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Headteachers will find it much more difficult to exclude children they suspect of serious offences such as drug dealing, carrying a knife or violent bullying if a major legal challenge is successful in the High Court.Lawyers say that children accused of the most serious wrongdoing are not being given a ‘fair trial’ and that government [...]

Headteachers yesterday blamed school league tables for a dramatic decline in the number of children taking languages.As the government published the latest tables for GCSE and A-levels in England, John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said they created perverse incentives for schools to skew the curriculum for 14- and [...]

Nick Clegg will unveil plans to end state interference in schools this week as he moves to bury the Liberal Democrats’ traditional approach to public services.In his first keynote speech since becoming party leader, Clegg will challenge many of the party’s supporters in teaching and local government by issuing proposals which will “effectively take schools [...]

National curriculumKey stage bonanzaThe new national curriculum website from the QCA has comprehensive information on all new programmes of study at key stages 3 and 4 as well as guidance on curriculum planning. Besides subject-based resources, it carries sections on cross-curricular dimensions, personal development planning, functional skills and personal, learning and thinking skills. A range [...]

TV’s wannabe postgraduatesEach Friday, contestants in the Challenge house sit around nervously with cameras rolling, waiting to find out who’s up for eviction. There isn’t a Davina McCall in sight. And these contestants aren’t hankering after mere column inches and cash - they’re after a place at a UK university.The reality TV show is currently [...]

Every August, ministers are forced to answer claims that A-levels are getting easier. Though the government counters these charges robustly, it now accepts that the exams have become an inadequate proof of readiness for university.The suggested solution is an “extended project” (EP) that young people can do in addition to their A-level subjects. And it [...]

There are speakers in every corner, one boy from Wyndcliffe school, Birmingham, explained about the school’s podcasting radio station. “They are in every room; everybody can hear it, all around the school.” Then he thought and his eyes lit up: “And all over the world!”Many other children in the past year have experienced what technology [...]

I started playing football when I was seven. When I was 10, a scout for Queens Park Rangers saw me play at a football tournament. He approached my dad and offered me a six-week trial for their schoolboys’ team.I played for them until I was 16. It was a big commitment - training twice a [...]

The Moodle versus commercial learning platforms debate is set to grow throughout this year, particularly with recent surveys suggesting Moodle is now the number one platform in secondary schools and number three in primaries.Be that as it may, arguments are strong on both sides. Advocates of learning platforms, most proprietary, argue that the Building Schools [...]

I’m not really one for joyfully embracing the new year. The autumn was not a great one out-of-schoolwise, and I’m not without a drop of the seasonally affected disorder. Looking back over December it’s a tribute to teachers, children, friends and family that we not only got through, but had such a great term.A 16-week [...]