Gloucester Clergy join Bishop's College row

The news comes after angry parents hijacked a meeting on Wednesday night at Vale of Berkeley College near Stroud, which also faces closure under recommendations from government consultant Graham Badman.

In a letter to the Diocese of Gloucester Board of Education, the Reverend David Smith, Chapter Clerk of the Clergy Chapter of the Gloucester City Deanery, said: "Following recent public announcements, clergy of Gloucester City Deanery are deeply disturbed by the proposals to close or merge Bishops' College. In 2006, the Diocese, with the local authority, made a commitment of at least five years to students, staff, and governors of Bishops' College.

"Closure or absorption into a new academy, before a single cohort of students has completed their secondary education entirely at Bishops' College, demonstrates publicly the Church's lack of commitment to the most vulnerable."

He added his concerns over the effect the proposals would have on pupils.

"If closure or merger proceeds, the current Year 10 students will be further unsettled and disadvantaged at a crucial moment of their secondary education, and their life opportunities will be limited yet further," he said.

The letter also included names of the 21 priests who had "asked particularly for their names to be associated with the above submission".

The Badman proposals are supposed to bring Gloucestershire's schools into line with the government's National Challenge, which aims to get 30 per cent of pupils achieving five GCSE passes.

The Bishop of Gloucester, the Right Reverend Michael Perham said: "We need to be proud of what Bishops' College has achieved since its opening in 2006, especially in establishing a Christian ethos which has supported student wellbeing and pastoral care in the school.

"This summer's results show a clear sign of improvement and we deeply regret that the future of the college has been put under threat by the latest government targets. The diocese is committed to improving the learning outcomes for all young people in Bishops' College and Gloucester city, which might include the provision of an academy."

Parents

He added that the Diocese intends to continue the role of the Anglican Church in any future proposals, ensuring parents retain the right to choose a Church of England school.

He added: "However, the Diocesan Board of Education, which works alongside all Church of England schools in the diocese, believes the proposed time scales for any restructuring of education provision in the city are totally unrealistic and do not serve the best interests of the Bishops' College community.

"The DBE urges the local authority and the secretary of state to reconsider the time scales as a matter of urgency.

"We share the upset and concern generated by these proposals amongst Bishops' College and the wider community. We want to reassure everyone that the diocese is working hard to ensure the best outcome for young people in Gloucester."Priests have stepped into the row over proposals to close Gloucester's only Church of England secondary school.

Twenty one of them have personally hit out at proposals which could see Bishops' College, in Longlevens, close its doors next year.

NEWS BY:http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk

Union Warns Thousands Of NHS Jobs At Risk

Thousands of jobs could be at risk in the NHS in England because of spending cuts.

The Royal College of Nursing has estimated that between 5,000 and 35,000 jobs could be axed if the NHS pushes ahead with spending cuts.

The union has said the loss of posts would put the health service under "real strain".

The NHS has been asked to find between £15bn and £20bn pounds in efficiency savings over the next three years.

Dr Carter from the Royal College of Nursing said it was "disingenuous" to suggest you could remove £20bn from the £100bn NHS budget and "nothing changes".

"I really can't see that you can take £20bn out and expect everything to carry on as is it is."

He said that losses from redundancies and posts not being replaced on retirement would be felt across the health service, not solely nursing staff.

He continued that staff cuts would have a real impact on patient care.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham promised that frontline jobs would be protected under Labour.

"It would not be right to guarantee every job. But Labour will protect frontline services, which we can't do without protecting frontline staff."

Liberal Democrat health spokesman, Norman Lamb, said: "It's incredibly short-sighted to think the only way to save money in the NHS is to slash and burn services."

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "We know that by cutting bureaucracy and the tick-box targets, we can free nurses to care."

"Because we will increase the NHS budget, savings will be reinvested in frontline care and improvements."

In data collected by the Royal College Of Nursing from 180 trusts in April, nearly all health care workers believed they were already short staffed at least several times a month.

NEWS BY:http://news.sky.com

BBC College of Journalism to partner Journalism.co.uk's news:rewired event

The BBC College of Journalism, set to go live online very soon, is to partner Journalism.co.uk's 10th anniversary event, news:rewired on Thursday 14 January 2010.

Taking place at London's City University, the digital journalism event will host some of the industry's leading online practitioners from news organisations both new and old.

Covering everything from video and SEO to crowd-sourcing and data mash-ups, the conference is designed to inspire, showcase and troubleshoot newsroom 2.0.

A speaker from the BBC College of Journalism will address the challenges faced by journalists developing new multimedia and social media skills.

The College, which is part of the BBC Academy, will also be filming on the day, collecting the views and ideas of delegates and speakers.

A key part of the BBC's new Academy which launches today is to "develop partnerships and give wider access to the BBC's training resources and skills to support the wider UK media industry".

