October November Monthly News Round up

This post has been written by Classroom Secrets


As we begin the descent to the end of the autumn term, an elephant stands firmly in the corner of the educational room. Another general election. The time now is key for finding the party that most closely aligns with your views on where the education system needs to go from here. This article gives a very succinct overview of the key issues in parliament from each party, not just education:

 

https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/general-election-2019-latest-party-policies-conservative-labour-lib-dems-brexit-taxes-education-821914

With the looming general election in mind, a statement was made by the education secretary that any schools affected by closures for use as polling stations will be reimbursed if they were due to hold a nativity or other Christmas celebration and have had to find an alternative venue (this was received with mixed reactions):

 

https://twitter.com/GavinWilliamson/status/1191799431584243713

https://www.tes.com/news/dfe-grinch-fund-save-xmas-plays-election

 

See an article here that suggests the need for such a fund:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/general-election-nativity-plays-christmas-concerts-schools-polling-stations-a9181256.html

 

There have been some very interesting opinions brought forward on the new OFSTED framework, unfortunately (but expectedly) somewhat negative, however there has been some insight into what ‘outstanding’ now looks like from the first school to receive the grading:

 

https://www.tes.com/news/how-get-outstanding-grade-new-ofsted-regime

https://www.tes.com/news/exhausted-teachers-terrorised-nonsensical-ofsted

https://www.tes.com/news/startling-and-systematic-bias-ofsted-ratings

 

On the somewhat lighter side of education news that ties in nicely with a recent blog post on ‘The Daily Mile’, The wildlife trust posted the results of a recent study, stating that children need to spend an hour a day in nature to enrich their learning experiences as well as to help them form bonds with their classmates. Although it’s not always feasible, it’s something to keep in mind, as I know as a class teacher, I didn’t take my class outside nearly enough (which links beautifully to another recent blog post on the importance of outdoor learning):

 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/07/children-should-spend-an-hour-a-day-in-wild-says-wildlife-trusts

 

Most importantly, remember, only ONE more news round up until the end of the autumn term! You can do it!

 

Have you seen anything recently in the education news bubble that stands out? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Ellan Winter is a proofreader and also the lead blogger here at Classroom Secrets. In her spare time, when she is not sprinting after her incredibly active toddler, she loves learning languages and reading anything non-fiction, particularly around science, education, medicine or anything language related. Ellan obtained her BSc (hons) in Forensic and Analytical Science in 2013 and then qualified as a teacher in 2014 with a PGCE in secondary science (chemistry). She worked across Key Stages 2-5 in a number of settings before leaving teaching for her current role.