Use of Coaches in Schools
20/08/10

afPE has produced concise guidance for head teachers and other leadership staff responsible for deploying visiting support staff within physical education and school sport (PESS).

Click HERE to download the guidance paper.

UK Coaching Awards 2010
16/08/10

Don't miss the opportunity to thank your coach or coaching organisations for their dedication and support. The UK Coaching Awards reward their achievements and celebrate the fantastic work done in the sports coaching industry. In order to do this sports coach UK need your help.

Anyone can make a nomination by completing an official UK Coaching Awards nomination form (see links below).

Nominations Form - Awards for Coaches

Nomination Form - Awards in Support of Coaches

The Nomination Information document provides you with detailed information on each of the awards catergories.

These forms can be completed and posted to:

UK Coaching Awards 2010 Nominations
sports coach UK
114 Cardigan Road
Headingley
Leeds
LS6 3BJ
 
Alternatively you can email them to events@sportscoachuk.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (If you would like a word document copy of the nomination forms please contact the events team on this email address).

Completed nominations must be received by Friday 15th October 2010.
 

afPE 2010 Awards
22/07/10

The afPE 2010 Awards (sponsored by Future Fitness) were presented at the national conference at the Cotswold Water Park on 7th July 2010. The awards are a symbol of recognition for making a different at regional/national level.

The winners were as follows:

Helen Miles - Award for Leadership and Influence

Yvonne Hoyland – Award for Leadership and Influence

Peter Faulkner - Award for Leadership and Influence

Click HERE to view the afPE awards presentation.

Olympic-style Sports Competition for Young People launched as part of 2012 Legacy
19/07/10

A new Olympic and Paralympic-style sports competition for young people across England was announced today by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Education Secretary Michael Gove.

Up to £10 million of lottery funding, distributed by Sport England, will create a new sports league structure for primary and secondary schools culminating in an inaugural national final to be held in the run up to the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

The competition is a key part of the Government's plans for a lasting sporting legacy from hosting the London 2012 Games and to maximise the sporting opportunities available to all.
Schools will compete against each other in leagues at a local level from 2011 with winning athletes and teams qualifying for up to 60 county finals.

The most talented young athletes will then be selected for the national finals. Schools will also be encouraged to host in-house Olympic-style sports days so that children of all abilities have the opportunity to compete. There will be a Paralympic element at every level of the competition for young people with disabilities.

The ambition is for the competition to continue after 2012.

Click HERE for more information.

By popular demand - afPE has officially launched a brand new category of membership for Secondary Schools.

The benefits of Secondary School membership include:

- Termly copies of afPE's journal - Physical Education Matters (2 copies of each edition)
- Monthly e-newsletter, text messaging service and regular updates designed to keep members up-to-date on the latest developments within the subject
- Monthly copy of Future Fitness magazine
- Access to the members' only area of the afPE website
- Technical advice to support the safe delivery of Physical Education & School Sport
- Access to the relevant afPE Regional/Home Country network
- Up to 30% off accredited CPD, Publications & Resources
- Certificate of membership
- Option to buy afPE's peer reviewed journal Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy

Secondary school membership starts from just £115.00 per year.

Click HERE to download a PDF version of the membership form.

Click HERE to join afPE online.

Hardcopy forms are available, please contact simon.leach@afpe.org.uk and we will arrange to send membership forms out to you.

Football for Peace
19/07/10

Football for Peace (F4P) is a values based sports project for Jewish and Arab children in Israel. It seeks to bridge communities and promote equality, inclusion, respect, trust and responsibility through football. Since being established in 2001 Football 4 Peace has brought together over 6000 young people and 700 coaches from Jewish and Arab communities helping to build greater cooperation and understanding on both sides and providing the skills to create life-long positive relationships.

In 2010 Football 4 Peace celebrates ten years of activities. Over 1,600 youngsters aged 10-14 participated in this years football camps run by specially trained local coaches and coaches from the University of Brighton's Chelsea School of Sport in the UK and the Sports University in Cologne, Germany.

Football 4 Peace is a partnership project of the British Council, the Israel Sports Authority, Brighton University's Chelsea School of Sport and the Sports University in Cologne, Germany.

Visit the BBC photo gallery for pictures of this year's activities and read
Shukri Jarjouri's blog about his experience as a Football 4 Peace coach and participant.

Click HERE to view a range of photographs from the afPE national conference which was held at Cotswold Water Park hotel between 7th - 9th July 2010.

Education, employment and training
15/07/10

The DfE has published its Structural Reform Plan (SRP) which sets out the Department's key priorities and invites the public to hold them to account on delivery.  The SRP outlines dates for cutting bureaucracy in schools, setting up free schools and academies, introducing the new pupil premium and creating new technical colleges for vocational and technical education.  The DfE has also announced it will shortly be outlining priorities for children and families policy.

Playday - 4th August 2010
12/07/10

Playday is the annual celebration of children's right to play.

Playday is a national campaign – now in its 23rd year – where thousands of children and young people get out and play at locally organised events.

Playday events range from small-scale neighbourhood get-togethers to large-scale public events organised by local authorities and national organisations. Last year over 834 events were held across the UK.

Anyone can organise a Playday event or take part in celebrations. Your Playday doesn't have to be a huge public occasion, you may prefer to organise a small residents-only street party or celebrate with a group of friends and family.

Find advice on how to organise a Playday event HERE.

afPE Business Associate - Cyber Coach Break World Record
07/07/10

Cyber Coach along with West Sussex West School Sport Partnership have smashed the the Guinness (RTM) World Record for the most simultaneous dance mat players.

The Record was set by Fox TV with the American version of "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE" in Los Angeles and was hosted by Cat Deeley in 2008 with 100 simultaneous players. Cyber Coach smashed this record with 130 simultaneous players on 2nd July at Bognor Regis Community College, during Lloyds TSB's National School Sports Week.

Heather Lowe, Assistant Partnership Development Manager at Bognor Regis Community College said:

"We currently have 3 Cyber Coach machines each with 8 dance mats used in 10 different secondary schools across the school sport partnership. They are a fantastic resource and are very popular with our young people. We decided to combine a dance mat World Record attempt to coincide with National School Sport Week. This national initiative pioneered by the Youth Sport Trust uses the power of the 2012 Olympics to engage young people to take part in physical activity. Cyber Coach have been excellent in helping us achieve our goal and have worked very hard behind the scenes to make this happen. We are very appreciative of all their support.

Kate Smith Partnership Development Manager said:

"Being part of a World Record Attempt is a great honour. Therefore young people showing outstanding commitment to PE from Y7 and Y8 were selected across 10 secondary schools. They will also be supported by 40 excellent sports leaders who will help officiate and manage the day. The West Sussex School Sport Partnership provides a wide variety of sporting opportunities to cater for all young people's interests.  Dance mats have certainly proved popular with a great number of young people."

Glen Jones, Director of Cyber Coach: "A lot of dance mat systems are supplied by gym equipment suppliers who simply import the equipment in and sell it on. At Cyber Coach, we have designed the system from top to bottom and spent the last 3 years working with PE and fitness professionals such as Heather and her colleagues in West Sussex to improve it. Because of all this work, we can now offer curriculum content, we can offer cheerleading and body poppin' into schools and get everyone active. With the variety of activities available on the system, the Cyber Coach is easily the UK's number 1 dance mat system in the UK and features at over 600 sites."

Overhaul to England's school building programme
05/07/10

Education Secretary Michael Gove today set out a complete overhaul of capital investment in England's schools.

Mr Gove said he was making tough, immediate decisions to help get the best value for money.

