley's Review of the Funding and Delivery of Music Education was due to be delivered at the end of 2010. But it's still in progress. Tom Service On Classical Blog (The Guardian) speculates about what could be causing the delay.

El Sistema   Featured on the Learning Exchange a while back, perhaps Darren Henley's music review should also take the results of El Sistema's 'unashamed social engineering' into account.

Verbatim and sobering accounts   A new report from Ofsted setting out the thoughts that children and young people in care shared with the Children's Rights Director about their experiences.

Declaration of war on those ignorant of history    If you want to know more about how the arguments for better history education stack up, read this. (You'll need to read to the end of the web page to understand the gist of the arguments around the mobilisation of forces to give history a higher ranking in the curriculum. 
Also, read: Mike Baker's Guardian article, Facts first analysis later and his interview with playwright Alan Bennett about history in the curriculum: Alan Bennett - a bore about history.

Hang around on your neighbourhood website to see what's happening down the road   Online neighbourhood networks can offer many benefits; helping build local social capital & giving shy or busy people a chance to tentatively 'poke out of their front doors' to see what's going on. It may not be quite the equivalent of making friends in cafes, pubs or at local events, but it's catching on.  (Also in Big Society: News.)

Where have all the TDA extended services documents gone?   Find them on the National Archives website.  

London secondary schools outshine those around the country   This Ofsted report published on 10 December 2010 shows how London Challenge has continued improving schools in London. The city's secondary schools are now performing better than those in the rest of England.

UK school standards: the OECD's view   An objective look at the use of the statistics currently being used as benchmarks.

Education in England: a brief history by Derek Gillard   This was first published online in January 2000 and has now been updated. Here is the latest version. (Please note the copyright and the citation and reference requests.) (Also in the Library: De Montfort Extended Services module page) 

The importance of early intervention: an interview with Graham Allen MP   Amelia Gentleman (The Guardian) interviewed Graham Allen about his early intervention report. Allen insists that all parties need to co-operate to ensure that early interventions aimed at solving intractable social problems have a chance of working. And, against the tide, he recommends setting up a new quango, an 'Early Intervention Foundation', and wants the private sector to invest in early intervention programmes.

Early Intervention: The Next Steps   Report by Graham Allen MP says children can be 'wired' early for success or failure.

New report: The Changing Shape of Children's Service   The National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) recently carried out a survey to guage how the changes taking place in local authorities are affecting how children's services will be organised, managed and delivered in future.

Social Spaces  A project studying positive community projects to see if they can be replicated, imitated, stimulated in other places.  

Thriving too   Haringey's neighbourhood website  (Also in Big Society: Blogs)

Alberta's Public School Boards still 'rule ok'   In Canada, Alberta's schools are the top performers among the English speaking provinces. Rhonda Evans (The Guardian, 4 January) visited and spoke to leaders of state (public) schools. She found that headteachers can shape the ethos and cultures of their schools, that there is an equitable system for hiring teachers, and that school leaders can make budget decisions on the basis of their pupils' educational needs. However, headteachers still work very much within the remit of their Public School Boards and the state has largely eliminated the need for private schools. 

Does cash get results in schools?   Mike Baker analyses the government's publication of school spending and league tables on the same day and what they imply for the pupil premium. (from section: Articles)

'That makes us very different from most, if not all, other countries of which I am aware'   With the new English Baccalaureate tables causing a mixed reaction around the country, Warwick Mansell reveals how the use of league tables is uncommon in other countries, even those with impressive academic reputations. (from section: Articles)

Could cuts lead to no-frills schools?   "The frilly bits are really important - they are the bits that make them open their eyes and try different things." An article on the future of specialisms such as music and cultural activities in schools. (from section: Articles)

Monitoring Outcomes: Ingredients of success   This document (published in November 2010 by Substance and Nesta) argues for a culture shift in the design and delivery of public services and a more strategic focus on outcomes. It offers a strong and simply-put message for anyone offering a service that aims to improve people's life outcomes. 'Collaboration between these groups... [funders, organisational leaders, managers, frontline staff and service users]...  can turn evaluation from a laborious ‘add-on task’ to a dynamic process that can transform and improve services.' See page 8 for their six key guiding principles. (from section: Monitoring and evaluating)

The brains behind the National Citizen Service   A CYP Now interview with Paul Oginsky, the government's adviser for the upcoming youth programme, who believes strongly in personal social development for young people.

Ending poverty by paying the poor   An NY Times article looking at the conditional cash transfer systems being employed in Mexico and Brazil that are making vast leaps in reducing inequality. (from section: Child poverty)

Education in England: Review of 2010   Education journalist Mike Baker looks back at a very eventful year and invites you to add your thoughts. (from section: Articles)

Wales: the changing face of education in 2010   The BBC examines the education landscape of Wales over the past year. (from section: Articles)

NI 2010 review: the cost of change in education   The BBC looks back at the tough year that Northern Ireland has just come through. (from section: Articles)

What next for Scotland's educators?   The BBC considers the outlook for Scottish education in 2011. (from section: Articles)

Where the boys are    You've heard the bad news that one in ten boys are struggling with literacy below level 3 in England. Now look at the map showing where they are - and get the data from this Guardian page.

Six steps to localism   Decentralisation and the Localism Bill:an essential guide to localism from government's perspective.

