Posts tagged "Spending Review"

Spending Review: Where did the Axe fall?

Posted on October 25, 2010 by mabear | Comments (1)

Where did the spending review Axe fall as far as Education is concerned? All the spending review details published by the Institute of Fiscal Studies can be found at:

http://www.ifs.org.uk/projects/346.

For Education specifically, here are the details:

Graduates and Universities:

Under proposals released today by the Browne Review of higher education funding and student finance, graduates would expect to pay on average at least £5,300 more for their degree, according to analysis by IFS researchers. However, the lowest-earning graduates would be protected from the burden of increased debt and would actually pay less than under the current system.

Despite the proposed increase in tuition fees to £6,000 or above, universities would not be likely to see any benefit: they would need to charge fees of £7,000 or more in order to recoup their losses from proposed cuts in public funding. The real winner of the proposed reforms is the Exchequer, which would save up to £6,000 on the cost of a degree for each student. 

Download full version (PDF 428 KB)

A Progressive Graduate Tax?

Lord Browne’s recommendations for higher education funding have provoked controversy. The potential sharp increase in tuition fees has grabbed the headlines, but another proposed measure has also received considerable attention: increasing the interest rate on student loans to 2.2% above RPI inflation. There have also been criticisms of the review’s alleged lack of focus on the potential for a graduate tax. In this Observation, we explore both issues in some detail.

Full article at: http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/5307

Pupil Premium:

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg confirmed that the Government will introduce a ‘pupil premium’ in England. This will provide extra money to state schools for each pupil from a disadvantaged background.The Department for Education is currently consulting on the design of this pupil premium, and today IFS researchers publish their response to the consultation. Its two key conclusions are that:

  • Overall, it would be broadly ‘progressive’ in the sense that the average percentage increase in funding would be greater for schools that are more deprived;
  • But schools in more deprived areas would, under the proposed model, receive a smaller pupil premium than similarly-deprived schools in more affluent areas.

Luke Sibieta, a co-author of the report and a senior research economist at IFS, said:”The pupil premium proposed by the Government would be broadly progressive since more deprived schools have many more pupils who would attract additional funding. That the pupil premium should be higher in less deprived areas is hard to justify: it would widen inequalities in funding for deprived pupils, rather than reduce them. Attaching the same pupil premium to all disadvantaged pupils regardless of where they live would not only be simpler, it would also be more consistent with the Government’s stated objectives.”Download full version (PDF 824 KB)

Creativity in the Classroom

Posted on October 25, 2010 by mabear | Comments (1)

On Friday 15th October Adobe released a new research report which reveals the high value placed on creativity skills – such as creative thinking or the ability to present information in a creative and compelling way* – in school leavers by UK employers and University lecturers. Three quarters (77%) of those surveyed cite creativity as an essential or important skill, in addition to core skills such as numeracy and literacy.

Despite this, the research shows there is little evidence of it in students applying for jobs or University placements. 52% of University lecturers claim the majority of prospective undergraduates they interview do not demonstrate strong creativity skills, with one in five (20%) claiming just a few students can demonstrate this skill. This trend is even more pronounced in the workplace where the majority (74%) of employers say that ‘less than half’ the people they interview display these skills. Alarmingly, only 4% of employers and 10% of lecturers feel they see strong creativity displayed in all candidates.

Call to Action

Download the “Creativity in the Classroom” report from: www.adobe.com/go/creativity

Liz Wilkins, Senior Leader, Adobe Education UK comments: “Wedneday’s Spending Review revealed that whilst direct funding to schools will be protected, there will be a knock-on effect from the loss of key educational initiatives, such as Creative Partnerships which fosters long-term partnerships between schools and creative professionals. Initiatives such has this are likely to impact on creativity in learning. This is worrying when recent research from Adobe shows 77% of UK employers and University lecturers place high value on creativity in school leavers.

“Technology, when used effectively, will need to play an increasingly central role in helping schools to drive creativity, whilst also saving costs. For example, we work with schools who use online collaboration tools to bring experts such as painters or photographers into the classroom virtually, thereby removing the need to pay for travel costs or time. This same technology was used earlier this year to hold virtual lessons for children when the schools were closed due to the snow and other schools are using technology to host virtual assemblies.
 
Now is the time for schools to review their ICT provision to ensure they’re making the most effective use of it, to avoid being left behind in years to come.”

http://www.education-today.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/3343/Adobe_92s_response_to_the_spending_review.html