GOVERNMENT EDUCATION POLICY : THE IMPACT ON CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE :NASUWT THE TEACHER`S UNION

“I`VE LOST MY SURE START CHILDRENS CENTRE .”

SURE START CHILDREN`S CENTRES PROVIDE YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES WITH VITAL SUPPORT .SINCE THE COALITION GOVERNMENT CAME TO OFFICE IN 2010 HUNDREDS OF SURE START CHILDREN`S CENTRES HAVE BEEN CLOSED .

“I`M WORRIED I`LL LOSE MY SPECIAL NEEDS SUPPORT .”

THE COALITION GOVERNMENT PLANS TO CHANGE SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN) PROVISION FUNDING WILL NO LONGER BE `RING FENCED ` FOR USE ONLY ON PUPILS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS .SCHOOLS MAY USE IT FOR OTHER PURPOSES .

“I VE LOST MY TEACHER BECAUSE OF THE CUTS “

BETWEEN 2000 AND 2010 THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS INCREASED BY OVER 32,000 .SINCE 2010 ,AS A RESULT OF THE COALITION GOVERNMENT `S CUTS, THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS HAS ALREADY FALLEN BY OVER 10,000

“I`VE HAD MY ART, MUSIC , RE AND DRAMA LESSONS CUT “.

 IN 2010 THE COALITION GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED THE INTRODUCTION OF AN ENGLISH BACCALAUREATE (EBacc) THIS FOCUSES ON A NARROW RANGE OF SUBJECTS . ONLY EBacc SUBJECTS COUNT TOWARDS SCHOOL PERFORMANCE TABLES .AS A RESULT ,THE TIMETABLED TIME FOR NON-EBacc SUBJECTS SUCH AS ART, MUSIC, PE, RE, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY ,PSHE, AND DRAMA IS BEING CUT.

“I NO LONGER HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE TAUGHT BY A QUALIFIED TEACHER .”

SHORTLY AFTER COMING INTO OFFICE IN 2010 ,THE COALITION GOVERNMENT REMOVED THE REQUIREMENT FOR ACADEMIES AND FREE SCHOOLS TO APPOINT ONLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS . IN JULY 2012 ,THE COALITION GOVERNMENT REMOVED THIS REQUIREMENT FOR ALL SCHOOLS .

“I`VE LOST THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT I NEED TO STAY ON IN EDUCATION .”

THE EDUCATION MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCE (EMA) WAS INTRODUCED IN 2004 TO GIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 16-19 WHOSE FAMILIES HAVE LOW INCOMES .THE COALITION GOVERNMENT ABOLISHED THE EMA ,LEAVING THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE WITHOUT VITAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO REMAIN IN EDUCATION.

“I CAN`T FIND A JOB BECAUSE OF THE GOVERNMENTS ECONOMIC POLICY .”

SINCE THE COALITION GOVERNMENT TOOK OFFICE YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT HAS RISEN TO OVER A MILLION .HIGH LEVELS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE SERIOUS SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS AND WILL LEAD TO A LOST GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE .

“I CAN`T  AFFORD TO GO TO UNIVERSITY BECAUSE OF INCREASED TUITION FEES”.

BEFORE 2010 THERE WAS A CAP OF £3,000 ON UNIVERSITY FEES . SINCE 2010 THE COALITION GOVERNMENT HAS RAISED THE CAP TO £9,000 PER YEAR . A THREE YEAR DEGREE NOW COSTS AN AVERAGE OF £27,000 FOR THE TUITION FEES .

“I`M  WORRIED THAT MY CHILDHOOD WILL BE SPENT IN POVERTY .”

THE INSTITUTE FOR FISCAL STUDIES (IFS ) ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED THAT 400,000 MORE CHILDREN WOULD BE FORCED INTO POVERTY BETWEEN 2010 AND 2015 ,AS A RESULT OF THE COALITION GOVERNMENT`S SOCIAL POLICIES .THE ESTIMATE IS NOW THAT OVER 200,000 MORE CHILDREN WILL BE PLUNGED INTO POVERTY OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS ,WITH OVER ONE MILLION CHILDREN IN POVERTY BY 2020 ,AS A RESULT OF COALITION GOVERNMENT POLICIES .