Education Maintenance Allowance    Evaluation with Administrative Data: The impact of the EMA pilots on participation and attainment in post-compulsory education (Institute for Fiscal Studies).

Barriers to participation in education and training     Almost a fifth of young people find making decisions about what they should do after school difficult. This document summarises NFER research about the barriers they face.

New minefields can lurk in social networking website contacts between birth parents and the children they have had adopted or vice versa     Part of Claudia Hammond's BBC All in the mind programme covers these issues on Radio 4. The impacts can be devastating for all concerned.

How did the government arrive at the £430 figure for the Pupil Premium    Here is an analysis from the Institute of Fiscal Studies, which hangs it, in part, on the extent of FSM uptake by 20 January 2011 and whether schools can persuade parents that registering their children for FSM could directly benefit their children's education. (Also on Funding: Guidance and information about funding).

Think tanks: unsure which side of the red or blue line a think tank stands?   This page on the Guardian website may be helpful. And here is a full list of think tanks in the UK.

Has the pupil premium lost its gloss?   Now that the details have been announced, Mike Baker takes an objective look at the reality of the likely effect of the pupil premium. (from section: Articles)

Pisa at a glance   What do students know and what can they do? Download the various e-books relating to the lates OECD PISA report.

Poorest boys in England still behind   Just over 50 per cent of 11-year-old boys from poorest homes achieve expected standards in maths and English. t boys in England still let down by school system

The Joy of Stats   Professor Hans Rosling will take you on a journey into the mysteries and marvels of statistics. You still have time to join him - the programme is available on BBC iPlayer until Tuesday 14 at 9.59pm .

Community development sector: organising for the Big Society   In the Guardian's JoePublic blog, John Benington, emeritus professor at Warwick Business School's Institute of Governance and Public Management outlines steps that will help the community development sector be effective in the Big Society. Among these are: community development sector must identify what works, what doesn't, and why; the community development infrastructure needs 'clear, trusted channels of communication, reliable sources of information and analysis, effective informal networks for sharing and learning from experience in various settings', plus high-quality training, development and accredited qualifications. (Also in Library: Community cohesion; community access; communities for learning; social capital; neighbourhood renewal) and under Big Society: articles and comment).

Children in workless households   This is one of the many useful pages on the Poverty Site. (Also in Library: Child poverty.) 

Monitoring poverty and social exclusion 2010   This report by Anushree Parekh, Tom MacInnes and Peter Kenway (Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the New Policy Institute) focuses on the eighteen month recession of 2008 and 2009. It shows there are 2.1 million impoverished young people in homes where parents work. It uses official government data, using 50 poverty indicators and covers a range of issues from low income, worklessness and debt to ill-health, poor education and problems in communities. http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/monitoring-poverty-2010. The report is complemented by The Poverty Site, which provides updates to graphs, more analyses and links to other relevant sites. (Also in Library: Child poverty.)

A fairer way to calculate the Pupil Premium   Letter from Hugh Grover, Director, Fair Funding at London Councils to Stephen Kingdom Head of Funding and Technology Unit School Resources Group, Department for Education.

Letter to local autorities from Michael Gove about School White Paper   Mr Gove outlines how local authorities will work with schools in future and annouces that detailed funding allocations will be announced before Christma.

Mutuals Information Service   Employee-owned mutuals will enable public sector workers to deliver services in partnership with the communities in which they work. If your extended services cluster is considering continuing its advisory and support services around extended/integrated services, you may wish to consider the mutual option. The Mutual Information service offers advice, support and mentoring. (Also in Library: Sustainability: new ways to deliver extended services, including social enterprise models)

Partnership between mainstream and community approaches works    Great things are happening in Harrow. Nine Narrowing the Gap schools referred over 100 pupils between them to Harrow Weekend School (HWS). HWS has contributed significantly to the children's progress and is having a real impact on their writing and maths.

Room for improvement    This is the new detailed response from the ippr to the Schools White Paper. Their concerns about using FSM as a criterion for distributing the Pupil Premium to schools were raised in November.

The Foundation Years: preventing poor children becoming poor adults   Frank Field's independent report advocates moving funds into teaching parenting skills and ensuring schools engage with parents. (from section: Key documents)

Closing the gap: Inequality in London   This guide the London Voluntary Service Council and Trust for London attempts to give a picture of different types of inequalities in London, particularly in relation to income inequality.

School choice for those who have no choice   Harry Brighouse and Adam Swift advise the Conservatives what to do if they really want a Swedish-style voucher system to help at least some of the most deprived children.

 

Primary school 'David' fights all-through academy 'Goliath'   Transition for younger pupils to secondary school can be fraught with angst or can be made easier in many ways (often through out-of-school-hours initiatives that foster relationships between secondary and primary feeder schools). But how would pupils fare when transitioning through their educational stages in an all-through school? The drama unfolds on Portland Island in Dorset, where a giant 'all-through' academy is set to replace the primary school.

Childcare Matters: Improving Choices and Chances for Parents and Children   New report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

Business in the Community survey shows business wants in to the Big Society   77 per cent of business leaders surveyed recently say they could scale-up their strategic support for communites across their business. Leaders are working with government to identify and find ways to remove barriers to doing this. Red tape is a big one.

Folk devils, chilling on street corners   Notes about Ofsted inspections from the Mortarboard Blogger.

