Teachers ‘manipulate’ test results; Grammar school expansion; Adoption delays ‘due to courts’; Seven-day consultant cover ‘best’;Anti-abortion climate ‘will deter new generation of doctors’
Teachers ‘manipulate’ test results
Belfast Telegraph – Teachers feel forced to “manipulate results” amid increasing pressure to ensure pupils pass exams, a poll has suggested. Many feel that their professionalism and integrity is at stake as school leaders, league tables, parents, Ofsted and politicians demand better grades. After-school classes, one-to-one lessons, extra practice tests and rewards are all being employed by teachers to make sure their pupils pass, according to a survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/teachers-manipulate-test-results-16139097.html
Grammar school expansion: Kent County Council backs plan
BBC – Kent County Council has voted to allow a grammar school to expand onto a new site. The decision is likely to lead to the first major expansion of a grammar school in England for half a century. The law in England forbids the opening of any new grammar schools, but recent changes allow them – and other popular schools – to expand. Critics accuse the government of “expanding selection by the back door”. England has 164 grammar schools and there are 68 in Northern Ireland.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17534910
Adoption delays ‘due to courts’
BBC – The most significant cause of delay for children needing adoption is the length of time taken by court proceedings, a report by Ofsted says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17567006
Seven-day consultant cover ‘best’
BBC – Senior doctors should be in hospitals for at least 12 hours a day, seven days a week, a leading medical college has said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17560681
Anti-abortion climate ‘will deter new generation of doctors’
Guardian – British Pregnancy Advisory Service attacks politicisation of abortion and warns of impact on future healthcare. A new generation of doctors will be put off from becoming involved in abortion services by high-profile protest campaigns and a political “witch-hunt”, providers fear. The current climate is already causing anxiety among doctors who are concerned that their practice will be called into question, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) said, as activists behind a new campaign to demonstrate outside abortion clinics were joined at one protest in London by a Catholic bishop.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/01/abortion-health