FE funding fears
Major funding cuts in further education could hit London teenagers disproportionately, local authorities have warned. London Councils, which represents all 32 local authorities in the city, says that the 17.5 per cent cut for all full-time 18-year-olds will hit the capital hard as it has more learners of this age than anywhere else in the country. Youth unemployment is also higher in London than the national average.
The cut, due to take effect in September, will see funding for each 18-year-old set at £3,300 – 40 per cent less than that for GCSE students. The rate for 16 to 18-year-olds is set at 22 per cent less. Further education providers could lose as much as £700 per 18-year-old student.
Councillor Peter John from London Councils said: “This reduction will have serious, unintended consequences for young Londoners who need that extra helping hand to study or train. It will also put the development of structured three-year study programmes for post-16 students at risk.”
Curriculum design
Sir Tim Brighouse and Tim Leunig, the government’s advisor for its new Progress 8 league table reform, are to be among the speakers at a curriculum design conference being hosted by Whole Education on March 4. The event, Unleashing the Curriculum Designers in Us All, is aimed at helping schools to make the most of curriculum freedoms to deliver a broader, “whole education”. Visit: www.wholeeducation.org
Apprentice awards
The National Apprenticeship Awards are open for entries. The initiative seeks to recognise the country’s best apprentices and apprenticeship employers and offers regional and national awards. Categories cover Intermediate, Advanced and Higher apprentices as well as small, medium and large employers. They are organised by the National Apprenticeship Service. Visit: http://bit.ly/1nHs4UC
Human rights awards
Students have just over a week to get their entries in for Amnesty International’s Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year Awards. The competition invites entries tackling human rights themes and using various media, including reporting, photography, and song-writing. The awards are supported by SecEd and the Guardian Teacher Network and there are related teaching resources available. Visit: www.amnesty.org.uk/youthawards
We Need To Talk About Education
The educational challenges facing disadvantaged young people and their families are featured in a new book commissioned by Teach First. We Need To Talk About Education features a collection of portraits and experiences taken from interviews conducted by author Ben Faccini and photographer Greg Villalobos. It focuses on the socio-economic reasons why some children achieve their potential and others do not. The book is available online and costs £16.