Information on Teaching Schools   They're like 'teaching hospitals' and will be pivotal in training and developing teachers and headteachers.

Sharing the journey   The 2008 CWDC Share projects focused on integrated working themes such as Team Around The Child (TAC), The Common Assesment Framework (CAF), Involving children and young people in integrated practices; The role of the lead professional. This document contains the examples of integrated working in the children's workforce around the country. There is also a DVD. (Also in Library under: Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and Multi-agency working)

Joining the pieces   During 2009, the children's services integrated working sites in England focused on key themes including supervision in integrated settings, the role of the budget holding lead professional and integrating the wider children's workforce. Here are examples of innovative practice. (Also in Library under: Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and Multi-agency working)

 

Painting the Rainbow   The 2010 CWDC Share projects explored different 'working together' themes: Shared identity, purpose and vision; common values and language; behaviours focused on positive outcomes for children and young people; integrated working practices; high-quality, appropriately trained workforce; complementary roles focused around children and young people; and capacity to deliver and keep children safe. (Also in Library under: Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and Multi-agency working)

Finding local authority tenders   This helpful page on the Family Learning Network site offers you information on contract procurement through local authorities. (Also on the Funding know-how page.)

Sustainable funding   Another helpful page on the Family Learning Network website offering tips on how to develop a sustainable funding strategy, keeping the money coming in and managing it. There are links to guidance on commissioning and procurement, corporate fundraising and sponsorship, social media tools, event fundraising, individual giving, social enterprise, writing skills, partnership skills and much more. (Also on the Funding know-how page.)

Sport in schools: David Cameron to the rescue?

The Schools White Paper 2010: The Importance of Teaching   How schools choose to fund extended services will determine how and who co-ordinates the services; that there will be less ringfencing we already know.  The Schools White Paper 2010: The Importance of Teaching: The Schools White Paper 2010   Behaviour is covered in Chapter 2; School improvement in Chapter 7; School funding is in Chapter 8.

Here's an excellent, clear summary of main points in the Schools White paper   With thanks to fellow Tweeter at www.twitter.com/schoolduggery

Pre-White Paper comment, articles, news items:

• John Humphrys asks what is wrong with UK schools    Just to jog your memory this article covers what Humphrys looked at in his recent television documentary (the documentary can no longer be watched, however). 
• Weak teachers the weakest point in the schools    Is Ofsted right? Jeevan Vasagar, Guardian Education Editor looks at the recent Ofsted report
• Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) is concerned that Pupil Premium funds may not reach the right pupils   The IPPR is concerned that schools may use the funds to support the most able students. It recommends the money should provide FSM children with catch-up tuition or one-to-one teaching to stretch the most able pupils. 

Post-White Paper comment, articles, news items:

• Six weeks of consultation, plus intense lobbying to continue around school controls, freedoms and standards.   Angela Harrison, BBC Education Correspondent’s, analysis of 'Back to the Future’s' proposed reforms
• The shadow education and Union view on Teachers' TV
  
• Out with targets, in with a stricter target, soldiers in the classrooms, and teachers' views of Ofsted   Zoe Williams in Comment is free (Guardian).
• Toxic target culture to make way for fun and enjoyment   Graeme Paton, Education Editor, The Telegraph.   
• 400 schools could be taken over if they don't come up to scratch   Graeme Paton, Education Editor, The Telegraph.     
• Learning a language to be compulsory   Andrew Porter, Robert Winnett and Graeme Paton, The Telegraph.  
• Academy orders, governing bodies, is this really localism…?   Warwick Mansell, The Guardian.
• Teaching the whitehall way  (Guardian editorial)

 

Should we train the 'Small Society' to help sustain some extended services?   Here’s a brilliant example of participatory budgeting in action in Walsall. Could more clusters of schools engage children in making decisions about how to spend funds pooled by their schools to give them wider learning/out-of-school-hours opportunities? Children in Walsall gained confidence through learning the attitudes and skills that make up good citizenship. They learnt to negotiate, filter and sort priorities, manage their own and their peers' expectations, be fair, speak in front of groups about their ideas, use a matrix system to think through ideas, do budgetary calculations, use voting in decision-making and work in teams. (Also in Library under: Sustainability: new ways to deliver extended services, including social enterprise models)

Ofsted Annual Report 2009/2010   Ofsted's summary of UK inspections taken between September 2009 and August 2010, giving an overall view of current school standards and practices. (from section: School improvement). See also Mike Baker's analysis of the figures.

Poverty's silver lining    'You don’t need to worry about enough money, you don’t need to worry about if you have enough, if you’re running out of money, you just know you have none.' Boy aged 9, Northern Ireland in Speaking out against poverty: Voices of children living in disadvantaged areas from Save the Children. 

The changing role of local authorities   With the reforms in children's services and education, councils will have to redefine their raison d'etre. (from section: Articles)

Build something in a time of destruction   A-level student Suriyah Bi, while studying, also runs her own business. 

Mike Baker's view of spending cuts    Mike argues that some services will always need to be centrally funded. Among others, he has focused on Teachers TV and School Sport Partnerships. You might also like to read his predictions for the education white paper being announced next week.

Run for the hills! here comes the tsunami    (... of data, that is. Remember? the Coalition government has sworn to release a tsunami of government data and here it comes now.) You can now use Mathhew Wall's (the Guardian) data explorer app to analyse everything every government department has spent costing over £25,000. Have fun.