"The BBC College of Journalism is hugely excited about being involved in news:rewired, it promises to be a vital event for all journalists learning new skills," said David Hayward, assistant editor of the College.

"We are thrilled to be associated with this excellent initiative by the BBC to open up its considerable educational resources to UK-based journalists," added Journalism.co.uk founder John Thompson.

"We are particularly impressed by the focus on multimedia and social media skills, which can only serve to help the beleaguered publishing industry move forwards in the 21st century."

Some tickets are still available for news:rewired, priced at £80+VAT. Book before Christmas to avoid the VAT rise.

Tweet the news:rewired message and win a Flip HD!

To spread the word even further about our forthcoming digital journalism event news:rewired, we are enlisting the help of the Twitter army and offering you the chance to win a brand new Flip Ultra HD pocket camcorder, just in time for Christmas!

The entry requirement is simple, all you have to do is follow @newsrewired and tweet or re-tweet the following:

NEWS BY:http://www.journalism.co.uk

One Thousand Primary Schools 'Failing Pupils

Nearly 1,000 primary schools across the country are underperforming in English and maths, according to official figures.

New primary school league tables based on 11-year-olds' performances in tests show many schools would be classed as failing under targets announced by the Government last month.

The coalition said schools would fail to meet targets if less than 60% of pupils reached Level Four in English and Maths.

They would also fail if the number of children making two levels of progress between the ages of five and 11 (Key Stages 1 and 2) was lower than the national average.

According to the results 926 schools, out of around 11,500 for which results are known, fail to meet this threshold.

Those that have failed to reach the targets risk being taken over or closed.

    Currently half of all 10 and 11-year-old boys who qualify for free school meals are being let down by our education system.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb

The national average for reaching a level four in English this year was 87%, and for maths it was 86% - much higher than the national target.

However, data for a quarter of schools is missing due to a boycott by the National Union of Teachers and the National Association of Headteachers which would have affected the results.

It means each table shows gaps in results for schools that did not sit the tests, making it harder for parents to compare results.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said the statistics show many primaries were providing a "first-class education".

But he added: "Currently half of all 10- and 11-year-old boys who qualify for free school meals are being let down by our education system.

Primary Schools Failing - Exam

The league tables are based on English and Maths results

"It is unacceptable that after seven years of primary school these children are not at the standard in English and maths that they need to flourish at secondary school.

"Ministers are focused on improving reading ability and raising behaviour standards.

"We are introducing new fair but firm floor standards to identify under-performing schools."

Manuden Primary School in Bishop's Stortford was the best-performing school, with Pilgrim School in Kent the most improved school.

Starks Field primary school, in Enfield, north London, performed the worst, according to the figures.

For the first time this year, results for science tests were not included, because they were scrapped by former Schools Secretary Ed Balls.

:NEWS BY:http://news.sky.com/home

News Corp moves into education with Wireless Generation acquisition

Wireless Generation makes web-based software that helps teachers track the progress of students and tailors individual teaching.

The move marks News Corporation's first major move into the US education sector and brings it up against media and education publishing company Pearson.

Pearson, which owns the Financial Times and Penguin Books, has a significant education publishing arm.

According to News Corp, Wireless Generation is used by more than 200,000 teachers and three million students in the US. The company is a partner of the New York department of education and Murdoch claims that the software will revolutionise education in the US.

Wireless Generation will be managed by its founder and chief executive, Larry Berger, president and chief operating officer Josh Reibel, and executive vice- president and chief product officer, Laurence Holt. The company has 400 employees.

New Corporation did not disclose whether the deal would prompt redundancies at the company.

Murdoch, chief executive and chairman of News Corporation, said: "Wireless Generation is at the forefront of individualized, technology-based learning that is poised to revolutionize public education for a new generation of students."

He is on record as wanting to see improvements in public schools.

In September this year, The Observer reported that Murdoch’s UK national newspaper operation, which included The Sunday Times and The Sun, was drawing up plans to sponsor an academy school in east London.

NEWS BY:http://www.mediaweek.co.uk

Nursery Slammed As 'Ideal' For Child Abuse

The nursery where Vanessa George worked provided "an ideal environment" for her to prey on toddlers in her care, an official report has concluded.

The 40-year-old paedophile was jailed last year for taking photographs on her phone as she abused children at the Little Ted's nursery in Plymouth, Devon.

Plymouth City Council's Safeguarding Children Board described it as a "shocking and unprecedented case".

But it admitted that due to serious failings in Ofsted's supervisory framework similar crimes could be happening in other nurseries in the UK.

The board launched a serious case review following the arrest of the self-styled "paedo whore mum" and dozens of people were interviewed.

Its aim was to determine how an apparently respected and well-liked nursery worker was able to commit her crimes without drawing any attention.

The review concluded that a combination of weak management, poor training and a lack of external scrutiny "provided an ideal environment within which George could abuse".