Bringing an end to Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF), he said in the light of the public finances, it would have been irresponsible to carry on regardless with an inflexible, and needlessly complex programme.

And he said it was right to set out a clear way forward for prudent future capital investment in education up to 2015, to flexibly target schools in the worst condition; cut red tape; and tackle urgent demand from rising birth-rates.

The Chancellor made clear in last month's Budget that existing overall public capital investment plans, put in place by the previous government, would remain with no further cuts.

The key elements of today's announcement are:

- 706 schools will be opened under new arrangements being agreed today, of which nearly 386 schools are projected to be new build; 262 to be remodelled or refurbished; 26 to be ICT-only. The building programme in 32 further schools is yet to be confirmed.
- 715 schools will no longer be rebuilt or refurbished through BSF of which nearly 180 schools are projected to be new build, over 319 to be remodelled or refurbished and 63 to be ICT-only. The building programme in 153 schools has not yet been confirmed.
- That 123 academy projects in development which have not reached financial close will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- That in 14 cases, prioritised locally as 'sample' projects - the first taken forward in the area - will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis in recognition of local need. Although financial close has not been reached, very significant work has been undertaken to the point of appointing a preferred bidder at 'close of dialogue'.
- That the Government is launching a comprehensive Review of all capital investment in schools, early years, colleges and sixth forms. Led by Sebastian James, Group Operations Director of DSG international plc, the Review team includes Kevin Grace, Tesco - Director of Property Services, Barry Quirk, Chief Executive of Lewisham, John Hood former Vice-Chancellor of University of Oxford and Sir John Egan, former Chief Executive of Jaguar and BAA.
- The review will guide future spending decisions over the next Spending Review period (2011-12 to 2014-15). It will look at how best to meet parental demand; make current design and procurement cost-effective and efficient; and overhaul how capital is allocated and targeted.
- That the department is reducing its End Year Flexibility (EYF) requirements by £1bn to help ensure no additional borrowing this year. This is in line with the Government's plan to reduce the deficit, and the Treasury's announcement today that Departments have agreed to address unrealistic inherited spending commitments for 2010-11, where funding was reliant on underspends through the (EYF) system or additional funding from the Government's Reserve. The Department expects to be able to manage most of this through better financial management and tighter controls. Because of the size of the reduction, however, the Department will have to make £156.5m savings from capital budgets where commitments are no longer affordable.

The Secretary of State is also announcing today that he will be ending the £972,000 annual funding for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) design advice service associated with the BSF programme.

Sebastian James, Group Operations Director of DSG International plc, and Review chair said:

"I am delighted to be involved in this vital project and feel very passionately that we can build a schools infrastructure in Britain that is truly world class, while significantly reducing our spending. In my view, success in this review means that we will have found a way to have great schools for our children against a more measured investment backdrop."

This has also been welcomed by educational organisations with experience of working through the current BSF process.

Sir Bruce Liddington, Director General of E-Act said:

"The current BSF programme is very bureaucratic, slow and unwieldy and I would welcome a review."

Aredi Pitsiaeli, Director of Business and Strategic Development - Oasis Community Learning said:

"We welcome the review of the BSF programme as to learn lessons from past experience in order to find a better way of working for the future can only be a good thing." 

The Information Commissioner's Office has reminded schools that they should not ban parents from taking photographs of their children at sports day. The guidance advises that photographs taken for personal use at schools are not covered by the Data Protection Act.

Source: Information Commissioner's Office Press Release.

Click HERE for more information on taking Photographs in Schools.

Free Cue Cards
05/07/10

afPE member Becki Coombe has recently written and published a PE resource that helps to include
Core Tasks in lessons.

Becki has 3 A4 lever arch files of 'spare' picture cue cards and would like to give them to a good home (free of charge).

If you are interested, please email Becki directly at: beckicoombe@hotmail.com

Sum of universities' fears: cuts of up to a quarter and VAT rise
24/06/10

University funding in the UK could be cut by a quarter and up to £200 million could be lost each year in extra VAT after this week's emergency Budget confirmed some of the sector's worst fears.

Delivering his "unavoidable Budget" for cutting the deficit, George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said that departmental spending would fall by an extra £17 billion by 2014-15 compared with Labour's plans.

On average, this equates to a 25 per cent cut in unprotected budgets such as that overseen by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills - exactly matching the prediction made by the Institute for Fiscal Studies earlier this year.

Mr Osborne did not specify where the axe would fall, but noted that there were "particular pressures" on education and defence.

He added that the government would "look at options" for the early repayment of student loans, a policy the Conservatives had included in their manifesto as a method for paying for more university places.

All eyes in the academy will now turn to the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), which is due to be unveiled on 20 October.

Paul Marshall, chief executive of the 1994 Group of smaller research-intensive universities, said the Budget was "distressing" news for higher education.

But he issued a rallying cry for the sector to lobby for a cut lower than 25 per cent.

Mr Marshall, who said universities were facing the "most exciting, dramatic and completely terrifying" five years for a generation, said: "Taking VAT and the 25 per cent cut together is particularly distressing news for our universities.

"However, we knew for a long time that this was coming, and the sector needs to pick itself up and make its case ahead of the CSR."

One university finance director said that the VAT increase of 2.5 percentage points would have a "significant impact" on the academy, adding £70 million to £100 million a year on to universities' day-to-day operating costs.

Higher education institutions cannot charge VAT on most of the services they provide, meaning, for example, that they cannot pass the rise on to students in tuition fees.

Steve Large, director of finance at King's College London and chair of the tax panel at the British Universities Finance Directors Group, said that about 10 per cent of VAT was recoverable - although teaching-focused institutions claim the figure is nearer 5 per cent.

Either way, most of the £9 billion spent by universities each year on costs other than staff pay will be affected by the hike.

Universities will also need to shell out an extra £250 million to £300 million on short- to medium-term capital projects over the next three to five years to accommodate the VAT rise, Mr Large said.

He added that most finance directors had allowed for the increase when planning for the next academic year and would also have some leeway, given that the hike will not come into effect until January 2011.

However, he continued, other uncertainties plaguing the sector were causing major worries.

"Most of us would like to know what the cuts are going to be, even if they are significant: then we can carry our institutions with us," he said. "I would rather have certainty, even if the number is not something we would wish upon ourselves."

Income may flow back into higher education if the government decides to ratify any tuition fees increase recommended by Lord Browne of Madingley's independent review of fees and funding.

However, the timescale is unclear: many believe that 2012-13 is the earliest point at which any increase could be implemented.

There is also uncertainty over how the Liberal Democrats will react to any proposed fees increase.

Les Ebdon, chair of the Million+ group of new universities, said of the Budget, which was delivered on 22 June: "The net effect is that there will be less opportunity for people to go to university. The only way to square the circle is a huge increase in fees."

Academics resist culture of sheer 'carelessness'
24/06/10

Academics have shown remarkable resilience in resisting a culture of "carelessness" in higher education, a conference has heard.

Sue Clegg, head of the Centre for Research into Higher Education at Leeds Metropolitan University, told the Academic Identities for the 21st Century conference at the University of Strathclyde last week that academics had resisted "internalising" the values of carelessness.

The carelessness of higher education had its origins in the classical Cartesian view that scholarly work is separate from emotional feeling and thought, according to Kathleen Lynch, professor of equality studies at University College Dublin.

She argues in a recent paper, Carelessness: A Hidden Doxa of Higher Education, that the idealised and successful academic worker is "care-less", without ties or responsibilities limiting their capacity to work, leaving them available to labour 24 hours a day.

