The Annual European Growth and Jobs Monitor says that the economic downturn has compromised the economic growth and employment goals envisaged in the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, writes Kyial Arabaeva. The report says that “Declines in growth rate and labour productivity will be followed by deteriorations in employment and public finances”.
I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry at the government’s latest gimmick in public service reform: government-sponsored websites on which people can rate their school, GP practice or nanny. For now, I will settle for outlining four points specific to healthcare: Continued at healthpolicyinsight.com
The Charity ‘Age Concern England’ brought a case to the British High Court to challenge the British law that empowers employers to sack somebody when they reach retirement age – 65 years old, writes Kyial Arabaeva. The Charity is urging the UK Government to abolish the mandatory retirement age.
On Friday the Times Educational Supplement brought to our attention the numbers of secondary school head teachers removed from their posts last year: a staggering 150. The article claims that it is generally heads of challenging schools not ‘turning their schools around fast enough’ who have suffered. Surely with this kind of ‘pro-active’ behaviour the… [Read More]
This email spun its way into my inbox from a consultant working in the NHS, following our discussion around AHSCs last week. It may well be a controversial view, but a thought-provoking one nonetheless: “It was fascinating to hear your guests unanimous in their conviction that the NHS needs a fundamental re-think if it is… [Read More]
A strange combination of maladies currently afflicts England’s state schools. On the one hand, recent obsession with ‘examination results’ has led many to morph into soulless ‘boot camps’, simply drilling pupils to pass tests, in the memorable image recently coined by Nick Dorey, chairman of the Society of Headmasters and Headmistresses.
Following Eastern and Central EU Member States’ recent mini-summit to discuss fears of protectionism, an informal summit of the leaders of all 27 EU Member States took place on Sunday, writes Kyial Arabaeva. The ambition was to construct concrete solutions to tackle the crisis and to expel worries about protectionism, unequal bail-outs and a feared… [Read More]
Rumour has it that the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) is facing the axe. According to the Times Educational Supplement, university education departments are claiming that the government is planning to ‘kill off’ undergraduate teacher training. Whilst the claim has yet to be confirmed, it has brought a pressing matter to the fore. Since the inceptions… [Read More]
The recession is likely to drive a radical restructuring of London’s health economy, was the message conveyed by Professor Steve Smith (CEO of Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust) and Sir Robert Naylor (CEO of UCLH NHS Foundation Trust) at a seminar organised by Civitas today.
Alexander, Rose, et al can debate what schools should teach as much as they like, but no amount of tinkering with the National Curriculum will improve academic standards until and unless a far more important cause of poor educational attainment today is addressed.