And while it said no-one could have predicted George would be a risk to children, her colleagues failed to raise the alarm when her behaviour and conversations became increasingly sexualised.

George, who was a senior member of staff, even showed colleagues adult porn images on her mobile phone.

It also emerged she was never formally interviewed for the job.

"Her age, personality and length of service could have created an illusion of power and encouraged a sense of trust," it added.

"K (George) is of the ability to behave in a highly manipulative manner and hence gain high levels of trust in others."

The board recommended steps to stop similar scandals happening again, including safer recruitment procedures and effective whistleblowing procedures.

Little Teds Nursery in Plymouth

Little Ted's nursery was closed after the scandal

A number of lessons needed to be learned, it added, but "ultimate responsibility for the abuse must rest with K (George)".

Sky's Katie Stallard said the victims' parents were shown details of the report on Wednesday night and were angry with education standards watchdog Ofsted for allowing the crimes to happen.

The board's chairman Jim Gould said Ofsted's framework was not adequate to protect toddlers in nurseries.

Asked by Stallard whether there might be similar cases in other parts of the UK, he replied: "I think it would be foolish for anyone to say this could never happen again."

"We would like to see Ofsted strengthen the inspection of nurseries to ensure there is a culture in all nursery settings that maximises the safeguarding of children," he said.

Colin Blanchard

George was obsessed with paedophile Colin Blanchard

A spokesman for Ofsted said: "Today's serious case review highlights a number of areas of concern. It is important that lessons are learnt from this case.

"Ofsted has already implemented a number of changes in the way we work as a result of this review and to address the recommendations made."

These include speeding up its complaints process and improving the sharing of information with local authorities

The Department for Education said an ongoing review would consider whether standards for protecting young children need to be strengthened.

The nursery was closed in June 2009 after the abuse was discovered.

George was given an supervisory prison sentence after admitting seven sexual assaults and six counts of making and distributing indecent pictures of children.

She was told she would serve a minimum of seven years before she could be considered for parole.

She was part of a paedophile ring featuring four women and headed by known sex offender Colin Blanchard, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

The extent of the abuse unravelled as police investigated pornographic pictures found on Blanchard's computer by his work colleague.

NEWS BY:http://news.sky.com

Tottenham Calms After Saturday's Riot

Fears that Tottenham would explode into a second night of violence proved unfounded as rioters and looters targeted other parts of London overnight.

On Tottenham’s High Road, where the riot broke out on Saturday, teams of street cleaners moved in to sweep hundreds of bottles and bricks from the road.

At either end of the street - now a crime scene - crowds of onlookers gathered to see the aftermath of the violence, the incinerated shells of two Vauxhall Astra police cars eerily marooned in the centre of the usually bustling road.

It was all very different on Saturday night.

In the early hours we managed to get through the police cordon to see the devastation first hand. It was a shocking scene. The systematic vandalism stretching for half a mile.

Around us many buildings were still smoking. A building site was ablaze. Tottenham’s Post Office; an Aldi supermarket; and a pub all razed to the ground.

On side roads we came across police officers in riot clothing laying on the pavement, many clearly exhausted by the ferocity of the violence they had faced.

Nearby on the pavement we saw a large pool of fresh blood.

At the northern end of Tottenham High Road we reached what had been a carpet shop.

The imposing 1930-built building it once occupied now alight, the flats above it destroyed.

More shocking though was the feral looting. At Tottenham Hale Retail Park we watched as youngsters walked away unopposed with trolleys full of plasma televisions.

Many had arrived prepared, some drove up in vans, others came armed with big plastic laundry bags which they filled with stolen clothing. The only restriction on them was how much they could carry.

On Sunday evening a convoy of low-loaders arrived at Tottenham High Road to remove the two burned out police cars and the incinerated remains of a Mercedes van.

As the rain arrived so the area emptied. By the early hours only the media and a few van loads of police officers remained as the violence seen here moved to other parts of the capital.

:: Scotland Yard confirmed that 61 arrests had been made in connection with the rioting in Tottenham, with the majority for burglary, and other offences included violent disorder, robbery, theft and handling stolen goods.

News By: http://news.sky.com

Hugh Grant to testify as UK's News of the World accused of hacking into murder victims' phones

Public revulsion and political fallout increased Wednesday for a Rupert Murdoch-owned British tabloid amid reports the paper hacked the phones of terror victims and slain schoolgirls.

"It's absolutely disgusting what has taken place," British Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday in promising an investigation of the sordid case.

Speaking at the British Parliament, an angry Cameron said he was certain that "everyone in this house, indeed this country, will be revolted" by the stunning revelations.

The four-year scandal involving Murdoch's News of the World initially focused on its alleged hacking into the voicemails of celebrities, politicians and sports stars.

