We round-up the latest news affecting colleges.
Ofsted wants to start routine inspections of outstanding colleges
The Department of Education has started to consult on whether an exemption, introduced in 2012, which excluded outstanding colleges from routine inspections should be removed.
If the change goes ahead, it’ll affect around 3,700 schools and colleges who’re currently rated ‘outstanding’ in England.
The consultation closes at 5.00pm on 24 February 2020.
Ofsted’s grim verdict on SEND in England
According to Special Needs Jungle, Ofsted’s report about the state of special educational needs and disability (SEND) in England is troubling. The report indicates that pupils with SEND in mainstream schools ‘struggle to access good quality education’. Compared to pupils without SEND, they’re five times more likely to have a fixed-term exclusion and five times more likely to be permanently excluded from stated funded primary and secondary schools.
The report itself confirms that SEND inspections show a ‘decidedly mixed picture’ and a lack of coherence and coordination in SEND provisions across local areas.
Ofsted boss accuses colleges of ‘flooding’ the economy with arts and media students
Ofsted’s chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, said she’s unhappy that some colleges steer too many of their students towards “superficially attractive” arts and media courses where there are limited job opportunities.
This is the second time she’s made similar complaints. The first was during the 2018 Association of Colleges’ conference where she said colleges should focus on “matching skills to opportunities”.
Life-changing mentoring programme keeps children in school for longer
A three-year study into the impact of MCR Pathways – a mentoring scheme started in Glasgow’s secondary schools – has significantly improved the education outcomes for some of Scotland’s most disadvantaged young people.
The figures are impressive, with the number of disadvantaged pupils going on to university, college or getting a job increasing by 25%. This has led to calls for the mentoring scheme to be offered to every child from a care background in Scotland.
Migration Advisory Committee recommends that post-Brexit salary threshold should be reduced to £25,600
The Migration Advisory Committee has urged the government to reduce the salary threshold for skilled immigrants with a job offer to work in the UK from its current level of £30,000.
It believes this will boost the public sector and make it easier for organisations, such as schools and colleges, to recruit skilled teachers. The proposed new rate of £25,600 is slightly higher than the minimum starting salary of newly qualified teachers which is £24,965 in England and Wales.
Some teachers are already excluded from the £30,000 general threshold, including those who teach maths, physics, chemistry, computer sciences and Mandarin, and are subject to different rules.
One in 20 teachers have mental health problem lasting more than a year
According to the Guardian newspaper, new research published by the Nuffield Foundation reveals that around 5% of teachers are suffering long-term mental health problems. The study is based on data from 20,000 staff and examines the wellbeing of teaching professionals over a 30-year period.
The authors call on the Department of Education to commit to monitoring the mental health and wellbeing of teachers.
Sexual harassment victims asked to share their stories
The Government Equalities Office has launched a survey seeking the views of sexual harassment victims on laws designed to protect them.
The survey will go out to 12,200 people ‘from all walks of life’ and is designed to build a picture of how many people are affected, including whether they were sexually harassed inside or outside of work and details of the harassment they suffered.
The survey is part of a series of commitments to tackle sexual harassment at work. This includes a new statutory Code of Practice to help employers understand their legal responsibilities, and a consultation on new plans to tackle harassment at work including giving explicit legal protections to workers, such as waiters and shop assistants, against harassment from customers.
Information Commissioner amends guidance for complying with data subject access requests (DSAR)
The Information Commissioner’s office has amended its General Data Protection Regulation: Right of access guidance. The change relates to the timescale for complying with data subject requests where the controller asks for clarification.
The start of the one-month time-frame for the data subject to comply can’t be paused, even when the data controller needs more information to allow them to respond. Similarly, the extended timescale for responding to complex or multiple DSARs can’t be paused.
This is an important change from the guidance published in 2018.
Read more – February 2020
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