What you need to know about the social enterprise and social value (Public Services) Bill    Mark Cook decodes social enterprise jargon in this Bill and reveals the 'big questions' and 'big opportunities' it presents. Crucially, for extended services, the Bill enables 'social and environmental well-being to be considered each time a public procurement excercise is undertaken'. Mark explains why the law will be an asset. (Also in Library under: Sustainability: new ways to deliver extended services, including social enterprise models)

Advice about setting up a social enterprise   And here are some more useful links. (Also in Library under: Sustainability: new ways to deliver extended services, including social enterprise models) 

Social Enterprise Coalition: children and young people Read about the coalition's work in relation to social enterprises within the Children and young people's services sector. (Also in Library under: Sustainability: new ways to deliver extended services, including social enterprise models) 

 

Social enterprise case studies   Here is a list of some of the most interesting social enterprises in the UK.

Social Enterprises: a useful factsheet   This fact sheet explains the ins and outs of various social enterprise models. For example: 'Social enterprises include both non-profits that use business models to pursue their ambitions and for-profits whose primary purposes are social. This fact sheet explains the ins and outs of various social enterprise models.' (Produced by www.communitychannel.org.) (Also in Library under: Sustainability: new ways to deliver extended services, including social enterprise models)

John Lewis Partnership model for social enterprise   Read about this model and download the report, Model Growth: Do employee-owned businesses deliver sustainable performance? by Professor Joseph Lampel and Dr Ajay Bhalla (Cass Business School) and Dr Pushkar Jha (Newcastle University Business School). The repot was produced with support from the Employee Ownership Association, which represents companies wholly or substantially owned by their employees - such as the John Lewis Partnership. (Go to the bottom of the page to download the report.) (Also in Library section: Sustainability: new ways to deliver extended services, including social enterprise models.)

Making employee ownership work: a benchmark guide   This is a very user-friendly report offering guidance to help co-owned companies or social enterprises handle key performance issues such as employee engagement, reward, governance, culture, and social responsibility. (Produced by the Employee Ownership Association.) (Also in Library section: Sustainability: new ways to deliver extended services, including social enterprise models.)

Follow that money...   Here's one headteacher's take on where choosing academyhood might take schools.

Henry Morris on the village college - precursor to community schools and extended schools       'The Village college ... would create out of discrete elements an organic whole; the vitality of the constituent elements would be preserved, and not destroyed, but the unity they would form would be a new thing. For, as in the case of all organic unities, the whole is greater than the mere sum of the parts. It would be a true social synthesis - it would take existing and live elements and bring them into a new and unique relationship.'

Schools: tackling child poverty & social disadvantage through a community focus   This ContinYou Cymru guide to how schools can start on this issue also contains case studies from Wales that can be applied elsewhere. (from section: Child poverty)

Child Poverty Solutions   Find out how Save the Children is supporting Wales' efforts to address child poverty. (The Children and Families (Wales) Measure is now Welsh law and places a duty on public bodies, including local authorities, to address child poverty. Read more here.

First, a deputy headteacher. Now... discipline guru?   You may recall Katharine Birbalsingh, a deputy head from an inner city London school, who wowed the Conservative Party Conference audiences recently. Standing ovation, no less. Katharine believes: 'Children need to be allowed to fail so that in the end they can succeed.' Discuss. You can also listen to her debating her position on BBC Radio 4 in this recent broadcast.

Leather-bound sausage anyone?    Read this delightful tale of the history of the hot school dinner and people's memories of theirs. Spam fritters make turkey twizzlers look like the latest health fad: 'A coating of inedible, rock hard batter struggling to stay in contact with a semi-congealed mass of reconstituted meat of dubious origin, invariably served with beans that must have been roasted to be that hard, in a sauce of a vaguely orange colour which purported to be tomato flavour. That and the con that was parsnip chips. Oh, and leather-bound sausages... '

Extended schools: the historical context   Here is an excellent potted history, with references for more information, of the origins of the idea of putting schools at the centre of their communities to provide more than curriculum education to children.

Cutting it: Big Society and the new austerity   Watch this video to hear the best and clearest (so far) exposition and critique of the Big Society idea by three people:
Anna Coote, Head of Social Policy at new economics foundation (an analysis);
Jonty Olliff-Cooper, director of policy and strategy, A4e and member of the steering group of the Big Society Network (who gives an explanation from the government's viewpoint); and
Patrick Butler, Editor of society, health and education policy, The Guardian (who gives a critique of the Big Society idea). 
Read the nef report here.

 

(Also in News & Events: Big Society: reports, research, analysis and in Library: Videos and podcasts)

Children's trusts in an age of austerity   A speech by Marion Davis, president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services, given at the National Children and Adult Services Conference in early November. (from section: Partnership-working)

Admissions policy at the West London Free School   Toby Young, Fiona Millar and Francis Gilbert of the Local Schools Network debate how admissions are going to work at the much-publicised free school. (from section: Free schools)

Involving fathers in their children's education   Paul Ainsworth's article offers recommendations from his experience of creating an environment for confidence-building activities involving fathers. (from section: Parent support)

Improving outcomes for children and young people through partnership in Children’s Trusts   This summary of Ofsted's report includes the key features of good practice found in six local authorities. The report found strong commitments to early intervention and prevention, evidence of services being redesigned around the needs of children and their families, and a range of integrated services in which professionals were clear about the benefits of joint working. (from section: Partnership-working)

Will the Coalition succeed where others have failed?   Chief political correspondent for the BBC, Norman Smith looks at why every government that has tried to reform welfare has failed, so far.