Actor Hugh Grant said Wednesday on Sky News that he was summoned by London police as part of their probe.

But the tale took a morbid turn with charges that tabloid operatives hacked into the voicemail of 13-year-old murder victim Milly Dowler in 2002, deleting messages from her cell phone.

The illegal actions affected the police probe, leading both investigators and the slain girl's family to believe she was alive.

Investigators into the phone-hacking have also contacted the families of Holly Weiss and Jessica Chapman, two other girls murdered in eastern England in 2002, the Press Association newswire reported Wednesday.

Family members of the victims of the July 7, 2005, London terror bombings were outraged by reports that their phones were possibly hacked after the attack that killed 52 people.

"I just felt so stunned and horrified," said Graham Foulkes, whose son, David, died in the bombings.

"I find it hard to believe someone could be so wicked and so evil and that someone could work for an organization that even today is trying to defend what they see as normal practices."

In addition to the phone-hacking woes, London police confirmed they were investigating illegal payments to its officers from the News of the World in return for inside information.

A visitor leaves the main entrance to the offices of the scandal-plagued News of the World newspaper in London, U.K., Wednesday. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg)

"These events show a systematic set of abuses that show the exercise of power without responsibility in our country," said Labour Party leader Ed Miliband.

The politician demanded the immediate resignation of Rebekah Brooks, CEO of the tabloid's parent company News International.

Murdoch, though, stood by Brooks Wednesday.

Advertisers were pulling ads from News of the World in response to the public outcry, including automakers Ford UK and Vauxhall, the Halifax bank and the travel company Virgin Holidays.

"We're no longer talking about politicians and celebrities," Cameron said. "We are talking about murder victims, potentially terrorist victims, having their phones hacked into."

News By: nydailynews.com/

Graduate unemployment levels on a par with school leavers

Latest data shows 25% of 21-year-olds who left university with a degree in 2011 were unemployed compared with 26% of 16-year-olds with GCSEs

Graduates leaving university found it harder to get jobs in 2011 than students finishing A-level courses, as youth unemployment hit its highest level since the 1980s, official data shows.

In 2011, 20% of 18-year-olds who left school with A-levels were unemployed compared with 25% of 21-year-olds who left university with a degree, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Graduate unemployment rates were almost on a par with those for people leaving school with just GCSEs, with 26% of 16-year-olds with these qualifications out of work.

But the ONS figures show it was easier for older graduates to find work: at age 24 only 5% of degree holders were unemployed compared with 7% of those who finished their education after A-levels and 13% of those with only GCSEs.

Charlie Ball, deputy director of research at the Higher Education Careers Services Unit, said the figures were "absolutely correct, but give a misleading impression", as the cohort of people leaving with A-levels was smaller than the number graduating.

He said the graduate jobs market had "hardly returned to its state pre-recession", but most of those leaving university were likely to get jobs within six months.

"Although the number of young people out of work is historically high, the graduate unemployment rate in this recession has not reached the levels it did in the 1980s or 1990s," he said.

Research by investment firm Skandia suggests graduates still earn a high premium over the course of their career once they do find work. It says a graduate leaving university today should earn an average of £1.6m over a working career of 45 years compared to £1m for an 18-year-old entering the workforce and retiring 48 years later. A 16-year-old working 49.5 years will typically earn £783,964 over their career.

Although the prospects for graduates may not be as gloomy as they first appear, the ONS figures make grim reading for young job seekers.

The ONS said unemployment for those aged 16 to 24 stood at just over 1m in the last quarter of 2011, the highest number since 1986/87. This represented one in seven (or 14.2%) of this age group and is the highest rate of youth unemployment since 1984/85. Of these, 307,000 were full-time students actively looking for work alongside their studies.

London was the region with the highest youth unemployment rate, with 24% of economically active 16- to 24-year-olds unemployed from July 2010 to June 2011. However, the ONS said this was a result of the number of students in the capital, some of who were looking to work. When students are discounted, the highest proportion of youth unemployment was in the north-east at 15%.

The TUC's general secretary, Brendan Barber, said the figures showed the importance of higher qualifications in helping young people into work. But he added: "With ministers putting up fresh barriers to higher education by hiking tuition fees and scrapping the EMA, the scar of mass joblessness that is hitting today's youngsters could follow some of them into their late 20s or even 30s.

"The government's cut-price work experience scheme is woefully ill-equipped to deal with the scale of our jobs crisis. Young people need tailored support and experience of proper paid jobs to give them the best possible chance of moving into work."

Recently, some large firms have stepped up their recruitment of school leavers to attract bright students put off by the cost of going to university.

All of the UK's "big four" accountancy firms, which between them recruit several thousand graduates each year, have established degree-equivalent school-leaver training programmes, including Ernst & Young which launches its programme in the autumn.