THERE IS A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN POVERTY AND LOW EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT .BECAUSE OF THE COALITION GOVERNMENT`S AUSTERITY MEASURES ,THE LIFE CHANCES OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE ARE BEING SEVERELY DAMAGED.

EXCERPTS TAKEN FROM THE BOOKLET  : GOVERNMENT  EDUCATION POLICY  :THE IMPACT ON CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE . NASUWT THE TEACHERS UNION  . WEBSITE : WWW.NASUWT .ORG .UK  TELEPHONE : 0121 453 6150  E-MAIL : NASUWT @MAIL NASUWT .ORG. UK

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15000 DID NOT APPLY TO GO TO UNIVERSITY:GCSE GRADE STORM : FREE SCHOOL CASH WASTE : AND UNQUALIFIED TEACHERS : A LETTER FROM A CURIOUS PARENT .

A  NUMBER OF ARTICLES HAVE APPEARED  IN  NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS FOCUSED ON  CRISIS SITUATIONS  THAT HAVE COME TO THE FORE IN EDUCATION.  HERE ARE SOME EXCERPS FROM EACH . READ THEM IN FULL TO GAIN AN INSIGHT INTO WHAT IS HAPPENING NATIONALLY .

MISSING:15,000 DID NOT APPLY FOR UNIVERSITY AFTER FEES HIKE.

FROM THE GUARDIAN 9TH AUGUST 2012  BY JEEVAN VASGAR EDUCATION EDITOR

THE INCREASE IN TUITION FEES TO A MAXIMUM OF £9,000 A YEAR HAS LED TO A “CLEAR DROP” IN THE NUMBER OF ENGLISH STUDENTS APPLYING FOR UNIVERSITY PLACES THIS AUTUMN ,AN INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF THE COALITION`S  CONTROVERSIAL REFORM HAS FOUND.

THERE ARE 15000 “MISSING ” APPLICANTS WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPECTED TO HAVE SOUGHT A PLACE ON A DEGREE COURSE THIS ACADEMIC YEAR BUT DID NOT ,ACCORDING TO THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION ON FEES.

GOVE SET TO FACE GRILLING BY MPS OVER GCSE GRADES STORM .

FROM THE OBSERVER 2ND SEPTEMBER 2012  BY TOBY HELM  AND CONAL URQUHART

MPS  ARE POISED TO LAUNCH A CROSS -PARTY INQUIRY INTO THE GCSE MARKING FIASCO THIS WEEK AS THE DISPUTE OVER “GRADE DEFLATION ” THREATENS TO OVERSHADOW AND DISRUPT THE RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER THE HOLIDAYS.

THE PARTY INQUIRY THAT WOULD SUMMON THE EDUCATION SECRETARY MICHAEL GOVE TO GIVE EVIDENCE LOOKS ALL BUT INEVITABLE AFTER THE ONLY LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MP ON THE EDUCATION SELECT COMMITTEE ,DAVID WARD JOINED LABOUR AND TORY MPS IN SUPPORTING CALLS FOR AN INVESTIGATION.

MPS HAVE BEEN BOMBARDED WITH COMPLAINTS FROM FURIOUS TEACHERS AND PARENTS AFTER TENS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS ,WHO HAD BEEN EXPECTING C GRADES -THE CRUCIAL LEVEL FOR ENTRY ON TO MANY A-LEVEL AND FURTHER EDUCATION COURSES WERE UNEXPECTEDLY GIVEN D GRADES.

LESLEY DAVIES THE DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES ,SAID : THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT A STUDENTS ENGLISH GRADE CAN IMPACT ON WHAT THEY ARE PLANNING TO DO WITH THEIR LIVES.