Community National Service   Inventor of the Big Yellow Tea Pot toy, Sir Torquil Norman talks about his idea for ending welfare dependency. (Short video).

School Sport Partnerships  Their benefits to young people and the impact of cuts on their future (from member Jancis Walker)

Commissioning and the Big Society   Community Matters has released a guide in which the Kindle partnership urges service commissioners to work more closely with small and medium-sized community organisations.

Here is the guide: Commissioning and the Big Society: the role of the community sector
And here is another guide from Community Matters: Talking Trusts: Commissioning and the community sector   (Also in News & Events: Big Society: Reports, research, analysis and practical guidance)

Sutton Trust report highlights links between behaviour and disadvantage.   Behaviour problems are significantly more common among children from disadvantaged backgrounds – and are strongly apparent in the pre-school years - according to the preliminary findings of new research commissioned by the Sutton Trust from Dr Liz Washbrook of Bristol University (released in late October 2010).

 

Embedding human rights at the heart of the curriculum improves attainment   A Unicef UK report sets out the results of a three year evaluation showing how the Rights Respecting School Award has improved behaviour, improved teacher-pupil relations, reduced exclusions and increased attainment.

Every Teacher Matters   A new research report from the Reform think tank. The Summary of existing arrangements, government plans and Reform proposals listed in a table on page 40 illuminates Reform's thinking. (Also in News and Events:  Academies, free schools, charter schools, chain schools... what's the difference?)

Exile on Moan Street Blog    Read the Moan's take on the idea of offering Big Society participants with reward cards. (Also in Big Society: Reports, research, analysis)

House of Lords: Education: Pupils and Young People    Debate 28 October 2010, 11:37 am, to call attention to the case for providing excellence in education for all pupils and young people. Moved by Baroness Perry of Southwark. Baroness Sharp of Guildford (Liberal Democrat): '[extra-curricular] ... activities provide young people with all the attributes which the CBI is looking for, such as the ability to communicate and to work as part of a team with all kinds of different people. Therefore, sufficient money should be allocated to enable extra-curricular activities to be provided.'

The Beyond Text strategic programme   A fascinating programme of research which recognises that economic and political control of all digital forms of communication – performances, sounds, images and objects – which swirl around the globe in split seconds, every split second –  is a key economic and legal question with ‘long historical roots’. If you are running a Pyramid Club, for example, you might be interested in The embodied emotions project. (There are videos linked to each project too). (Also in Library:  Well-being: Promoting the well-being of children...)

Do the poor have the right to live in expensive areas?   Jon Kelly rounds up the heated 'for' and 'against' arguments in BBC Magazine.

Mark Johnson: rehabilitation man   A very powerful interview with the founder of User Voice, the charity helping the voices of youth offenders to be heard. (from section: Interviews)

Time for a fresh start   This report of the Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour argues for a fresh start in the way UK's society and institutions deal with youth crime. It wants to see the choice of interventions and sanctions guided by an understanding of children's welfare needs. (Also in Library: Reaching hard to reach groups)

Making Amends: restorative youth justice in Northern Ireland    The Youth Justice Board of England and Wales wants to place restorative justice at the heart of the youth justice system. This report by Jessica Jacobson and Penelope Gibbs sets out implications for England and Wales of using the restorative justice methods that Northern Ireland has adopted. The report is published by the Prison Reform Trust (www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk) and The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund (www.theworkcontinues.org). (Also in Library: Reaching hard to reach groups)

Finding a way back   Extended services should be a cornerstone of alternative provision in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs). Vivien Janes, a former head of a PRU and now member of the Learning Exchange says extended services motivate disengaged pupils and can provide a route back to mainstream education. Read her article in ETC Magazine Issue 10 September 2008. (Also in Library: Reaching hard to reach groups)

Arne Duncan, Barack Obama's education secretary supports coalition's school reform plans   Mr Duncan views the pupil premium as an honest attempt to tackle poverty. He has a bigger budget that any previous US education secretary - for example, New York alone got nearly US$700m (£437m) when it had adopted a new system for evaluating teachers that took students' test performances into account.

Are free schools a disaster?   Phil Beadle takes his usual wry stance - the comments on the article are heated... (Also in Academies, free schools, charter schools, chain schools - what's the difference?)

The liberalisation of education needn't be about left and right   Here's a heated discussion on The Adam Smith Institute blog - one of the comments makes a moot point about the blogger's choice of language.  

Freeing Schools: Shaping the Big Society   A report from Antidote urging policymakers to give schools more freedom and to tackle wasteful, ineffectual strategies. (Also in Big Society: Research and analysis)

Should under-fives be given literacy lessons?   An article looking at the government's EYFS review and the concern over reduced 'learning through play'. (from section: Articles)

Britain's Street Kids   Channel4's Dispatches explores the world of runaway and evicted teenagers, looking at the causes of their problems and how they deal with them. Available to view on 4OD until 30 November. (from section: Videos)

Creative Partnerships   Browse through some of the splendid work that has been achieved in schools with Creative Partnerships funding, which has, sad to say, now been cut.

