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

Teaching:

• Quality feedback from teachers is more effective in raising grades than homework, uniforms and smaller classes, a Durham University study says.
• Poor teachers could be ousted from England’s schools within a term, under government plans to make it easier for heads to get rid of under-performing staff. Read the official report here.
• A rise in the number of support staff in the classroom has had “no impact” on standards, said a report published by the Sutton Trust charity. The study suggests that assistants can “positively affect” pupils’ attitudes towards education but may undermine lessons when used as a substitute for proper teachers.
• A cricket “dream school”, where luminaries of the sport take cricket-related lessons in a range of subjects, is being set up in London for a day.
• It could become “impossible” for young people in England to study music GCSE, if the English Baccalaureate is kept in its current form, a professional body for musicians says.

Admissions:

• Academies and free schools in England could be allowed to give priority to students from the poorest backgrounds when allocating places, under a new admissions code being published. Read the official information on the DFE site.
• A group of principals has called on schools to stop academic selection.
• Schools in Oldham are largely polarised along racial lines, research has found.

Behaviour / Attendance:

• Teenagers’ classroom behaviour is getting better rather than worse, according to a global study that places Japan at the top of the league.
• This report in the Telegraph examines corporal punishment in the US and around the world.
• The autumn-term truancy rate in England’s state schools in 2010 reached a five-year high, although overall absences continued to decrease.

Image - iStockphoto / ThinkStock

Exams:

• A new hi-tech weapon against those who cheat their way to exam success has been unveiled. The new computerised screening device flags up where candidates get the same scores in written answers.
• GCSEs and A-levels are in decline as more teenagers turn to practical courses in subjects such as food safety, sports coaching and health, official figures show.
• Exam boards could be fined for offering second-rate qualifications, the government’s exam standards regulator for England has warned.

Universities:

• Universities are recruiting overseas students in greater numbers – and not just to boost funds, they say, but to ensure a diverse student body.

Technology:

• Open University researchers say they have created an app which can help parents teach their children to read.
• Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wants young children to be allowed to use the social networking site.

Other News:

• US First Lady Michelle Obama has been reunited with a group of British schoolgirls she met during a previous visit to the UK.
• Parents looking for a more inclusive education for their child are opting for smaller prep schools.
• A reel of forgotten film has given an insight into life at a school for children with disabilities in North Yorkshire in the 1950s.
• A Devon girl is celebrating after her campaign to raise the age limit for mixed-sex teams from 11 to 13 was accepted by the Football Association.
• Almost one in three internships on a government website for graduate job-hunters this year has been unpaid, a Freedom of Information request shows.
• A quarter of the 1,600 children held in young offenders’ institutions (YOIs) in England and Wales have been in care, a report by prison inspectors has found.

I am currently working on a new version of the Teaching Events site and hope to have this online over the next few weeks.

Teachers TV has launched a nationwide competition to find TAs with Talent. They are looking for the gems of the classroom to feature in a special programme to be transmitted in the New Year.

They want to know about inspiring Teaching Assistants and what talent or skill they bring to their classroom or school. Do they run a fantastic school club? Are they a captivating story teller? Maybe they are a gifted musician that has transformed the school choir or productions?

The competition runs from now until 7th December 2009.  The panel of judges will shortlist three finalists, who will be visited in their schools in January 2010. Teachers TV will make a short video of each finalist and upload it to the Teachers TV Facebook page, where the audience will vote for an overall winner. Voting will open on 27th January 2010 and shall close on 8th February 2010.

All the details and terms and conditions can be found on our website at www.teachers.tv/ta.

Image - kindergarten, in session

A new report, which is highlighted on the BBC News site, states that pupils who are supported by teaching assistants make less progress than their classmates. The report explains that this isn’t the fault of the teaching assistants… it’s because those children spend less time with the teacher.

What is your experience? If you’re a teacher, how do you work with your TA to ensure that their support is used most effectively in the classroom? If you’re a teaching assistant, how do you feel about this report?