Stephen Isherwood, head of graduate recruitment at Ernst & Young, said the company had already recruited 30 of the 60 school leavers it planned to take on from hundreds of applications.

"There is a sense that the mantra of the last few years that everything is about university is not necessarily right, and that A-level students should really be thinking about what they want to do and whether that means going to university, and making sure they get the best deal for themselves."

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/feb/22/graduates-unemployment-levels-school-leavers

English language schools win court battle over visas

English language schools have won a High Court battle over visa restrictions which they say are absurd and damaging to their businesses.

They took the action over new regulations which say that people coming to the UK to study must have a good standard of English.

The restrictions were part of a drive against illegal immigration.

The government says illegal immigrants and migrants seeking low-skilled work were abusing the system.

Foreign students coming to study are now required to have English language skills of at least GCSE level.

English UK, which represents 440 language schools, says the regulations are "disproportionate and unjustified".

The group's chief executive Tony Millns said: "It's clearly absurd requiring students to know English before they come here to study it."

His group brought the case after the rules were tightened by the Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

It argued in court that the Home Office should have brought the issue back to Parliament for proper debate.

Mr Justice Foskett said the fresh restrictions had been achieved through altering guidelines when there should have been a formal change to the rules, with the matter referred back to Parliament.

Mr Millns said: "I am delighted and relieved.

"We are pleased that Mr Justice Foskett saw the merits of our case and we believe that his decision is good for the UK economy, to which the English language sector contributes about £1.5 billion in foreign earnings each year."
Common sense

He said he hoped common sense would now prevail so that students could come into the UK to study English with a lower level in the language, equivalent to having studied it for 150 to 200 hours.

The coalition government says it is reviewing English language requirements across the visa system.

It believes the student visa system could be abused by people who want to come to Britain but have no intention of studying.

A spokesman for the Home Office said: "We are carefully considering this judgment.

"This government is committed to undertake a review into the Student Tier of the Points Based System in its entirety later this year to ensure that every student who comes to the UK is genuine."

Last month the government said it would bring forward to the autumn other measures planned by Labour requiring many immigrants marrying UK citizens to prove they have a command of English.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10569701

David Miliband backs bid for university 'living wage'

One of the architects of New Labour has thrown his weight behind a student campaign to give Cambridge University and college staff a ‘living wage’.

About 1,000 staff at the university and its colleges are paid less than the ‘living wage’, judged by the Living Wage Foundation to be £7.20 an hour outside London. The National Minimum Wage is currently £6.08 for workers aged over 21.

Former Foreign Secretary David Miliband held a breakfast meeting with Labour students, who want the university to pay cleaners, waiters and other low-paid staff at least £7.20 an hour.

The Labour MP told the News: “It’s significant that Labour students should vote to run their number one campaign this year about the living and working conditions of others and not themselves.”

Student Richard Johnson, chairman of Cambridge Universities Labour Club, said: “A lot of the colleges are aware of being perceived as exploiting workers, although we are not saying they are doing that.

“They put on enormous banquets for students, which of course are great for them, but at the same time are paying these staff low wages. The colleges are conscious of that and the way they are seen.”

The 20-year-old added: “My hope is that by the end of this term there will be at least one college which will to commit to it.

“I do not think that is unreasonable. The colleges know it will be great publicity to be the first.”

Cambridge University itself, with a top pay grade of £131,395 a year, has 112 staff paid less than the ‘living wage’, according to a Freedom of Information request by the campaign last year.

A spokesman for the university would not comment directly on whether it would sign up to the living wage pledge, saying its pay scales were “derived from national pay bargaining” for universities across the country.

He added: “The minimum point of the university scale has just increased to £11,175 (a year). The university pay scales are above the national minimum wage.

“The impact of this year’s pay increase is that an individual on the lowest point of the scale would have enjoyed a higher percentage increase (1.3 per cent) than those on higher rates of pay.”

Homerton College had one of the highest numbers of staff paid below the ‘living wage’, according to the FOI request, with 65 on less than £7.20 an hour.

But college bursar Gale Bryan said these related to casual staff – all permanent employees were paid more than £7.20 an hour.

He said: “The unintended or intended objective (of this campaign) appears to be to increase the cost of casual labour, which meets the needs of many young people wishing to supplement their income.

NEWS BY:http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk

UK's Equine Initiative renamed UK Ag Equine Programs

stakeholders to better reflect the breadth of equine offerings at UK and the college's long-term commitment to serving the state's signature equine industry.

The Equine Initiative was launched in 2005 when the College of Agriculture set out to radically change how it served Kentucky's signature equine industry and provide a suite of services appropriate for a land-grant university. In a nod acknowledging the success of those efforts and a continued commitment to the state's equine industry, the college has adopted a new name to better position its equine programs for continued success.