 

Small Schools, Big Communities: Village Schools and Extended Services   A Capacity report for the Commission for Rural Communities which emphasises the important lifelines that extended services provide to more remote residential areas. (from section: Rural issues)

Extended services subsidy pathfinder in schools: evaluation   The DfE's 2010 report on the uptake of the disadvantage subsidy and its use within extended services. (from section: Disadvantage)

 

Coping with cuts   The NCVO has summarised a useful collection of articles covering advice about how voluntary organisations can respond to and cope with spending cuts. 

Every Child Matters: Change for Children – An Overview of Cross Government Guidance   This is the cross-government guidance under the Children's Act 2004, which places a 'duty to co-operate' on district councils, the police, the Probation Board, the Youth Offending Team, the Strategic Health Authority and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), Connexions partnerships, and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The role of schools in relation to the duty to co-operate is set out in the guidance the document refers to. Until further notice, this is the legal framework underwhich the Department for Education operates. (from section: Key documents)

 

Young care leavers interview Tim Loughton   The Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families is interviewed by five young people about the key care issues that affect them. (from section: Videos)

Clear communication of purpose is key to how small charities can engage with the Big Society.    That could well include groups of cluster managers who have constituted themselves as charities or even social enterprise organisations to continue managing and developing extended and other services for schools. Dean Russell, director of Digital Fleishman-Hillard and a Conservative district councillor points out, among other things, that charities need to start, now, defining what they offer in terms of economic value, sustainability and results - alongside fundraising and campaigning activities. If they do this properly, they could have a role in defining the Big Society as well as surviving in it. (Also in Library: Sustainability)

No excuses for poverty   Alison Garnham believes we have no excuses in the UK for not ending child poverty in the UK by 2010 (also in Interviews and Profiles)

Why Fathers Matter to their Children's Literacy   The National Literacy Trust's literature review on how fathers are involved in their children's literacy practices and the influence this has. (from sections: Family support)

Hours of Opportunity   This three-volume report from the Wallace Foundation presents lessons from five cities on building systems to improve outside-of-school-hours programmes, and how to use data and a systems approach to improve after-school programmes. (from sections: Study support; Partnership working)

Free schools and teacher qualifications   A segment from Radio4's Today programme with the general secretary of the NUT and the director of the New Schools Network discussing just how 'free' free schools will be. (from section: Videos)

Feeling Good: Supporting resilience in young people in Foyers in England   The Foyer Federation's report offers universal recommendations for aiding vulnerable young people in care. (from section: Well-being)

Partner with each other or private providers   That's the advice to charities from the New Philanthropic Capital think tank - that is, if they want commissioners to see them as offering attractive services. The think tank expects funding in the third sector to drop by between £3.2bn and £5.1bn and the gap is too big for trusts and foundations, public or philanthropic funding to fill. To get through this, charities must look beyond their normal support base for new alliances. (also on the Funding know-how page).  

How the cuts will hit Leeds   A parents' support adviser, a community services co-ordinator and a member of the UK Youth Parliament give their views about the Spending Review in this Guardian video. (from section: Videos)

Roundtable discussion organised by European Association of Planned Giving says review of the Charities Act in the new year essential   New models for giving and new definitions of charity, business and social enterprise are needed in order to leverage the potentially game-changing effect of the 'Big Society'. But Joe Saxton of nfpSynergy, in comments under this article, is amazed that no fundraisers have been included in this conversation.

Academies in Detail   Mike Baker visits some of the newly-converted academies and finds out what differences they've experienced. (from section: Videos)

Fairness, reform and growth   Visit Number 10 to find out more about the spending review. Also visit the Treasury  

 

Education and the Spending Review   A lucid breakdown from RM Education that analyses figures and uses evidence from other sources. (from section: Articles)

The pupil premium and extended services   Ian Shires, councillor for Willenhall North Ward, does some maths and wonders whether the pupil premium can will ever score more than 23 per cent. (from section: Articles)

Spending Review: watch the small print   Mike Baker dissects the announcement about the schools budget being protected and analyses the reality of the likely outcomes. (from section: Articles)

The Careers Profession Task Force report: Towards a Strong Careers Profession   The report is out now. Not before time, with reports of bogus career advisers by the media. You can download it from the Department for Education website. (from section: News)

Oral questions to the Department for Education: 11 October 2010

Restorative Justice in schools   An RSA videoed talk about how restorative justice works in schools, with examples. (On Teachers TV)

Education policy at the party conferences   Mike Baker's video looks up the moves in education discussed at this year's conferences. (from section: Videos)

What is to be gained through partnership?    A new report from the Education and Employers Taskforce details evidence about the benefits to young people, schools and employers of education and employer engagement. The report shows that the majority of robust studies show a positive impact on pupil attainment.

An example of the Big Society at work   CLARITY exists to create opportunities for blind and disabled people by offering 'Skills for Life' training programmes, NVQs, literacy, numeracy and IT courses as well as full-time employment in its King's Cross factory. 

