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