"In short, we have indeed transformed the ‘initiative' into established, world-class, service-oriented programs across the board," said Nancy Cox, UK College of Agriculture associate dean for research, Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station director and administrative leader for the UK Ag Equine Programs.

That was a sentiment echoed...
read more
Equine Reproduction Facilities open at UK's Maine Chance Equine Campus
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Feb 9, 2012)
UK Equine facilityA grand opening celebration for University of Kentucky's Equine Reproduction Facilities was held Feb. 2 at UK's Maine Chance Equine Campus. The celebration recognized the generosity of supporters who funded the remodeling.

The...
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UK climate change workshop to stimulate ideas, collaborations
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Feb 9, 2012)
tractor in droughtFor those interested in remaining competitive in an agricultural future that could be defined by a changing climate, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture's Climate Change Working Group is offering the Climate Change and Small Grains Production...
read more


More News
School will help producers ready their IPM plans for 2012
PRINCETON, Ky., (Feb 9, 2012)
What has been a considerably mild winter thus far has many producers wondering if and how the warmer temperatures will affect diseases and insect pests in their fields in the upcoming growing season. The University of Kentucky’s Integrated Pest Management School can help producers get a jumpstart on their 2012 management strategies.

The school is March 7 at the UK Research and Education Center in Princeton.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. CST, and presentations by UK College of Agriculture...
read more

UK College of Agriculture engineer recognized for safety work

The beef industry is always changing, sometimes very rapidly with regard to weather, market prices, fuel and other input costs. Add in external forces such as national and world politics, economics, animal rights and consumer perceptions, and beef producers have many situations to manage and overcome to be profitable.

NEWS BY:http://www.ca.uky.edu/news

Top universities warned over places for 'disadvantaged' students

Top universities in England were warned yesterday they face having to slash their fees if they fail to recruit more students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The warning came from Professor Les Ebdon, the Government’s choice to take over as head of the Office for Fair access – the university admissions watchdog.

Professor Ebdon, vice-chancellor of Bedfordshire University and chairman of the million+ university think-tank, told MPs he was willing to use “the nuclear option” to force universities in the Russell Group – which represents leading research universities such as Oxford and Cambridge – if they fail to meet targets for recruitment.

He was being grilled by members of the Commons select committee on business, innovation and skills  – who have the power to veto his appointment.

At present, all universities seeking to charge more than £6,000 a year in fees have to sign an agreement with OFFA committing them to making efforts to recruit more students from disadvantaged areas.

If they fail to meet agreed targets, they can be fined up to $500,000 or have their fees reduced to £6,000 a year.

Professor Ebdon told the MPs that the performance of Russell Group universities has been “patchy” – “The commitment (to widening participation) has been mixed”.

“There are some colleagues in the Russell Group universities who are just as passionate about widening participation as I am,” he said.

“I would be aiming to strengthen that opposition so that is the case throughout the whole university system.”

He added: “If they don’t do that, then there will be a point at which we will not be afraid to use sanctions.

“At present there are £500,000 fines – which are hardly sanctions at all but the other is to refuse to sign an access agreement.

“That’s a significant sanction – the nuclear sanction – and one has to use the nuclear sanction with subtlety.

“If you have a nuclear sanction, thought, you have to be prepared to use it and clearly I would be prepared if people didn’t meet their targets.”

Professor Ebdon said he would like to have had a wider range of sanctions at his disposal - “a tactical strike option would be welcome as well”

Figures showed the ratio between disadvantaged students had gone from one to six to one to seven in leading universities, he said, and it was important to reverse that trend.

He was questioned at length by MPs on his outspoken opposition to the new fees regime while the legislation on the new fees was being steered through the Commons by the Coalition Government.  He is a supporter of a graduate tax.

He said he would make it clear it was not part of his role as head of OFFA to comment on that issue.

Brian Binley, Conservative MP for Northampton South, told him frankly he could not see any evidence of business acumen in his c.v.

NEWS BY:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/top-universities-warned-over-places-for-disadvantaged-students-6348941.html

Super university for Manchester

A new super university will be created in autumn next year with the merger of Manchester University and Umist after the councils of the two universities gave their final agreement.

The merger had been first discussed in March last year. It was formally agreed by the two university councils last October, but was dependent on funding being found.

It will create the largest UK university outside of London. London nominally remains the largest UK university but that structure has become less important as the autonomy of the colleges has increased.

More than £82m in grants has now been secured for the new institution whose name will be decided in less than three months' time.

The package of funding includes £65m from the higher education funding council for England, the office of science and technology and the north-west development agency. A further £17m will come from the science research investment fund.

The vice-chancellor of Manchester University, Sir Martin Harris and John Garside, the principal and vice chancellor of Umist (the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology), said: "We are delighted that central government and the north-west development agency have provided the practical financial support to help the universities to realise their vision. The extra investment on this scale is unique.

