Ofsted has announced plans for a new inspection regime to meet the requirements of the Education Bill now progressing through Parliament. Inspection resources will be concentrated on failing schools and outstanding schools will no longer be subject to routine inspection.
Read more on OFSTED PLANS TO TARGET FAILING SCHOOLS IN NEW INSPECTION REGIME…
A new report, Teenage Kicks, describes how sport can be very effective in preventing young people getting involved in crime, provided there is early intervention.
Teenage Kicks, commissioned by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, highlights just how important it is that there is intervenetion in the early stages with young people on the cusp of getting involved in crime, ensuring they have positive engagement with mentors, peers and role models.
This study by the University of Essex reveals a comprehensive snap shot of UK households. Starting in 2009, the year when Britain officially entered recession for the first time since 1991 and the Copenhagen climate summit ended in more questions than answers, the study offers an unprecedented insight into 40,000 UK households as they respond to regional, national and international change.
Failing schools get much publicity. So too do the strategies for turning them around. What is now emerging as a greater concern is the failure to sustain improvement. Jonathan Crossley-Holland explains how Tribal launched The Inspirational Schools Partnership to allow schools to share their expertise and to bring leaders and managers together. He describes how professionalised school-to-school support and the use of online tools can bring the benefits of sustainability.
Read more on A NEW KIND OF MIDDLE TIER – HELPING SCHOOLS DRIVE THEIR OWN IMPROVEMENT…
The failure of the Hutton report to put a cap on the pay of senior public servants is in direct conflict with a poll taken before the report was published which showed strong support for limiting top pay. There is also union anger that no attempt has been made to narrow the gap between those at the bottom and the top of the pay scales.
Despite the pledge in the Comprehensive Spending Review to protect front-line services, a survey has revealed that the budget cuts are affecting significant areas of the front line.
A survey of senior finance officers commissioned by VMware revealed that more than 61 per cent had reduced budgets with an impact on front-line services. It also reveals that the public sector is struggling to make the budget reductions with more than two thirds of those surveyed saying the cuts will be difficult to achieve within the three year timescale.
By Claudia Wood, Eugene Grant
The link between disability and poverty is well established. High levels of unemployment and unstable and low paid employment means disabled people are more likely to live below the poverty threshold and be dependent on benefits as a proportion of their income. Increased unemployment and a range of welfare and public service cuts following the economic downturn has only exacerbated the situation, with disability benefit claimants set to lose £9 billion in benefits over the course of the next Parliament.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has called for a more measured debate on youth unemployment in the light of its Work Audit report on official labour market statistics. The report shows that youth unemployment has been over estimated and fewer young people are unemployed. The Institute emphasises that the problem is severe, but argues that solutions should be sought in the light of the actual situation.
Coast & Country, one of largest the housing and regeneration companies in the North East, is working with Jobcentre Plus to help its tenants to find work.
Coast and Country have developed an innovative outreach programme that helps people move from long-term dependency on benefits into paid employment and at the same time saves taxpayer’s money. The company has set up three Working Communities Teams made up of its own specialist officers and experts from Jobcentre Plus.
This programme is now available to view on localgov.tv the online television channel for public service modernisation. It describes the way that councils are saving significant amounts of money by more effective tracking and management of their IT estates.
Read more on DRIVING SAVINGS WITH BETTER IT ASSET MANAGEMENT…
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