GOVE IS ALSO UNDER PRESSURE TO SHOW THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF FREE SCHOOLS IS ON TRACK . SOME 51 OF THE SCHOOLS -ESTABLISHED BY PARENTS OR OTHERS IN RESPONSE TO LOCAL  DEMAND -WERE  DUE TO OPEN THIS WEEK .HOWEVER, 5 ON THE LIST ; PARKFIELD SCHOOL BOURNEMOUTH , COMPASS FREE SCHOOL SOUTHWARK, ONE IN A MILLION SCHOOL BRADFORD ,SWANAGE SCHOOL DORSET AND PIMLICO PRIMARY IN LONDON WILL NOT NOW OPEN.

GOVE ACCUSED OVER FREE SCHOOL CASH

FROM THE GUARDIAN 31ST AUGUST 2012 BY CAROLINE DAVIES

THE GOVERNMENT HAS WASTED AT LEAST £2.3 M ON FREE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE EITHER NOT OPENED OR LACKED LOCAL SUPPORT FROM PARENTS ,AND THE TRUE FIGURE COULD BE FAR HIGHER ,ACCORDING TO LABOUR.

ATTACKING THE EDUCATION SECRETARY MICHAEL GOVE ,AS “INCOMPETENT AND OUT OF TOUCH ” HIS LABOUR SHADOW ,STEPHEN TWIGG CALLED FOR FULL TRANSPARENCY OVER FUNDING FOR FREE SCHOOLS – ONE OF THE COALITION`S  FLAGSHIP REFORMS .

MICHAEL ROSEN LETTER FROM A CURIOUS PARENT.

FROM THE GUARDIAN 7TH AUGUST 2012 BY MICHAEL ROSEN

`UNQUALIFIED TEACHERS WILL OPERATE MACHINES IN THE MILLS THAT WILL MANUFACTURE THE SCHOOLED CHILDREN`

DEAR MR GOVE ,AS RUMOURS SWIRL ABOUT CONCERNING YOUR POSSIBLE DEPARTURE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ,IT`S DIFFICULT TO KNOW IF THIS IS AN END OF YEAR OR AN END OF SCHOOL REPORT.EITHER WAY ,PARENTS, PUPILS AND MOST PEOPLE WHO WORK IN EDUCATION STAY AT THE SCHOOL WHEEL LONGER THAN ANY SECRETARY OF STATE .WE SEE YOU COME AND GO LIKE SWALLOWS ,EACH ONE OF YOU DETERMINED TO MAKE YOUR MARK ON AN INSTITUTION  THAT IS MORE THAN CAPABLE OF MAKING IT`S OWN MARKS, IF GIVEN THE CHANCE.

SO IT IS THAT IT DOESN`T SEEM TO HAVE WORRIED THE FOURTH ESTATE TOO MUCH THAT YOU HAVE FOUND SOME SMALL PRINT THAT SEEMS TO GIVE YOU AND YOU ALONE THE POWER TO REMOVE LOCALLY ELECTED PEOPLE FROM  THE RUNNING  OF A SCHOOL , THAT YOU AND YOU ALONE BECOME THAT AUTHORITY ,NOR, UNDER COVER OF THE OLYMPIC HOO -HA ,HAVE JUST FUNDAMENTALLY ALTERED THE TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT OF TEACHERS . YOU HAVE UNLEASHED ON OUR CHILDREN A NEW GENRE : THE UNQUALIFIED TEACHER .MAYBE IN YOUR NEXT JOB YOU WILL FOLLOW THIS UP BY GIVING US UNQUALIFIED LAWYERS ,UNQUALIFIED SURVEYORS ,UNQUALIFIED STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS ,UNQUALIFIED NURSES AND UNQUALIFIED DOCTORS.

DISCUSS…….DISCUSS…..DISCUSS……DISCUSS…….DISCUSS…….DISCUSS……..DISCUSS……DISCUSS

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