The government needs to take nurseries more seriously as part of its education strategy September 1, 2020 As schools prepare to return, so soon after the A-Level fiasco, there is a huge focus on education. However, one very important part of the education sector, which has been underappreciated for too long, is that of day nurseries, pre-schools and childminders. These early learning providers cater for 2.1m children under the age of five [...]
Supporting young people’s education will create lasting value for London and the UK August 31, 2020 You’d have to be on a desert island to miss the fact that in recent weeks pupils across the capital have received their A-Level and GCSE exam results. This has been a year like no other. Not only has every school had to adapt and find new ways of working following closures forced by the [...]
History tells us now is a good time to go to university August 18, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact in a very short amount of time on people’s lives — worry and uncertainty continues as cases rise and fall at differing levels across the globe. And while the UK grapples with the consequences of an economic recession, people who received their A-level results last week are [...]
Future students won’t forgive universities for poor learning technology August 17, 2020 This year’s intake of undergraduates to universities around the UK are already changing the world. It is the first time where, for most of the first year, their experiences will be fuelled by often remote, digitally-driven courses rather than the typical immersion into a physical campus. Some of the UK’s higher education institutions had some [...]
University is still the safest bet to a good life August 14, 2020 Every year without fail, school leavers and their parents have to hear the boasting, masquerading as reassurance, of some of society’s success stories. Here’s Jeremy Clarkson: “I got a C and 2 Us and I’m currently building a large house with far reaching views of the Cotswolds.” Lord Sugar goes further: “University is a waste [...]
More than one third of A-level results downgraded as Gavin Williamson comes under fire August 13, 2020 Around 35 per cent of A-level results have been downgraded by one grade, figures have revealed. The students affected will receive a lower grade than their teachers predicted due to the Joint Council for Qualifications standardising the results based on historical data. Despite this, exam watchdog Ofqual has said performance across the country has been [...]
Activist investor ups stake in Pearson ahead of boardroom grab August 3, 2020 Europe’s largest activist investor has upped its stake in education publisher Pearson to almost nine per cent, signalling plans to push for a seat on the board. Swedish-based Cevian now owns 8.5 per cent of the FTSE-listed education firm, up from seven per cent a fortnight ago and making it Pearson’s third-largest investor. Cevian scours [...]
Coronavirus: Universities call for state aid with income set to plunge April 10, 2020 The UK’s universities have written to the government to request financial assistance as they brace for an estimated £800m drop in income this academic year. In an open letter sent to the chancellor and the education secretary, sector body Universities UK warned that higher education establishments could lose as much as £7bn in international student [...]
The three-year university degree is heading for a failing grade March 18, 2020 A report last month by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has found that, although higher education is a very good investment for most, a fifth of students — around 70,000 every year — actually make a net financial loss from going to university. Not every student factors in potential earnings when deciding what to do [...]
Research parks can help turn the light-bulb moment of science into business success February 17, 2020 Based on 35 years of experience, I am a proponent of the idea that “place matters”. Businesses benefit from being located in an environment willing to share the risks involved in fostering entrepreneurship. That’s why the global research and science park movement has taken off. It is designed to support the clustering of enterprises to [...]