She adds that scholarly work has "highly gendered outcomes" because women are more likely to have caring responsibilities.

"Those who are well known academically are disproportionately people who are carefree, namely men," Professor Lynch writes.

However, in a keynote lecture, titled "Academic Identities - Who Cares?", Professor Clegg said that the value academics placed on their students and knowledge, and the intrinsic value of scholarly work, still underpinned academic life.

"It is these values that form the basis of the struggles over academic identity and the ways academic identities are mobilised in resisting and subverting some of the worst aspects of performativity," she said.

Professor Clegg added that the pressures on academics mitigated against kindness and care in pedagogical relationships.

Meanwhile, where the role of care in higher education had been recognised, it was subject to the charge of "therapeutisation".

"It is almost as if care is not a suitable topic for investigation," she said.

However, most academics who cared about their subject and their students tacitly knew that it had positive effects. When students felt respected and cared for, they were driven to succeed academically.

"What is really odd is why we don't talk about this and why Cartesian dualisms continue to hold such a grip on the imagination so that even to talk about kindness or care in higher education is seen as transgressive," Professor Clegg said.

However, academics continued to care about their students, knowledge and the future of higher education, "despite all". This resilience of academic values was "quite remarkable".

She said that scholars were adept at "re-inscribing" their values into everyday practices.

"Thinking in terms of identity poses some interesting questions because the extent to which higher education remains successful might in part be attributed to the ways in which its subjects escape being 'made over' and the way academics in turn 'make over' the new rhetorics they constantly confront," said Professor Clegg.

afPE 2010 National Conference
21/06/10

Bookings have now closed for conference this year. The venue, the magnificent Cotswold Water Park Hotel in Gloucestershire (7th - 9th July).

Lady Marie Stubbs (Former Head Teacher and Best Selling Author) is looking forward to speaking on the 7th July.

An expert on transformational leadership, having turned around St George's Roman Catholic Secondary School, Lady Stubbs guided the school from being blacklisted by Ofsted into a nationally revered institution in little over a year. Following a distinguished career in education, she has seen her incredible book 'Ahead of the Class' transferred to the small screen in the 2005 adaptation starring Julie Walters.

There will be over 30 workshops on the strands of leadership, pedagogy, health and research to choose from. afPE conference is always popular and space is limited, so book your place now to ensure you get your first choice of workshop.

The conference will support your application for 60 Free Credits awarding a post graduate certificate in Education the first step towards a Masters with Edge Hill University.

The Department for Education (DfE) will be attending to update colleagues following the financial announcements on June 22nd.

N.B. If you do wish to attend the conference please contact Sally Fisher, on 01245 32877 or email sally@equitycommunications.co.uk and she will be able to confirm if there are places available.

DfE Announcement to schools and LAs Re: Assessment
22/06/10

Following on from the DfE announcements regarding important information on the primary curriculum and Key Stage 3 level descriptions (see latest news article from 08/06/10) the DfE have shared the following message with afPE:

There is some confusion about which level descriptions are the existing ones.

The existing level descriptions which schools should continue to use are in fact those in the secondary curriculum handbook published in 2007.  These were introduced by Statutory Order from September 2008 at the same time as the new KS3 programmes of study for pupils starting Year 7 after 1 August 2008, ie those pupils completing year 9 (KS3) in 2011.  So pupils completing KS3 in 2011 should be statutorily asssessed against the level descriptions in the secondary curriculum handbook.

The `new' level descriptions that we are not proceeding with are those which QCDA consulted upon between May and July last year and which were to come into force from September.  They were revised (mainly) to take account of the Rose primary proposals, although some minor changes were also made to the levels set out in the secondary handbook.  The intention was to provide one complete set of level descriptions that would replace those in both the secondary curriculum handbook and the primary curriculum handbook.  As we are not proceeding with the Rose proposals we are not introducing the revised level descriptions.

This does mean that for levels 1-3 secondary school teachers will need to refer to the level descriptions set out in the existing primary curriculum handbook (published in 1999). QCDA have agreed to put a consolidated document covering levels 1 to exceptional performance on the website and lines clarifying all of this.

Michael Gove today addressed headteachers at the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services' Annual Leadership Conference in Birmingham.

The Secretary of State for Education's first keynote speech to the conference saw him stress the need for greater freedoms for headteachers and schools, the importance of learning from overseas, improved teaching, more intelligent accountability and a curriculum and qualifications system that compares with the best overseas.

Click HERE to read a summary of Michael Gove's speech.

Click HERE to read the full speech.

Cyber Coach along with West Sussex West School Sport Partnership will be attempting to break the Guinness (RTM) World Record for the most simultaneous dance mat players.

The current Guinness World Record is held by the American version of "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE" in Los Angeles and was hosted by Cat Deeley in 2008.

The attempt will be on 2nd July at Bognor Regis Community College, during Lloyds TSB's National School Sports Week.

Click HERE for more information.

Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove has invited Professor Eileen Munro to conduct an independent review of children's social work and frontline child protection practice.  The review will look at how to remove the barriers and bureaucracy which restrict the time social workers spend with vulnerable children.  Children's Minister Tim Loughton has also written to all chairs of local safeguarding children boards and directors of children's services to confirm that the overview report and the executive summary of all new serious case reviews must now be published.

Following the announcement of the independent review and the disbanding of the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit, Sir Roger Singleton has resigned from his position as the government's chief adviser on child safety.  The government has confirmed that there are no plans to appoint a new chief adviser.

The government will also confirm its intention to scrap the ContactPoint database as soon as possible.  The DfE has issued a letter to directors of children's services providing guidance on interim operations, the new direction the government is considering and the likely timing of further developments.

Home Secretary Theresa May has announced that registration with the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) will be halted to allow the government to 'remodel the scheme back to proportionate, common sense levels'.  Voluntary registration with the VBS for new employees and those working or volunteering with children and vulnerable adults was due to start on 26 July 2010.

The government has announced a review of the operation of health and safety laws and the growth of the compensation culture. Lord Young will lead the review which will look across the private and public sectors and report back to Downing Street by the summer.

British Heart Founcation National Centre - Information Services Evaluation
17/06/10

The British Heart Foundation are currently in the process of reviewing the services they offer to ensure that they are useful and informative for physical activity and health professionals across the UK.

With this in mind the BHF welcomes your input into the BHFNC Information Services Evaluation and ask that you take 5 minutes to complete the online survey.

To complete the evaluation, please click HERE.

All respondents will be entered into a prize draw to win a FREE place at this year's BHFNC 10th Annual Conference (closing date is Tuesday 20th July).

Conservative MP Graham Stuart has been elected as the chairman of the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee.  Mr Stuart has three years experience as a member of the same select committee under the last government.  The Children, Schools and Families Select Committee is also expected to be renamed the Education Select Committee.

As you are aware the previous government accepted recommendations put forward by Sir Jim Rose to implement a new primary curriculum from September 2011. I'm sure you will also be aware that Department for Education (DfE) ministers announced on Monday that the new government doesn't intend to proceed with the proposed new primary curriculum.

DfE ministers feel that schools should be given more freedom from prescription and bureaucracy. With this in mind the government intends to return the national curriculum to a minimum national entitlement organised around subject disciplines. The next steps in this process will shortly be announced on the DfE's website at www.education.gov.uk.

In the meantime, the existing primary curriculum will continue to be in force in 2011/12 and schools are expected to plan on that basis.

On behalf of QCDA, I would like to thank you for the significant contribution that you've made over the past two years in developing and trialling the draft curriculum materials. I'd also like to thank all those who offered advice and guidance to Sir Jim Rose to help him develop proposals for a new primary curriculum.

