Education issues have been much discussed of late. In addition to the question of whether exams are becoming easier, the Government’s academies programme has provoked a mixed response, as has the news that a specialist diploma qualification will soon be available in schools. Meanwhile, student debts continue to rise, leading to concerns that university degrees are losing value. Young people, however, remain undeterred, with undergraduate applicants rising by 6.4% in 2007. Chapters deal with school matters and higher education.
The information comes from a wide range of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper reports, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: School Matters
Education in the UK, Qualifications explained, England’s National Curriculum evolves, Today’s learners and learning, Education and ethnicity, Report brands schools institutionally racist, Education and gender, Gender and subject choice, Single-sex schooling, Teacher numbers, Education and social mobility, Academies, The academies programme, Teacher opposition to academies grows, Employers let down by schools, Success in mathematics fuels A-level achievement, Are exams getting easier?, Emphasis on A-grades could lead to scientific skills gap, 57% ‘did better than expected’ in their exams, Countdown to specialist diplomas, The specialised Diploma, Teenagers ‘must stay in education till 18’, Home learning in the UK.
Chapter Two: Higher Education
Studying at UK universities, Undergraduate applicants up 6.4% for 2007, Student numbers and statistics, Alarm as students achieve record top degrees, Funding options, The cost of a degree, Slow growth in graduate starting salaries, A fortune by degrees, Male stereotypes barrier to university entrance, ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees come of age.
Key Facts
Glossary
Additional Resources
Index
Acknowledgements
• Pupils achieving top grades at GCSE rise year by year. 45.4% of pupils achieved five or more grades A* to C at GCSE in academic year 1995/96. In 2004/05, this figure was 57%. (page 3)
• While girls are now achieving better academic results than boys at age 16, relatively few young women are choosing science or science-related subjects for further study. (page 11)
• Around a fifth of employers often find non-graduate recruits of all ages have literacy or numeracy problems, yet a third expect the levels of skills required for work will increase over the next five years. (page 17)
• The proportion of 16-year-olds staying on in full-time education in the UK is below the average for developed countries. (page 26)
• The number of people applying to full-time undergraduate courses at UK universities and colleges has increased by 6.4%, latest statistics from UCAS show. (page 31)
• Two out of three university students graduated with a top degree in 2006. (page 33)
• Graduate debt continues to rise, although at a much slower pace to previous years. Graduates now leave university with £13,252 of debt, an increase of £612 (5%) on 2005. (page 35)
• One-third of graduates feel they did the wrong course, and many feel the costs and related debts are stopping them from buying a house, starting a family and saving for retirement six years after they graduate. (page 36)
The Education Problem Study Guide
Each book in the Issues series has a study guide. These four-page guides provide a variety of discussion points and other activities to suit a wide range of ability levels and interests.
Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £1.50
ISBN: 978 1 86168 417 2
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