News
FE sector and cash-strapped colleges optimistic
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CFE’s chief executive David Grailey has cautiously welcomed the much- anticipated cuts announcement from the UK’s new coalition Government, saying there are grounds for optimism for the FE sector. Plans to cut the nation’s deficit by reducing public spending were announced by George Osborne and David Laws, as part of what is claimed to be Britain’s biggest political shake-up in 200 years.
Funding for schools and 16-19 education will remain protected. £50m of capital investment will go into further education colleges, many of which, says Grailey, are in dire need of additional funding. £150m of extra funding to support 50,000 new apprenticeships at small to medium-sized companies has also been allocated.
However, Grailey warns that all this support for further education comes at a price for the higher education sector, which has seen a dramatic dip in the number of places available at a time when demand has never been higher. David Grailey, chief executive at NCFE, said: “The recovering economy’s need for skills has clearly been reflected in the Government’s cuts announcement. It is encouraging to see that the new powers-that-be seem to appreciate what we’ve been saying for years about the importance of a well- skilled workforce to a strong, sustainable economy. However, whilst there is room for optimism, it’s always worth erring on the side of caution until plans are firmly set in place.
“The higher education sector has taken quite a blow since the last budget announcement back in March this year, with 10,000 fewer places expected to be available in UK universities instead of the 20,000 promised before the cuts. That’s why we need to take full advantage of the funding that will be available for colleges so that we can train and retrain learners to provide them with qualifications that will set them up for long and prosperous careers that will contribute to getting Britain back on the right track.” NCFE is one of the UK’s leading awarding bodies, developing and offering over 400 vocational and academic qualifications in a range of subjects. It works with 1,200 colleges and training providers and prides itself on its ability to deliver high-quality products and excellent customer service.
Announcement on the future of Becta
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he Government has announced a package of public sector savings which includes the planned closure of Becta.
Graham Badman, Chairman and Stephen Crowne, Chief Executive of Becta responded: “Naturally we are very disappointed at the Government’s decision. Becta is a very effective organisation with an international reputation, delivering valuable services to schools, colleges and children. Our procurement arrangements save the schools and colleges many times more than Becta costs to run. Our Home Access programme will give laptops and broadband to over 200,000 of the poorest children.
“Our top priorities now are to make sure we have an orderly and fair process for staff, and that as far as possible schools, colleges and children continue to benefit from the savings and support that Becta has provided. We will be talking to Government Departments and our other stakeholders including the industry about this.”
New ICT research from BESA
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esearch by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) has found that schools see technology such as games consoles and smartphones as playing an important role in primary-aged children’s education. BESA’s research analysed responses from 406 primary schools about ICT use by pupils at school and at home. The interesting results help to ascertain which technologies schools consider most beneficial to pupils, and to see which technology pupils enjoy.
While the majority of schools indicated internet access at home and at school as the most beneficial technology for pupils, three quarters identify home access to educational games consoles like Nintendo DS as being helpful to children’s educational development. Teachers are more likely to prefer that pupils have access to a mobile games console over a mobile phone. Ray Barker, director of BESA commented: “Our research has found that teachers have very different opinions when it comes to the use of mobile phones by primary school aged children. On the one hand, 39 per cent stated that children should not have access out of school to mobile phones, while another 29 per cent of teachers said the ideal situation would be if all pupils had access to a mobile.”
Schools also believe that children’s preference for technology both at home and at school is evolving quickly, just as technology is continuing to change at a rapid pace.
Ray Barker continued: “According to schools, laptops are currently the most popular computer type amongst children, followed by desktop PCs. However, by 2015, educators feel that this will be replaced by a move towards netbooks and smartphones.” Alternatively, educators feel that just under half of all pupils prefer shared desktop PCs at present, while a third enjoy using shared full sized laptops. In 2015, educators expect pupil preference for desktop PCs and laptops to drop dramatically, with 69 per cent of pupils desiring their own netbooks, and another 13 per cent favouring Smartphones.
Despite schools expecting that a high percentage of pupils will want to use netbooks at schools, only 4 per cent of schools currently use netbooks in ICT suites.
In terms of educational computer use in the home, the majority of surveyed schools identify that home computers are used for personal revision work involving free online and parent-purchased resources, with 64 per cent of schools providing teacher-directed homework that requires computer access at home. Another third agree that PCs are used at home for teacher directed homework linked to learning platform. Interestingly, only a quarter of schools believe that the majority of pupils use computers for entertainment and social networking exclusively, and not for educational activities.
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