We've been fortunate to have worked with such a diverse, professional range of partners in this process, all committed to making a difference to the life outcomes for young children in England. I'm sure you will continue to take an active role in national curriculum developments in the future.

If you have any questions about arrangements for the primary curriculum, please feel free to call our helpline on 0300 303 3011 or email us at info@qcda.gov.uk.

Best wishes,

David McVean
Director, Curriculum Development
QCDA

The National College delivers an annual programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) events and learning opportunities that aim to support, inspire and improve the practice of dance leaders working in community dance contexts.  The programme includes workshops; seminars; induction, intermediate and advanced courses; annual 3-day residential Summer School; accredited learning pathways; consultation events; network events and resource books.

For further information see:  www.communitydance.org.uk/nationalcollege  
Tel:  +44 (0) 116 253 3453    Email: info@communitydance.org.uk

Foundation for Community Dance is the professional organisation for anyone involved in creating opportunities for people to experience and participate in dance.

Please find below an official communication to schools from the Department for Education (DfE) regarding the curriculum.

The previous Government accepted recommendations put forward by Sir Jim Rose to implement a new primary curriculum from September 2011. Ministers announced today that the Government does not intend to proceed with the new primary curriculum.

Ministers are committed to giving schools more freedom from unnecessary prescription and bureaucracy. They have always made clear their intentions to make changes to the National Curriculum that will ensure a relentless focus on the basics and give teachers more flexibility than the proposed new primary curriculum offered.

The Government intends to return the National Curriculum to its intended purpose - a minimum national entitlement organised around subject disciplines - and will shortly announce its next steps.

In the meantime, the existing primary curriculum will continue to be in force in 2011/12 and schools should plan on that basis.

Ministers have also decided not to proceed with the revised level descriptions which were due to come into force for Key Stage 3 from this September. Secondary schools should therefore continue to use existing level descriptions.

Information on the Department's website will be updated as announcements are made and more detail is available. Please visit www.education.gov.uk/curriculum for the latest news and answers to your questions.

In addition, click HERE to download a letter from Michael Gove (Secretary of State) to Ed Balls MP regarding the spending decisions, including a breakdown of the £359 million savings made.

Click HERE to download some relevant Questions and Answers.

Click HERE to download a letter from Michael Gove (Secretary of State) to Ed Balls regarding the spending decisions taken by the new coalition Government.

afPE is always keen to support the work of other subject associations. To that end, please follow this link to a request from the Association for Language Learning.

They would like to hear from anyone working in physical education regarding their capacity in languages.

Teachers' disciplinary body axed
03/06/10

The General Teaching Council for England - a body set up by the previous Labour government to investigate alleged misconduct - is to be axed.

Education Secretary Michael Gove told the Commons that the quango did "not earn its keep so it must go".

He said the money saved would be spent "on the front line" instead.

The move was welcomed by teaching unions but the teaching council said it would be seeking legal advice about the decision.

Two other education bodies - the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency and the schools technology agency BECTA - have already been given the chop as part of a supposed "bonfire of the quangos".

Click HERE for the full article courtesy of the BBC.

This report sets out a comprehensive assessment of poverty in the UK in 2010. The Government will use it to inform policy decisions as it advances its aims of tackling poverty and improving life chances, to ensure that everyone has the best possible chance to fulfil their potential.

The Coalition Government recognises that poverty is a multifaceted and wide-reaching problem. This report considers progress against a broad range of poverty and deprivation indicators. These include income poverty, income inequality, indebtedness, unemployment and inactivity, educational and health inequalities, family structure and community breakdown.

Key statistics from the report include:

- Almost one in ten people live in persistent poverty, and there are 800,000 more working age adults in poverty than in 1998/99
- 1.4 million people in the UK have been on an out-of-work benefit for nine or more of the last 10 years
- An estimated 670,000 households in the UK are eligible for benefits and tax credits of over £15,600 per year
- Health inequalities are higher now than they were in the 1970s
- There remains a large gap in educational achievement between children from rich and poor backgrounds, with a 39 percentage point gap in gaining 5+ A*-C GCSEs between those living in the most and in the least deprived areas
- 5.3 million people suffer from multiple disadvantages in the UK
- People living in the poorest neighbourhoods will, on average, die seven years earlier than people living in the richest neighbourhoods

Set against international comparisons, income inequality in the UK is now at its highest level since comparable statistics began in 1961, and the proportion of the population living in relative poverty is higher than in many European countries. For young people the findings are particularly alarming. In the UK, the proportion of children growing up in workless households, and the proportion of young people not in work, education or training, is higher than in almost any other European country.

Click HERE to download the State of the Nation Report.

QCDA exam quango to be scrapped
28/05/10

Education Secretary Michael Gove has confirmed that he is closing down the qualifications and curriculum agency, the QCDA.

Mr Gove has written to the chairman of the quango to say he will bring forward legislation in the autumn to scrap it.

The agency's work on national tests and exam administration would continue until it could be transferred, he said.

But its qualifications and curriculum work would stop, resulting in an £8m budget cut.

The Coventry-based Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency had been created by the previous government to develop the curriculum and administer tests.

Both Prime Minister David Cameron and Mr Gove had pledged to scrap the QCDA before the general election as part of plans to cut public sector spending.

And an announcement on this was widely expected on Monday when Chancellor George Osborne set out his deficit reduction plans.

But it emerged that legislation was needed to bring about its abolition and instead its budget was cut by £8m.

Mr Gove wants to lessen government involvement in the administration of exams, but it needs staff to continue until the agency's functions can be transferred.

In his letter to Chairman Christopher Trinick, Mr Gove said: "I appreciate that the news of closure will come as a disappointment to those working in the QCDA, as well as to you and your executive team.

"While the QCDA as an organisation does not have a place in the education system of the future, I know that the agency has many dedicated public servants who are committed to improving the quality of education."

He added: "In other areas - notably qualifications development and the curriculum - I would want QCDA to withdraw as soon and as far as is practicable, and continue with activities only where it is necessary in order to comply with a statutory duty or where I am clear that not to do so would jeopardise the interests of learners.

"That is the basis on which reductions to the budget were made this year."

The QCDA was created when the former Qualifications and Curriculum Authority had been split.

The other part of this break-up was the creation of Ofqual, launched in 2008, which remains as the watchdog for exam standards.

Article courtesy of the BBC.

Sport England criticised for lack of transparency over funding
28/05/10

Sport England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) failed to keep track properly of how £600 million ($869 million) of public money was spent on trying to meet a Government target of getting a million more people involved in sport by the time of the London 2012 Olympics, a new report published today has claimed.

The report from National Audit Office (NAO) criticises the Government agency  and DCMS for lack of "transparency" in the period 2005 to 2008 after it distributed money to a variety of groups and bodies, including the Community Sports Coach Scheme, National Sports Foundation and Sports Aid.

The NAO report reported that the DCMS had set Sport England the target of increasing sporting opportunities among three priority groups - women, black and Asian people and disabled people - by three per cent in the three-year period.

The amount of people playing sport did increase by 522,000 during that period but the proportion did not increase among the groups targetted, the NAO discovered.

In fact, among women it dropped by 1.6 per cent.

The report said: "While increasing priority group participation was a key aim of its funding, it did not distinguish between the funds applied to increase such participation and participation in the wider population.

"During the period the [DCMS] lacked basic performance management information on, and effective oversight of, Sport England. In addition,

"Sport England did not set organisations it funded targets to increase participation by priority groups.