The Civil Effect   This ResPublica report offers a radical rethink of public services commissioning. Read the full report here. (from section: Big Society reports)

CYP Now guide to Coalition Education reforms   By Lauren Higgs

Grasping the nettle: early intervention for children, families and communities   C4EO's report on the challenges and opportunities of early intervention, based on effective local, national and international practice. (from section: Early intervention)

The man who inspired Obama's 'promise neighbourhoods'   Geoff Canada, founder of the Harlem Children's Zone, talks on an American Progress panel about his work in the Harlem Children Zone. And here, he speaks at the Conservative Party Conference 2010, putting the 'supply side of education' into terrifying perspective.  Also, in conversation with Charlie Rose in 2008. And here, listen to some of the people involved in the Harlem Children Zone. (From section: Videos)

A bridge across the education divide   An article about how Bonner Primary School in Tower Hamlets, one of the UK's most deprived and multicultural areas, has turned its fortunes around and is now one of the top performing primary schools in the the country. (from section: Articles)

 

Restorative Justice in schools   A videod RSA talk about how restorative justice works in schools. (From section: Videos)

Thinking of Becoming an Academy?   A series of TeachersTV videos where well-known academy headteachers explain how the status affects different aspects of running a school. (from sections: Videos; Academies)

Cuts to care leavers: the voice of experience   This Guardian article is by Dawn Howley, a volunteer for Kids Company who was in care herself from age 14 to 18. (from section: Articles)

We can't afford to wait until they reach school age   Frank Field MP, head of the Independent Review on Poverty and Life Chances, gives his opinion on how to help disadvantaged children. (from sections: Early intervention; Child poverty)

 

 

Should schools be told how to spend the pupil premium?   Four key players give their opinion. (from section: Articles)

Will Sharon's granddaughter eventually turn up with her baby too?     The number-crunching has been done to show how much could be saved over the next 20 years with serious investment in early intervention and prevention strategies - £486billion - or £24.3billion per year). Read this interview with Graham Allen, Chair of the Indpendent Commission on Early intervention in which he calls for a new organisation that would test early intervention using rigorous methodologies. (This item is also on the Profiles page in News). (To find out about the New Economics Foundation research, log into the Learning Exchange and read Paddy O'Dea's blog Continued early intervention and preventative work: it's a no-brainer). Also read: Ravi Chandiramani's editorial in which, once again, he makes a case for continued collaboration and joint working, though he thinks Graham Allen's intervention could be too late.

Family Policy and the new government: 2010    Recommendations from the Family and Parenting Institute on how the new government could approach family policy when considering cuts.

Private v state: here's how to bridge the educational divide   It's the parents least committed to their children who determine quality. Read this controversial article published in The Independent in January 2010. If you are interested in Professor Collier's ideas, you may wish to attend Bridging The Educational Divide, a Policy Exchange event at the Ideas Space in London (10 Storey's Gate, Westminster SW1p 3AY) on 11 October 2010, starting at 6.30 (registration at 6pm). Professor Collier is Professor of Development and Globalisation Economics at Oxford University; he has authored several bestsellers, including The Bottom Billion and The Plundered Planet. If you wish to attend, please email events@policyexchange.org.uk

The Classroom Experiment   Two-part BBC documentary about Professor Dylan William's radical application of unusual classroom rules to improve the quality of teaching for all pupils. Available on iPlayer until 5 October. (from section: Videos)

Welfare-to-work reform: devolve power to Local Enterprise Partnerships    Think tank ippr says getting people off welfare and into work requires effort at the most develoved, local level possible. Schemes are more likely to be successful if people who run them have really good local knowledge. (Also on www.schoolgates.org.uk in news section)

'I love a challenge'   An article about headteachers whose passion for transforming schools leads them onto paths where others fear to tread. (from section: Articles)

Class of 2010   32 per cent of male graduates in Endsleigh/Demos study say they would give up their careers to stay at home to look after their children.

Unequal Opportunities   Part of the BBC's School Season. John Humphrys examines the attainment gap between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils by travelling around the country and visiting different types of school. Available on iPlayer until 5 October. (from section: Videos)

School libraries: a plan for improvement   A report from the National Literacy Trust that advocates sharing library services amongst school clusters to improve pupil literacy and attainment. (from section: Partnership working)

Evidence-based policy research in straitened times   Nigel Meager, Director of the Institute of Employment Studies, makes the case for 'robust, timely and accessible evidence of "what works" and what offers best value for money'. (from section: Articles)

Inside an academy   A visit to Petchey Academy in east London to see how it is improving prospects for its pupils. (from section: Free schools and academies)

Think Big Society   Six leading public sector figures explain what they think the Big Society will mean. (from section: Big Society articles)

Northern Ireland: good news about extended schools    In the July 2010 Evaluation of Extended Schools, the top comment by evaluators was: 'In most of the schools visited, the quality of Extended Schools is good or better, and in a majority is very good or better'. (from section: Key documents)

My Life Inside a Suitcase   A personal short film offering insight into the life and emotions of a girl who has lived in care since she was one. (from section: Videos)

Top of the class   A look at how Teach First lures graduates into teaching at inner-city schools. (from section: Articles)

Flirt? Fantasise? Play? It's all more than just plain fun   A pioneer in research on play, Dr. Stuart Brown, pioneer play researcher says we should keep up humor, games, roughhousing, flirtation and fantasy - it'll keep us smart at any age. (from section: Videos)

Was David Davis right about the Big Society?   The Co-operative News examines the accuracy of the former Tory leadership contender's comment that 'the corollary of the big society is the smaller state'. (from section: Big Society articles)

