Several announcements have been made in the last few days about the future of everything school-related. From funding of places to testing in primary and functional skills for teenagers – there is lots to take in and lots of “consultation” still to take place. Rather than wading through all the announcements, documentation and complex reports from the DfE, here are some links to some of the best written summaries and commentaries – for anyone who wants to read them!
Primary:
We at MagiKats HQ always enjoy reading posts from teacher and blogger Michael Tidd. He has provided a useful summary (and his initial thoughts) on the changes announced for primary education (thank you Michael): https://michaelt1979.wordpress.com/2017/09/14/primary-assessment-changes-again/
The BBC have focused on the changes for 7-year-olds: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-41274741
Functional skills:
At the other end of the education system, the consultation period has started for reformed functional skills tests, due to be introduced in 2019. Here is comment from Julia Belgutay and the TES: https://www.tes.com/news/further-education/breaking-news/phonics-included-reformed-functional-skills
School funding:
Often a controversial topic, schools have becoming increasingly creative when it comes to raising more funds. The latest changes announced by the government are summarised here by the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41269926
Further comment from Charlotte Santry and the TES focus on the impact on secondary pupils: https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/exclusive-no-guarantee-secondaries-will-receive-pupil-funding
Summary:
Finally, Mark Lehain at the TES offers useful comment on everything: https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/five-reasons-im-pretty-darned-happy-about-latest-education
From the team at MagiKats HQ