"The [DCMS] lacked adequate oversight of progress towards its targets and did not require Sport England to report on the outcomes of its activities.

"Sport England lacked a focus on, and transparency of funding towards, increasing participation amongst the priority groups by the targeted amount.

"In light of all this, a positive conclusion on value for money is not possible despite the overall increase in participation figures during that period."

The NAO also questioned whether Sport England was getting value for money, with the average cost per participant ranged from £9 ($13)  for athletics and cycling to £153 ($222)  for rugby league and £216 ($313) for judo.

The report also warned that there were serious risks about Sport England's approach to increasing participation numbers.

It said: "[Sport England] is heavily dependent on six National Governing Bodies to deliver 60 per cent of the increase in participation expected through Governing Bodies and on key assumptions about how the activities it funds should translate into additional participants."

The NAO report, though, did conclude that Sport England has now put better measurement tools in place but warned that it could still do more.

It said: "Sport England now has a new strategy and a well-developed and improved funding assessment process for individual sports which we regard as positive developments that offer the prospect of improved value for money.

"Sport England has also developed improved processes for managing the performance of individual National Governing Bodies.

"In pursuing its target of securing an additional one million participants whilst increasing the range of sports it funds,

"Sport England's ability to make judgements on funding priorities between sports - and so to maximise value for money - would be strengthened if it had clear criteria for evaluating funding allocations between sports."

A spokesman for DCMS claimed it welcomed the publication of the report.

He said: "Ministers' priorities are to maximise the opportunities available through sport for the greatest possible number of people.

"We are currently working on plans to leave a lasting legacy from hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and will lay these out before the autumn."

Universities have been warned that they are facing a "pedagogic crisis" as the UK's largest-ever investment in teaching and learning dries up.

Academics at the final conference of the Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (Cetls) initiative warned that the legacy of the £315 million scheme risked being lost.

There were calls for new financial incentives to reward good teaching and for universities to be forced to prove they are promoting academics on the basis of their teaching records.

In a Times Higher Education survey of the 54 universities with Cetls in England, only 11 could give details of future Cetl income. A total of 32 universities say that their centres' work and/or staff had been "embedded" in their institutions, or that activities run by their Cetls would continue.

Eleven institutions say that negotiations are ongoing, or refused to give details.

The centres, first announced in 2003, were encouraged to become financially self-sufficient after funding expired this year, but only three universities say they have fully achieved this aim.

Speaking at a debate on the future of the initiative at the Higher Education Academy Cetl conference in Sheffield last week, Sean Walton, lecturer in higher education practice at the University of Bradford, said that if the centres were absorbed into their host institutions, they would no longer have the freedom to innovate.

He said there was a "pedagogic crisis in higher education", arguing that this meant the sector needed Cetls now more than ever.

"Teaching in higher education has been undervalued for years and is perceived as a second-class profession," he said. "There are indications that the quality of teaching in higher education has actually fallen, not risen, in the past five years."

He said the work of the initiative needed to be "refreshed and redirected", with Cetls "given power to affect the policies of the institutions where they are hosted".

Anna Newell, artistic director of the creative and performing arts Cetl at Queen's University Belfast, said the centres had transformed the experience of students by creating space to "invent, imagine and innovate".

"In a rapidly changing world... I believe that new thinking and creative thinking are needed more than ever before," she said.

Annette Cashmore, director of the genetics Cetl at the University of Leicester - one of the few centres that is set to expand - said that universities needed to be given clear incentives to reward good teaching.

"Teaching funding relates to quantity not quality and I think that needs to change," she said.

However, she added that this was a "very bold" option. An alternative would be for the Quality Assurance Agency to check that universities were rewarding staff for good teaching as part of their institutional audits, she said.

Article courtesy of Rebecca Attwood at TSL Education (rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com).

Without fees reform, into the 'valley of death' ride the 155
28/05/10

Universities face a financial crisis described as a "valley of death" unless their future is safeguarded through funding reform, vice-chancellors have warned.

Steve Smith, president of Universities UK, told the independent review of higher education funding and student finance it was vital that "stability" be brought to the sector at a time of great uncertainty.

With institutions braced for next month's emergency Budget, Professor Smith piled pressure on a review that has become the focal point for higher education policymakers under the new coalition government.

Speaking during a public hearing at the University of Bristol last week, he pointed to a report published earlier this year by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which suggests that up to 25 per cent of the academy's budget may be cut over the next few years.

"The phrase at the moment is to talk about the 'valley of death'," Professor Smith told the review panel. "UUK realises that the Treasury may want to make savings, but (we need) a notion of stability in a period of spending cuts."

He added: "We believe that reform of the funding system is urgent. If you don't put this right, we would have lost an opportunity to reform the funding system for at least a generation."

The UUK president was speaking before the announcement this week that £200 million is to be cut from this year's higher education budget.

In its second written submission to the review, UUK calls for an increase in what it has rebranded as "graduate contributions".

Professor Smith added that there should be no cut in the unit of resource - the amount of teaching funding per student.

Lord Browne of Madingley, who is chairing the review, began the hearing by reiterating that the panel had reached no conclusions, "contrary to what you may have read in the newspapers".

However, Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said there was widespread "cynicism" in the sector about the direction of the review.

"There is a suspicion that this is not going to be about whether we should have additional fees, but how much," she said.

In his evidence to the panel, Aaron Porter, president-elect of the National Union of Students, focused on the need to match any fees rise with improvements in students' power to hold institutions to account. However, speaking after the session, he denied this implied that the NUS was reconciled to "inevitable" increases.

"What we have seen today is very strong evidence of the difficulties of bringing a fees market into higher education because of the lack of quality information," he said.

"It is basic economics - the market cannot operate effectively if the information is not there."

Article courtesy of Simon Baker at TSL Education (simon.baker@tsleducation.com).

NUS: Lifting of fees cap must signal and information revolution
28/05/10

Students must be given the power to make informed choices about their university education if fees rise, the review of fees and funding has been told.

Groups across the sector told the review panel, chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley, that meaningful information for prospective students was a must if the fees cap were lifted.

Staff-to-student ratios and contact time were among the indicators that institutions should be forced to divulge, it was suggested, with sanctions imposed on those that failed to do so.

Aaron Porter, president-elect of the National Union of Students, told the hearing at the University of Bristol on 20 May: "There needs to be a robust measure of what the institutions are providing.

"If they fail to meet (these standards), it could perhaps lead to institutions being fined and money being clawed back.

"Those who go through the system should be entitled to get what they signed up for."

Graeme Wise, NUS political officer, said the alternative to a system of scrutiny and feedback would be litigation by graduates.

"That would not be helpful for collegiality," he added.

The NUS found unlikely allies in the form of vice-chancellors, business leaders and even pro-fees mission groups.

Steve Smith, president of Universities UK, said: "One of the things that must come out of this review is a clearer statement about what students may expect."

Others agreed on the possibility of sanctions for universities that did not do enough in return for any extra income from fees.

Speaking after he gave evidence, Paul Wellings, chair of the 1994 Group of smaller research-intensive universities, said that the funding council "could begin by saying: 'Why are you not up to the pace given that you are making this commitment?' (It could) ultimately ask if the public resource is being used to best effect."

Meanwhile, Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities, said it was "absolutely right" that potential students be furnished with quality information.

"We are committed to trying to make (the data) as clear, transparent and comprehensive as possible," she said during a second hearing of the review at the University of Leicester on 21 May.

Article courtesy of Simon Baker at TSL Education (simon.baker@tsleducation.com).