How inclusive are we: an audit tool   Here is a useful tool from Warrington Council that helps you check how inclusive your planned holiday activities or programmes are. (Also on Holiday Activities Pilot page in the Library)

Why we're setting up free schools   Two free school pioneers describe their aims and hopes. (from section: Free schools and academies)

Gareth Malone's Extraordinary School for Boys   Documentary series following an experimental teacher who tries to bring risk, competition and adventure back into lessons. The first episode is available to view on BBC iPlayer until 30 September. (from section: Videos)

Interview with Mick Waters   Thought to have influenced secondary schooling more profoundly than anyone in the past 20 years, Mick Waters is 'cautiously pessimistic' about the future with so much emphasis by policy makers on knowledge, knowing facts. While he thinks that's okay, he feels strongly that it's more important to make children 'well disposed to learning'... (from section: Interviews)

Investing in Social Growth: Can the Big Society be more than a slogan?   The Young Foundation's report contains a ten-point plan with practical examples on how the Big Society can be made tangible and useful, and warns that grassroots groups are likely to bear the brunt of public spending cutbacks unless their budgets are ring-fenced. (from section: Big Society)

Rural Schools Report: Village schools - what future?   Have a look at some case studies gathered by the Eastern Leadership Centre and the Department for Education (formerly DCSF), showing how executive headships, federations and trusts can strengthen leadership and improve learning opportunities for pupils. Wider-based school communities could also increase efficiency and improve the long-term viability of small schools. (from section: Rural issues)

Equality Act 2010: What do I need to know?   What voluntary and community organisations (and others) need to know about the Equality Act 2010, which becomes law in October. (from section: Key documents)

 

 

The Child-Driven Education   In this enlightening TED video, education scientist Sugata Mistra talks about his experiments across the world to get disadvantaged children teaching themselves an astonishing range of information through self-supervised access to the web. (from section: Videos)

Will social enterprise be the Big Society's fall guy?    The 'big society' could end up making public services feel more engaged in deciding how those service are to be run, staff more committed to the services they provide, the public more in control and less alienated from society. But it could just as easily create a two-tiered system of services... (from section: Big Society)

Interview with Dr Sarah Aitken   The consultant offers advice on the simple things that schools can do to help reduce child poverty. (from section: Interviews)

It must be more than a professional feelgood exercise   Ryan Shorthouse in The Guardian looks at how affluence may effect who will volunteer in the Big Society. (from section: Big Society)

The expense of after-school clubs   Video report about Save The Children's drive to get more funding for activities so that less children miss out. (from section: Videos)

The school with no headteacher   Palmer Park Preparatory Academy in Detroit in the USA is the site of an ambitious experiment where teachers rule the school. (from section: Articles)

Why children need to engage outside with nature   A look at so-called "nature deficit disorder" and the detrimental effects on health and development for children who do not get to interact with nature. (from section: Play)

Can banded admissions help schools become fairer?   An article looking at the proposals by Martin Narey of Barnardo's for an admissions system that could redress the balance and help disadvantaged children. (from section: Articles)

School finance: how to stay out of the red   An article on the rocky financial road ahead, with one school offering up its finances for an analysis into how to survive. (from section: Funding know-how)

Try our whiteboards   Download the latest Bulletin magazine to read about how Chatham Grammar School for Boys has been working with community language schools (also known as supplementary schools) in Medway. Partnership working is now a two-way street, flowing with rich benefits for pupils and teachers alike: international days, football tournaments, and sharing traditional food, training courses – even interactive whiteboards. (from section: Supplementary schools)

Relative poverty across Scottish Local Authorities   An August 2010 publication with official figures from the Scottish government about the distribution of income and relative poverty across Scotland. (from section: Child poverty)

Double class learning with daily exercise and no grades   An article about Professor Dylan William who tried out his experimental theories to great success in a new documentary coming soon to BBC2. (from section: Articles)

The links between shame and poverty   Article on a new major study that hopes to help encourage anti-poverty policies around the world to focus on human dignity. (from section: Child poverty)

DCLG Structural Reform Plan   Set out in July 2010, this is the government's plan to free local councils and communities from centralised governance. (from sections: Locality working & Total Place)

Growing Unequal? Income Distribution and Poverty in OECD Countries   A 2008 report on poverty with emphasis on younger generations and possible methods of tackling the problem. (from section: Child poverty)

Breakthrough in Oldham   A 2006 film about the efforts to connect primary schools in racially-segrated Oldham through the LEA's linking project. (from section: Videos)

What will 'independence really mean for academies?   Tom Clark comments in The Guardian that the Academies Act may be more centralising than it first appears. (from Library section: Articles)

The dramatic results of early intervention   With a review of early intervention schemes now underway, this article and video take a look at their impact and how they are being invested in. (from section: Early intervention)

Why milk matters   The recent rethink over cutting milk for schoolchildren is good news for us all. (from Library section: Articles)

Tam Fry fronts up to the fryers   As spokesman for the national obesity forum and founder of the child growth foundation, Tam advises headteachers on how to promote  healthy eating with the House of Munch. (from Library section: Health)

Commissioning support for schools   Schools that opt for separating from local authority control in this new era of academies and free schools will need the best commissioning advice available.  The Commissioning Support Programme can help schools to achieve better outcomes for children, young people and their families. The site includes access to an online community.