"We have a solid foundation on which to build a truly world-class university that will continue to attract the best students, the most talented staff and significant research funds from around the world.

The new university will have an annual income of £420m and will have the breadth and quality of research and teaching to attract staff and students. It will have around 34,000 students and the merger will cut competition and duplication, streamline administration and create a clearer identity.

Lord Sainsbury, the science minister, said: "The merger will establish a centre for world-class research in Manchester, both in terms of size and resources." 

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/mar/07/highereducation.administration

UK university plans Bangkok campus

Plans to unveil the UK's first private university campus in Bangkok have been unveiled.

The University of Central Lancashire has signed an agreement with Thai-based entrepreneur Sitichai Charoenkajonkul to create a full-scale campus.

Preston-based UCLan will invest £7.5 million in the Thailand venture which aims to open the doors to its first influx of students in June 2014.

The site will offer full-time and part-time undergraduate, postgraduate and foundation degree courses in subject areas such as business, built and natural environment, engineering, creative and performing arts, and languages. Located in the Bangkok metropolitan area and within easy reach of the city centre, the new facility will initially be home to 800 students with a planned capacity of 5,000 in 10 years.

UCLan vice chancellor Malcolm McVicar said: "UCLan has made huge strides in the last 10 years and the qualities of innovation, entrepreneurship and enterprise remain at the heart of everything we do.

"We have students from over 120 countries and some 125 partnerships across the globe but we are now entering a new phase of exciting development which will see us build campuses outside the UK.

"Our Thailand project is an ideal fit and will enable us to become the first UK university to build a campus in Thailand, thereby extending our international links and bringing world-class higher education and our view of a superlative student experience to south-east Asia."

UK-based students will also benefit with full-time undergraduate students given the opportunity to obtain global experience or a study period abroad as a standard part of their degree programme.

Mr McVicar added: "At an undergraduate level our market research shows that in Thailand nationally there is strong demand for all our proposed academic subject areas while the postgraduate market looks even more encouraging with UK MBA qualifications particularly sought-after. Drawing on the strength of some of our partnerships with global brands, we will deliver courses which are bespoke for the Asian market while providing the gold standard of a UK university experience."

All teaching will be carried out in English with some UCLan academics relocating from the UK, while the degrees awarded will be University of Central Lancashire qualifications.

NEWS BY:http://www.herald.ie/breaking-news/world-news/uk-university-plans-bangkok-campus-2987540.html

UK university applicants down 8.7%

The number of UK students applying to start university this autumn has slumped by nearly 9%, official figures show.

In total, 462,507 people have applied for courses beginning in September, compared with 506,388 at this point last year - a drop of 8.7%, according to statistics published by Ucas.

Tuition fees for English universities are due to triple to a maximum of £9,000 this autumn. Overall application from all students, both home and abroad, are down by 7.4%, the figures show.

The figures show that the number of applicants have fallen from all parts of the UK. In England the number of applicants has dropped by 9.9%, Northern Ireland 4%, Scotland 1.5% and Wales 1.9%.

Education experts warned that the Government's plans to raise tuition fees could be having an impact on application figures.

But Ucas chief executive Mary Curnock Cook suggested that population changes could be a factor in the fall, and said the drop in demand was larger among wealthier students than poorer ones. And university leaders said the dip had been "far less dramatic" than had been predicted.

Ms Curnock Cook said: "There has been a headline drop of 7.4% in applicants, with a slightly larger fall in England. "The more detailed analysis of application rates for young people takes account of population changes. This shows a fall of just one percentage point in the application rate in England, with little change across the rest of the UK.

"Our analysis shows that decreases in demand are slightly larger in more advantaged groups than in the disadvantaged groups. Widely expressed concerns about recent changes in HE funding arrangements having a disproportionate effect on more disadvantaged groups are not borne out by these data."

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of vice chancellors' umbrella group Universities UK, said: "While overall applicants have decreased compared with the same point last year, the dip is far less dramatic than many were initially predicting.

"For prospective students, it's important to remember that there is still time to apply. This is only the start of the admissions process. The important thing will be looking at how many of these, and subsequent applications, turn into acceptances in the coming months."

NEWS BY:http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/national/news/9500732.UK_university_applicants_down_8_7_/

College research shows cause for concern about ready-made spectacles

The results of research commissioned by the College of Optometrists shows that many ready-made spectacles are not of appropriate quality to match the advertising around them.

Following the publication of a Which? report on ready-made reading glasses in October 2010, the College commissioned Professor David Elliott at Bradford University to carry out some further research in this area based on a much larger sample size.  The original Which? report pointed to some potential issues with the quality of ready-made  spectacles, and possible discrepancies between the standards claimed by the manufacturers and those actually found in the glasses tested for their report.   Although the Which? report highlighted an issue that was of interest (and if their findings were accurate, concern) to our members and the public, the conclusions were based on a sample of 14 ready readers, which opened the findings to question.

