Here are links to some of this week’s education-related news:

Schools:

• Ofsted have published their Annual Report 2011 which can be downloaded here. Various articles relating to the report have been published on the BBC, Guardian, TES and the Telegraph sites. The Schools Minister has also published his comments about the report.
• The TV chef Jamie Oliver has accused the Education Secretary Michael Gove of eroding healthy school food standards.
• Cities in England with high youth unemployment must do more to raise young people’s attainment in maths and English, a report says.
• History should be compulsory in England’s schools until the age of 16, argues historian Sir David Cannadine.
• The first ever national plan for music education has been launched by the Department for Education. It aims to ‘enable every child to have the chance to learn to play a musical instrument for at least a term and ideally for a year by transforming the way music is delivered to schools.’

Strike Action (30th November):

• Thousands of teachers in the UK have voted to strike over changes to their pensions and pay. However, Michael Gove warns unions that there’s no more money to fund an improved pension deal.
• Employers should allow staff to bring children to work where possible, during the public sector strike next week, David Cameron has said.
• A headteacher is preparing to draft in soldiers to keep her secondary school open during next week’s nationwide strikes.

Other News:

• The government has pledged to continue to provide free milk to all under-fives in the UK despite ordering a review of the scheme.
• Children are still at risk of “significant harm” in almost one in five council areas as social workers struggle to cope with mounting workloads, according to Ofsted.
• Thousands of teenagers are being consigned to the dole queue after leaving school with a poor grasp of the three-Rs, according to a report published today. However, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says a £1bn plan to provide subsidised work and training placements will “provide hope” to thousands of young people.
• Sports medicine specialists say governments across the UK have squandered the chance to create an Olympic legacy of fitness.
• Parents are dressing up their children in provocative clothes and allowing them to wear make-up and high heels because they lack traditional values, according to a leading headmistress.

Next week’s Teaching Events include:

• 21st to 27th November - Road Safety Week
• 30th November - St. Andrew’s Day
• 30th November - Computer Security Day
• 1st December - World AIDS Day
• 1st to 10th December - Great British Tea Party
• 2nd December - NSPCC Number Day
• 3rd December - Tree Dressing Day
• 3rd December - International Day of Persons with Disabilities

A report from Ofsted claims that some schools in England are struggling to teach citizenship properly. From the BBC report…

“…in some secondary schools, pupils have “important gaps” in their knowledge. However, inspectors say lessons have improved since they were made compulsory seven years ago.

The article goes on to say that…

“Often citizenship shared a timetable slot with Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, but the time allowed was “too little to do justice to either subject”, inspectors say.”

Image – Writing Exams

However, on the positive side…

“Ofsted chief inspector Christine Gilbert, said: “Citizenship is becoming a well established part of the school curriculum and this report highlights the ways in which schools are successfully promoting social responsibility, community involvement and political understanding.

“It is important that the good practice featured in the report is replicated more widely.”

How do you feel about the teaching of citizenship? Do your pupils have ‘important’ gaps in their knowledge? Is there too little time to do the subject justice?