Newsletter April 2012.pdfBBC Education News
- Students lose tuition fees battle
Two 17-year-olds lose much of their legal battle against the raising of tuition fees in England, in which they claimed a human rights breach.
- University faces £6m places fine
A London university is facing a £6m fine for recruiting 1,500 more UK undergraduates than it was meant to.
- Religious education 'a priority'
Religious education in schools in England is important and should be protected according to a newly formed group of MPs.
- 'Pupils need to eat free meals'
A food campaigner claims the government and schools are sending a confusing message to parents eligible to register their children for free school meals.
- Student loan penalty 'abandoned'
Plans to impose penalties on students who pay off university loans early are to be abandoned, the government is expected to announce next week.
- Homes of 'academy sites' revealed
Bristol and Birmingham top the areas of England where the government wants to convert primary schools into academies, the BBC discovers.
- School checks 'bring improvement'
Schools in England which fail inspections usually go on to improve, a study suggests.
- U-turn on rescued children care
The Home Office says it is prepared to review how trafficked children are looked after when they are rescued in the UK.
- Whitehall 'must end tax breaks'
The leader of the union representing senior civil servants urges ministers to end arrangements under which employees avoid paying some income tax.
- 'Fewer crisps' for healthy teens
Teenagers in England are eating less fatty food and more vegetables than previous generations but some are skipping meals to lose weight, according to research.
- Torfaen schools 'unsatisfactory'
Education services in Torfaen in Wales are heavily criticised in a report by inspection body Estyn, which says standards need to be raised in secondary schools and with GCSE results.
- Parents 'fear supersize primary'
Parents are worrying that a shortage of places is creating "supersize" primary schools, according to the Netmums website.
- MIT launches 'automated course'
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the world's top universities, has revealed its first fully automated, accredited course, without tuition fees.
- Head of academy row school quits
The head teacher of a school at the centre of a row over attempts to make it become an academy quits after the school was put in special measures.
- 'Look north' for maths answers
England should look north of the border for answers to the problem of poor maths skills, says a report.
- 'Biggest classroom in the world'
Looking at the biggest classroom in the world
- New York schools enter the iZone
New York's pioneering plan to re-invent the school
- How China is winning the school race
How China has overtaken everyone in the school race
- Digital textbooks open a new chapter
Switch on your textbooks - they're going digital
- Fairness challenge from first global education 'laureate'
First global education laureate's fairness challenge