After assessing over 300 ready readers from a wide range of high street stores, with costs ranging from £1 to £32, Professor Elliot’s team found that:

    Just over half of all ready-made spectacles used in the study provided the optical standards required of them by the relevant British and European Standard.
    
    Higher-powered ready-made spectacles were more likely to have errors (+3.50DS).
    
    The quality of these ready-made spectacles could be easily improved by the use of more appropriate inter-pupillary distances for the work they are intended for.

The team at Bradford ran a range of tests on the spectacles.   They examined each pair’s quality in terms of:

    how closely they met their advertised specifications
    
    the positioning of the lenses in the frames
    
    whether the frames positioned the lenses in such a way that the distance between the focal centres of the lenses was likely to fall within the range for average distance between pupils in the UK population.

Professor Elliott’s report on this research will be published in the research journal of the American Academy of Optometry (Optometry and Vision Science) later this year.

NEWS BY:http://www.college-optometrists.org/en/knowledge-centre/news/index.cfm/ready_readers_1_12

UK College of Medicine to launch program at Morehead State

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine will establish a program at Morehead State University in Morehead as a part of a mission to train and retain physicians in rural parts of the state.

Up to 10 students will be recruited for the Rural Physician Leadership Track program in 2008 and 2009.

After spending their first two years of medical school at UK's main campus in Lexington, students opting for the rural program will transfer to Morehead State, which will work in cooperation with St. Claire Regional Medical Center, to provide hands-on training.

The College of Medicine plans to open a second rural program at Murray State University in Murray as early as 2012, UK president Lee T. Todd said Tuesday in a news release.

A report issued in fall 2007 by the Kentucky Institute of Medicine showed that Kentucky has 213.5 doctors per 100,000 residents, compared with the national average of 267.9 per 100,000. The state needs an additional 2,300 doctors to reach the national average.

The most pronounced shortages are in the rural areas, College of Medicine officials say.

"The shortage of doctors, particularly in primary-care roles, is felt especially hard in areas such as Eastern and Western Kentucky," Dr. Jay Perman, dean of the College of Medicine and vice president for clinical affairs, said in the release. "The university has a leading role to play in ameliorating this problem, which is both a health care crisis and an ...

NEWS BY: http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2008/06/16/daily24.html

Impact & Evaluation: Learning together

The University Museums Group (UMG) and the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) are partnering on this one day conference - which is also the UMG Annual Conference. The programme includes a keynote presentation from Paul Manners (Director of the NCCPE) exploring the impact agenda, delegate led case studies, and workshops to develop key skills in evaluation and developing effective practice. Delegates will have the opportunity to participate in an open space session - contributing topics of relevance to them for small group discussion. The day will conclude with a panel discussion including contributions from Sally McDonald, UCL; Penny Fiddler, Association of Science and Discovery Centres and Eric Jensen, University of Warwick.


 NEWS BY: http://www.hestem-sw.org.uk/higher-education-curriculum/hec-news/?view=impact-and-evaluation-learning-t

London Tasmac college linked to UoW closes suddenly

A college in London which awards degrees validated by the University of Wales (UoW) has closed suddenly.

The UoW said it was offering "direct support" and assisting in the transfer of 650 students at Tasmac London School of Business to other colleges.

It is a further difficulty for the UoW which has recently faced widespread criticism over its validation of degrees at partner colleges.

UoW confirmed the closure. The BBC was unable to contact the college.

The investigation by BBC Wales' Week In Week Out programme examined how overseas students were being made offers to cheat their way to UoW degrees and UK graduate work visas. Tasmac college did not feature in the BBC programme.

The university said it wanted to repair its "tarnished brand" and would stop validating courses at all other institutions in the UK and abroad.

The UKBA and the Metropolitan Police subsequently launched two investigations which led to raids being carried out.

"University of Wales academics and officers travelled to London last week and are meeting the students today," a statement from UoW said.

"The university has been in discussions with other collaborative centres to arrange for the 650 students on University of Wales programmes to transfer to programmes at these institutions".

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-15197683

A Global Fund for Education

The world is currently at risk of falling woefully short of the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015. If we are to avoid this fate, a game-changing reform is needed. I believe that a Global Fund for Education is that game-changing initiative.

As you'll see in the report below, I propose that World Bank's Global Partnership for Education (formerly, the Fast Track Initiative) should be converted into an independent Global Fund for Education (GFE) that draws on the experience of the global funds in health, and that serves as a focal point for a renewed drive toward getting another 68 million children into school by 2015. The GFE would engage the business sector, and have the flexibility to make grants to NGOs and private companies, as well as national governments and multinational agencies.

It is time for governments around the world to take urgent action on behalf of the millions of children in need of a decent primary education. A Global Fund for Education would be a bold step in the right direction.