The Minister for Education and Skills has decided to revise the professional standards for Higher Level Teaching Assistants, teachers and head teachers and that these revised standards will come into force from 1 September 2011. Access the new professional Standards for Education Practitioners. You can also read a summary of responses to the consultation.
As the new term gets underway we are able to give greater detail about the timeline for refining and agreeing the final banding model; issuing the provisional and final banding information, and providing the support materials to assist you in communicating with parents and the public.
The Minister for Education and Skills has decided to allow schools to continue to take up to two further INSET days provided that they are taken in the summer term of academic year 2011/12 and that they are focussed exclusively on literacy and numeracy. However, as last year, use of these additional INSET days will be reduced pro-rata if any school teaching time is lost due to bad weather in the two preceding terms.
Visit the Estyn website where you can read how providers from around Wales have effectively overcome challenges such as supporting more able and talented pupils, delivering a skills-based curriculum and improving boys’ literacy. The new best practice section on the Estyn website is part of Estyn’s commitment to promote improvement in the delivery of education and training across Wales.
Minister for Education and Skills, Leighton Andrews has joined in the celebrations as students collected their GCSE and Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification results.
Education Minister Leighton Andrews has congratulated the thousands of students in Wales celebrating Welsh Baccalaureate, A and AS level success.
This year’s Apprenticeship Awards are being organised in partnership with the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW) and will be held on the evening of 16 November at the Mercure Holland House Hotel, Cardiff, prior to their 2011 annual conference. The Awards are free to enter and the closing date for receipt of completed applications is 12 noon, Wednesday 28 September 2011.
As part of its Investing in Quality (IiQ) programme, DfES is making funding available to assist providers to develop focused activities that improve the quality of learning, learners’ experiences, attainment or leadership and management. Workbased Learning providers will be able to apply for a grant of up to £6k to deliver focused quality improvement activities.
As part of the continuing development of the Welsh Government's SMTF, a framework on ‘Alcohol Prevention and Education in Higher and Further Education Establishments’ has been developed. This good practice guidance addresses the issue of alcohol misuse in Higher and Further Educational Establishments in Wales. You can also access further information on the Welsh Government's substance Misuse Treatment Framework.
People can find themselves in a rut at any time of life, whether they are struggling to get their first real job or feel they have hit a dead end in their current career. For more information on how to have a go at something new, gain new skills and help with course funding visit the Your Future Choice Action website.
The bidding process to access new funding to assist schools with Service children to help mitigate the impact of mobility and deployment within the Armed Forces is now open. For more information and an application form please contact Laura Peel or Claudia Guy.
The Lesotho Teacher Placement Programme is run by Dolen Cymru with the support of the British Council and is funded by the Welsh Government. The Programme provides an opportunity for qualified teachers from Wales to work in a school in Lesotho for 6 or 12 months. The deadline for applications has been extended to 15th September 2011.
New National Literacy Trust research* of 18,141 children reveals a polarised nation of young readers with 1 in 6 reporting that they don’t read a single book in a month, while 1 in 10 say they read more than 10 books in a month.
An Ofsted report, Progression post-16 for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, found that learning opportunities beyond school for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities varies considerably between local areas.
Intelligence is a monthly e-briefing which reports on key developments in the fields of employment and skills.
The overall purpose of this follow-up research project was to find out key stage 3 science teachers' perceptions of the introduction of APP, and how APP has been embedded into practice during its first 12-18 months.