Teachers with no training? What a 'silly situation'
28/05/10

A lack of professional teaching qualifications for academics has created a "silly situation" in which many students are taught by staff with no training, an expert has claimed.

Herb Marsh, professor of education at the University of Oxford, told the review of fees and funding that scrutiny of teaching at universities would be vastly improved if minimum standards of accreditation were introduced.

Professor Marsh made the comments while responding to questions from Lord Browne, the review's chairman, about how quality could be better assessed in the academy.

The review panel has been keen to explore how measures of quality could be used to give students better data to inform their choice of institution.

Professor Marsh said that professional teaching qualifications for academics would not need to be overseen by the government.

Instead, the system would drive itself because staff would need the qualifications to progress in their careers - as long as they were recognised as legitimate by the sector.

"A very important and big problem is that lots of people are lecturing who have no training in being teachers, and that is a silly situation," he told the hearing at the University of Leicester on 21 May.

Professor Marsh added that, in addition to qualifications, an "ongoing" system of assessment was needed to maintain teaching quality in the sector.

He also said that despite working in the field for more than 30 years, he had yet to find a successful method for comparing quality between universities.

"In any institution there are going to be good teachers and bad teachers," he said. "It is very difficult (to compare institutions). I don't have a solution for it, but I have been looking."

Professor Marsh's comments echoed those made by the chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England at the panel hearing on 20 May.

Sir Alan Langlands told the hearing at the University of Bristol that, in his view, professional qualifications would enhance the sector.

"My personal preference, based on past experience, is in favour of it. It certainly does not decrease quality," he said.

Article courtesy of Simon Baker at TSL Education (simon.baker@tsleducation.com).

Click HERE to download a guide to the Queen's speech. The document reviews what Cabinet members will be doing over the coming months and highlighting some of their main policy areas.

Article courtesy of Guide Public Affairs.

Department for Education Cuts
27/05/10

The DfE has been instructed to make £670m efficiency savings.  Scaling back education quangos will account for £80m cuts.  The closure of Becta (the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency) has already been announced, saving £10m this year.  Cuts in other education quangos include:

- £15m from the Children's Workforce Development Council
- £16m from the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services
- £30m from the Training and Development Agency for Schools
- £1m from The School Food Trust
- The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency will have its budget reduced by up to £8m this year
- The Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA), budget will be cut by £20m the department -confirmed that the YPLA would be left with a contingency budget despite the cuts

However, the DfE has announced:

- Frontline funding to schools will be protected, and money allocated to individual school budgets for 2010-11 will not be affected by the reductions
- 16-19 core participation funding will be maintained in 2010-11
- There will also be £50m of Government investment in Further Education colleges, and
£150m to fund 50,000 new apprenticeship places

N.B. Money allocated to all local authorities for Sure Start will be protected for 2010-11, and the ring-fence maintained

A new Water Safety resource for children aged 7 – 11 years has been launched. This new illustrated Water Safety Booklet is being distributed to schools and uniformed groups through direct requests from our WOW – Wild Over Waterways website: www.wow4water.net

Click HERE to view the water safety poster.

afPE Scotland AGM - 17th June 2010
25/05/10

The Annual General Meeting of afPE in Scotland will be held on 17 June at 19.00 in the Tinderbox, 14 Ingram Street, Glasgow G1 1EJ.  Following the AGM there will be a PE Blether.

The awards represent a unique and high profile opportunity to celebrate the excellence and amazing achievements of UK higher education institutions, and reaffirm our commitment to the two core pursuits of higher education: teaching and research.

The categories for 2010 are:

- Excellence and Innovation in the Arts
- Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year
- Research Project of the Year
- Outstanding Contribution to Leadership Development
- Outstanding Employer Engagement Initiative
- Widening Participation Initiative of the Year
- Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community
- Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development
- Outstanding Contribution to Innovation and Technology
- Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers
- Outstanding Support for Students
- Outstanding Engineering Research Team of the Year
- Most Innovative Teacher of the Year
- Most Improved Student Experience
- International Collaboration of the Year
- The Lord Dearing Lifetime Achievement Award
- Entrepreneurial University of the Year
- University of the Year

If you believe your team deserves recognition, get your entries in by 7 June 2010.

Click HERE for more information.

Michael Gove has set out his priorities for education
14/05/10

The new Education Secretary confirmed that Conservative plans for "free" schools and more academies would be the focus for change.

He said nothing was more important to the fairness of society and the country's future prosperity than getting education right.

Lib Dem Sarah Teather and Tory Nick Gibb were named education ministers.

The department has been renamed the Department for Education and Mr Gove has written to its civil servants setting out his priorities.

He said it would be re-focused on "supporting teaching and learning".

There will be no change to the areas which are covered by the department however and it will still include children's services.

Previously, it was called the "Department for Children, Schools and Families".

Mr Gove set out the priorities, saying: "I believe, nothing is more important to the fairness of our society and the future prosperity of our country than getting education right.

"Too many children still leave primary school every year without meeting basic standards in English or maths and too few 16-year-olds get five decent GCSEs.

"So improving literacy, raising pupil attainment, extending parental choice, freeing teachers from bureaucracy, improving discipline and closing the widening gap between the richest and the poorest should be our shared goal."

I want us to offer all schools the chance to enjoy academy-style freedoms so that heads and teachers across the country can be liberated

Michael Gove Michael Gove, Education Secretary Willetts becomes science minister

Mr Gove confirmed he intended to move quickly on plans for all schools to be given the freedom to become academies - schools which are funded by the state but are largely independent.

"In the weeks ahead, I want us to offer all schools the chance to enjoy academy-style freedoms so that heads and teachers across the country can be liberated," he wrote.

"This will be the focus of the legislation we hope to bring forward later this month."

The Conservatives had pledged to have legislation in place so that schools could become academies by this September.

The Liberal Democrats are also in favour of schools having more freedom, but there was a difference between the two parties in terms of how free such schools should be.

The Liberal Democrats had previously said they wanted academies to come under local authorities while the Conservatives said they should be independent.

The new government also wants to make it easier for groups of parents, charities and teachers to start schools.

Mr Gove's letter confirmed those plans and said that this new generation of schools could have smaller class sizes - a key priority for the Lib Dems.

"We will also work to allow charities, parents and teachers' groups to open a new generation of small schools with smaller class sizes," his letter said.

Another key priority confirmed is that of the "pupil premium" - where funding is targeted to the most deprived pupils.

This is something both the Conservatives and the Lib Dems had campaigned on in the run up to the general election - but had disagreed bitterly in terms of how it should be funded.

The Liberal Democrats had promised £2.5 billion to pay for it.

Other key priorities confirmed by Mr Gove were to:

- Give schools greater freedom over the curriculum

- "Radically reform exam system" so that all schools can offer a wider range of qualifications

- Support teachers by giving them more powers "to ensure higher standards of discipline"

Harnessing Technology School Survey
13/05/10

The release as Official Statistics of the Harnessing Technology School Survey provides data and findings from research conducted on behalf of Becta by ORC/Infogroup. The reports provide data on how technology is being harnessed to support learning, teaching and management in schools and the benefits achieved as a result.

Surveys of were completed during November 2009 – March 2010. Responses were gathered from 405 leaders, 363 teachers, 344 ICT Co-ordinators and 4,659 children and young people in years 5, 8 and 10. Though this is the first time Becta has reported this survey as Official Statistics, we have published surveys in this sector for several years. Therefore there is some trend data within these reports.

Further analysis by Becta, including levels of school 'e-maturity', will be published later in the year in the Harnessing Technology Review.

These files are presented in a format that is consistent with the requirements of the National Statistics Office.

