What’s been in the news this week?
- Families Need Fathers claims that thousands of parents falsely claim domestic abuse in order to access legal aid and stop estranged partners from seeing their children.
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Tros Gynnal Plant say that Gypsy and traveller children could be taken out of school by their parents if specialist support services are cut.
- The Sutton Trust say that nearly two thirds of young people would be interested in starting an apprenticeship instead of going to university. However many felt that the apprenticeship route was not being discussed as an option at school.
Teachers are still unlikely to recommend apprenticeships to their highest achieving pupils, indicating there is some way to go before vocational routes are given the same status as higher education routes.
- It pays to know your Shakespeare – The exam board OCR confused the family of a key character, Tybalt, in The Bard’s Romeo and Juliet, suggesting he is a Montague when in fact he is a Capulet. Ofqual has announced that it intends to fine OCR £175,000 – ouch!
- A survey by daynurseries.co.uk has found many nurseries are now banning pretend weapons from a fear that toy guns and swords can encourage aggression and violence. However, critics warn this controls children’s imaginative play.
- An innovative multi-million pound fund to boost the quality of education offered across the further education sector has been launched by Skills Minister Anne Milton.
- Amanda Spielman says that Ritalin use has more than doubled in the past ten years, warning that parents may be medicating their children instead of addressing behavioural problems. She told The Times,
The fact that it seems to have become the norm for a whole swathe of the social structure to medicate as a response to behavioural problems feels like a very big warning signal.