The findings presented in the Analytical Reports note key findings and trend data, where applicable. All collected data for each survey is presented in the data files and is made available for further research and commentary by Becta.

Click HERE to download the reports.

National Family Week is the UK's biggest annual celebration of family life aiming to highlight the importance of quality time together and promote the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle. Backed by all major political parties, National Family Week represents the largest coalition on family issues in the UK, working with hundreds of partners and supporters from major national charities to community organisations to help bring families together.

This year, thousands of record-setting, action-packed and fun-filled family events are taking place in every corner of the country so families everywhere can enjoy eating, learning, playing, exploring and getting out and active together. National Family Week 2010 will make the summer half term holiday a walk in the park… or a piece of cake... or a home run with everything from picnics in the park to large-scale sports days, huge giveaways, great competitions and loads of special offers for families to enjoy!

Click HERE for more information and to see how you can get involved.

Quality, Condition and use of Helmets in Hockey: A recent coroner's judgment
10/05/10

At the end of a recent inquest, on a 12 year old boy who died whilst taking part in a school hockey practice, the coroner asked the England Hockey Board to disseminate information on good practice relating to the quality, condition and use of goalkeeping helmets in hockey.

A summary of the background to the tragic incident and the good practice guidance follows:

Summary of the incident:
• During a hockey shooting drill a lifted shot hit the goalkeeper on the helmet. He fell to the ground and died.

Judgement:
• The boy died from a brain haemorrhage though it was inconclusive as to whether the cause of death was the ball hitting the helmet or his head hitting the floor;
• The quality and standard of staff supervision and organisation of the activity did not contribute adversely to the tragic outcome;
• HSE testing found the helmet (a Grays 200 – also branded as  the TK GX5) met current BS/EN safety standards;
• The inquest verdict was that it was a freak accident.

Good practice guidance offered by EHB:
• Helmet care:
o Regularly check helmets for damage;
o Ensure helmets fit properly and that there are no exposed areas of the head, in particular where an adjustable back plate is used;
o Ensure that helmets are suitable to the age and size of the players, the weight of ball being used and the drill being used;
o Implement a helmet replacement cycle – every 3-5 years is recommended by EHB - based on usage and condition.

More detailed guidance can be found in "Safe Practice in PESS, 2008 (afPE), particularly in chapters 4 (supervision and competence), 12 (equipment), 13 (personal protection) and 22 (teaching games activities).

Political Update - Children, Schools and Families Bill
28/04/10

Outlined below is the summary of the Children, Schools and Families Bill which received Royal Assent on 8th April. Sadly the Pupil and Parent Guarantee has gone. The Bill is now an Act of Parliament (law).

Summary of the Bill:

The Bill as introduced aimed to provide guarantees for parents and pupils, setting out what they were entitled to expect from the school system. It also aimed to reform the curriculum and introduce a new licensing scheme for teachers.

Clauses on a number of key provisions were removed during the consideration of Lords Amendments, including:

- The Pupil and Parent Guarantee
- Home School Agreements
- Reform of the primary curriculum
- Introduction of compulsory Personal Social Health and Economic (PSHE) education - including the provision that all children receive at least one year of sex and relationship education
- The licence to practise for teachers
- Registration and monitoring of home education
- The extended remit for School Improvement Partners
- School report cards
- Strengthened powers for local authorities and the Secretary of State to intervene where schools are causing concern
- Powers for the Secretary of State to intervene in failing Youth Offending Teams
- Parental satisfaction surveys

The provisions that remain in the Bill include:
 
- Requirements for school inspections to take into account the needs of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities and provisions for an additional right of appeal for parents of children with special educational needs statements
- A requirement for local authorities to provide full- time education for children and young people who, for various reasons, are in alternative provision
- Greater powers for school governing bodies on how they use their budgets, and the power to set up new schools and academies
- New provisions on information sharing and the review of Local Safeguarding Children Boards' performance
- New arrangements to allow greater media reporting of proceedings in Family Courts

The afPE East Executive Committee continue to meet on a regular basis and have been planning their launch for Wednesday 12th May 2010 (5-7.30pm) at Cambridgeshire FA.

The launch will form part of a twilight workshop on the effective use of ICT in Physical Education.

If you are interested in attending, please see the flyer or email mark.bowler@beds.ac.uk. The event is free for both afPE and non-afPE members, but must be booked in advance.

Click HERE for the event flyer.

Venue:

Cambridgeshire FA
Bridge Road
Impington
Cambridge
CB24 9PH

Directions: www.cambridgeshirefa.com/AboutUs/Directions/

Move to inspire the next generation of school athletes
23/04/10

Over half of the UK's physical education teachers believe they need more training and better facilities to teach athletics effectively.

Click HERE for the full story.

Competitive sport provides fun and a lesson in life, says Shadow Minister
23/04/10

Shadow Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP, has said that competitive sport and physical education in primary schools would be fundamental to school sport strategy if the Conservatives are elected.

Click HERE for the full story.  

Sector offers UK real value for money, v-cs claim
23/04/10

Figures show state school entrants on the rise and dropout rate falling, writes Rebecca Attwood

Universities are delivering "real value for money" by attracting more students from state schools while reducing dropout rates, vice-chancellors have said.

Data published last week by the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that among students starting full-time first degrees in the UK in 2007-08, the proportion who had dropped out a year later was 8.6 per cent, down from 9 per cent in 2006-07.

Meanwhile, the proportion of young full-time undergraduate entrants from state schools rose to 89 per cent in 2008-09, up from 88.5 per cent the previous year.

Steve Smith, president of Universities UK, said Hesa targets and benchmarks - known as "performance indicators" - were "only partial indicators of change" and did not reflect universities' varying missions and circumstances, but he welcomed the positive trends.

"The UK still has one of the most successful completion rates for higher education in the world, despite a significant funding gap compared with other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development," he said.

"This emphasises our place as one of the country's most valuable sectors, providing an outstanding return on public investment and real value for money."

However, the University and College Union criticised the fact that data on changes to the proportion of students from lower socio-economic groups were not available due to a change in the question asked of applicants on the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service form.

Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary, said: "It is quite incredible that the question on students' backgrounds has been changed and that comparisons with previous years are impossible. There is a review of student funding happening right now and we need that information."

Ucas subsequently reverted to the old format, meaning that data should be comparable with earlier figures when they are released this time next year.

But Ms Hunt said this was "little comfort when we are being denied the full picture".

The Hesa figures show that Harper Adams University College is once again the most inclusive institution, with 58.4 per cent of its students coming from lower socio-economic groups. It is followed by London Metropolitan University (57.5 per cent) and the University of Greenwich (56.2 per cent).

The least inclusive institution is the Courtauld Institute of Art (7.9 per cent), followed by the University of Oxford (11.5 per cent) and the University of Cambridge (12.6 per cent).

Oxford and Cambridge also reported the lowest dropout rates among full-time first-degree entrants, with 1.1 per cent and 1.2 per cent respectively quitting after one year.

The highest dropout rate was once again at the UHI Millennium Institute (25.4 per cent). It was followed by the University of the West of Scotland (21.4 per cent) and the University of Bolton (19.8 per cent).

afPE National Conference (7th - 9th July 2010) - Online booking now live!
15/04/10

Online booking is now open for the 2010 afPE National Conference!

Click HERE to visit the conference website which includes all the information you need, including:

- Welcome to conference
- Speakers
- Programme
- Wednesday Sessions
- Thursday AM Sessions
- Thursday PM Sessions
- Networking Opportunities
- The Venue
- Call for Poster Presentations
- Learning Zone - List of Exhibitors
- Prices

If you have any questions or queries, please contact: sally@equitycommunications.co.uk, Telephone:  01245 328777.

Times Higher Education Awards
15/04/10

The 6th annual Times Higher Education Awards are now open for entries.

A highlight of the academic calendar and a glittering celebration of the best of the sector, the awards represent a unique and high-profile opportunity to recognise the talent and amazing achievements of UK higher education.

"The awards celebrate all that higher education does well, and there is a huge amount to celebrate from teaching to research to knowledge exchange. Now more than ever the world needs to hear how much our universities do for the country and the world."
Ann Mroz, editor, THE

The call for entries is open until 7 June 2010. The shortlist will be announced in the THE in September, and the winners announced at a gala ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, on 25 November 2010.

For the full list of awards and the entry criteria, please see the awards website.

Please see the link below to the DCMS policy paper – A Place for Culture: Towards a local culture offer for all children and young people which was published on Friday. 

The policy paper looks at what has been achieved so far and sets out the DCMS' ambitions for the future looking at ways to develop a universal culture offer for children and young people based on what has been learnt already through the Find Your Talent programme.

DCSF Report - From Baker to Balls: the foundations of the education system
06/04/10

Please click HERE to download the latest DCSF report entitled "From Baker to Balls: the foundations of the education system."

Coubertin Olympic Awards
31/03/10

ATT: Heads of Department/Professors/Tutors.

EDF Energy welcomes your students to join the first annual Coubertin Olympic Awards student essay competition organised by the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee (CIPC) in partnership with the Institute of Business Ethics (IBE). The competition takes the form of an essay written by teams of two to four students on themes involving ethics, business and sport.

The competition's overarching aim is to promote the application of the Olympic ideals to the world of business, including the business of sport itself. There are two prizes available for the competition: A first prize of £2,000 payable to the winning Student Group and a second prize of £1,000 payable to the runners up Student Group.

Further information can be found at: www.coubertin-awards.org.uk

Change of Head Office and Postal Address
30/03/10

Please be aware that as from Thursday 1st April 2010, afPE’s Head Office and postal address will be:

Room 117
Bredon
University of Worcester
Henwick Grove
Worcester
WR2 6AJ

Tel: 01905 855 584
Fax: 01905 855 594

New Secondary Curriculum Local Authority Newsletter - March 2010
26/03/10

The latest (and final) Aspect new secondary curriculum local authority newsletter is now available for download.

Click HERE to view the newsletter.

Aiming high for young people - three years on
25/03/10

The DCSF has published 'Aiming high for young people – three years on' which updates Aiming High: a 10-year strategy for positive activities published in 2007.  The document includes the following actions and recommendations:

- Volunteering and community action opportunities will be available for all young people so they can play a positive role in their communities.  This will include five new Youth Community Action pilots to trial plans for all young people to take part in community activities for up to 50 hours. The pilots in Brighton and Hove, Kent, Lincolnshire, Salford and York will share up to £6m over two years and are aimed at 14 to 16 year-olds.

- Investment to make sure that every young person has the opportunity to take part in high quality positive activities that meet their needs at the times that they want them, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights.  The DCSF wants to see a doubling of provision by this time next year.

- All young people will have access to high-quality PE and sport so they take part in five hours a week – with emphasis on boosting the participation of less sporty secondary school pupils.  This will include a new guide for teachers and youth sport workers to help increase the number of young people doing sport outside school, and a new web page where young people can find out what sports are on offer in their area.

- Local authorities should pool money from different funding sources so higher quality and more cost-effective services would be guaranteed for young people, especially the most disadvantaged and those in the most deprived areas.

Draft Quality standards for positive activities have also been published.  These will help to improve the outcomes achieved by young people, including those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable, through their participation in positive activities by setting out the characteristics of good quality provision.

Coachwise (afPE's publication partner) have a range of special offers available at present for the following afPE resources:

Assessment for Learning - Was £29.99, now just £23.99
Professional Development Record - Was £12.99, now just £9.99
A Guide to Self Review in PE - Was £15.99, now just £9.99
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afPE's Response to Chief Medical Officer Report
19/03/10

The Chief Medical Officer Annual Report 2009 was launched in mid-March 2010.  It contains some very worthy recommendations about physical activity and also a recommendation to introduce fitness testing into secondary schools.  The latter caused a flurry of media headlines e.g 'Beep test could keep children on their toes' (The Times, 16-3-10). 

afPE has quickly responded to the report to applaud the attention within it to physical activity and most of the associated recommendations, and to raise a few alarm bells about the potential for fitness testing per se to increase activity levels and reduce obesity amongst young people. 

The key message here is that activity monitoring is as important as fitness testing and the entire monitoring process should be educational, positive and meaningful for young people, the main aim being to help them adopt and maintain healthy, active lifestyles.

CMO Annual Report - 2009

afPE's Response to the CMO Report

Fears grow for teaching development as budget reductions are confirmed, Rebecca Attwood writes

The fruit of decades of effort to improve university teaching is under threat at the very time it is needed most as a result of cuts to the higher education budget, it was claimed this week.

Funding chiefs have confirmed that the £30 million-a-year Higher Education Academy, the national body for university teaching, is facing a reduction in core funding of about a third over the next two to three years.

Some academics fear that the body's network of 24 subject centres, set up to support teaching and learning in different disciplines, will be targeted. They currently receive 63 per cent of the core funding.

In addition, funding of £315 million over five years from the Higher Education Funding Council for England for the UK's 74 Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs) - Hefce's largest investment in this area - comes to an end next month, leaving the future funding of some CETLs uncertain.

Meanwhile, Graham Gibbs, former head of the Oxford Learning Institute, University of Oxford, has warned that teaching-development centres in universities across the UK are facing "rightsizing" and that financial problems will force "economies of scale" in teaching (see box below).

Professor Gibbs said the "whole teaching-development enterprise" was under threat.

The UK's four higher education funding bodies have informed the HEA that it should plan for a reduction in its core funding of about 30 per cent by 2012-13.

The HEA's board held an away-day earlier this month to consider its future focus, attended by a number of subject centre directors.

Sean Mackney, acting chief executive of the HEA, has written to vice-chancellors to inform them that subject centres will receive a reduced grant from the next academic year.

The letter commits the HEA to funding subject centre staff contracts until the end of December, but there is concern about the future of the centres beyond that date.

In 2008, an independent interim evaluation of the HEA said the purpose of its York headquarters needed to be better explained, but added that the sector valued the subject centres.

Chris Rust, head of the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development at Oxford Brookes University, said: "If the HEA board can't be dissuaded, I think this will mark the end of the HEA in the next few years. Without the subject centres, I don't believe that anyone will see what is left at York as value for money."

A spokeswoman for the HEA said it was examining all its work, and stressed that no decisions had been made about the organisation's future structure.

In a statement, Mr Mackney says the body will be honing in on specific aspects of student learning where it will "make an impact".

"We are looking at the best way of incorporating work with staff in the disciplines into our overall approach," he adds.

Imogen Taylor, professor of social care and social work at the University of Sussex and a national teaching fellow, said that support for learning and teaching development was crucial.

But she added that it was "entirely reasonable" to review funding for subject centres and CETLs at a time when departments were having to fight for investment.

"We cannot just assume that current structures will serve us best in this new environment," she said.

Thom Brooks, reader in political and legal philosophy at Newcastle University, said that the HEA had done "an excellent job" improving teaching and learning, and that cuts to its budget were "the wrong decision at the wrong time".

Article courtesy of Rebecca Attwood (TSL) rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com