Wiki Law School

  The areas on which schools are measured drops from 27 to four categories.

A quarter of schools rated “outstanding” are to be re-examined because their teaching did not reach the highest standard, says the new chief inspector of schools in England.

Schools will only be “outstanding” if their teaching is, Sir Michael Wilshaw confirmed.

In his first major speech he said “we have tolerated mediocrity for too long” and radical improvements were needed.

Teaching unions have accused him of “trashing the school system”.

A new framework for Ofsted inspections came in last month which ended regular inspections for outstanding schools.

Now schools with this highest overall rating but which did not get top marks for teaching face being re-inspected.

In his speech at a school in London, in front of heads from outstanding schools, Sir Michael said: “I believe we need radical improvements to the education system in this country.

“My view is that we have tolerated mediocrity for far too long – it has settled in to the system.”

Sir Michael told the BBC the new inspection framework would “focus on what really matters – the quality of teaching”.

“I dont see how you achieve outstanding status unless the quality of teaching is also outstanding,” he said.

The new framework slimmed down the areas on which schools are measured from 27 to four categories.

No-notice inspections

Sir Michael has formally set out other changes he plans to make by the autumn in a consultation paper published on Thursday.

A big change is a move to “no-notice” inspections.

At the moment, most schools are told a few days before an inspection when inspectors are coming in.

Critics of the system complain this notice prevents inspectors from seeing schools as they really are and some have accused schools of “bussing out” challenging pupils by sending them on day trips.

Heads said the notice gave them the chance to pull together all the data inspectors would want to see and arrange cover for staff the inspectors might want to talk to.

Another change proposed is the scrapping of the “satisfactory” label.

This would mean there would be three possible gradings – outstanding, good and “requires improvement” – instead of the current four.

Chief inspector of schools Sir Michael Wilshaw: “Weve got to up our game”

Sir Michael told BBC Radio 4s Today programme “satisfactory” was no longer good enough.

“All parents want their children to go to good schools,” he said.

“If a school is not good it will be placed in a category requiring improvement. If it does not improve, it will end up in special measures.”

He said 6,000 schools were currently graded as “satisfactory” and too many of these were “coasting”.

Sir Michael said he wanted all schools to be good schools: “This is about a step change. We want to make sure we move things further forward for this nation and that the gap between best and worst and richest and poorest closes.

“These have not closed as much as they should have.”

Chris Keates, the general secretary of the NASUWT, said Sir Michaels comments called in to question “every Ofsted judgement which has ever been made on any school”.

“He is trashing the school system, trashing the reputation of Ofsted and removing anything that parents can rely on by which to judge a school.

“This is puerile game-playing at expense of schools, their teachers and pupils.

“The secretary of states strategy of letting outstanding schools automatically become academies is now in tatters.”

‘Quite galling’

Clare Bradford, head teacher at Henbury School, a comprehensive in Bristol, is disappointed her school was recently rated only satisfactory by Ofsted, despite dramatic improvement.

She told Today: “I completely agree with Sir Michael that every school should have aspirations to be at least good or outstanding but its very difficult for schools, particularly in challenging circumstances”.

She said her school had seen the number of children with A* to C grades rise from 13% to 46% – and it was “quite galling” to be rated only as satisfactory.

Sir Michael responded by pointing out there were currently 700 schools “in challenging circumstances” which were graded as “outstanding”.

As a head teacher, he was credited with turning around struggling schools.

The head teachers association ASCL said it welcomed the tighter focus on teaching and learning in Ofsted inspections, but said schools in challenging areas should have the same chance of a high grade as a good school in a less difficult area.

Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of ASCL, said: “This is not about making excuses, it is acknowledging the challenges that schools in disadvantaged areas are dealing with, in addition to raising results”.

Mr Trobe also said that Sir Michaels comments were “damaging and demoralising dedicated professionals”.

“The message that teachers and heads will take from todays announcement is that the chief inspector sees them as part of the problem rather than the solution,” he said.

“This is no way to improve our education system, nor to treat hard working professionals who are doing the best for the young people in their care.”

Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said: “Im glad that the government appears to have performed a partial U-turn on inspecting outstanding schools.

“The government should ensure all schools, including those rated as outstanding, are inspected on a regular basis. Parents need to have confidence that a schools Ofsted rating is up to date.”

 

When every parent brings a child into their lives, there is a lot of joy for the new born. However, raising the child is no child’s play and especially if the parents are working, one of the most complex decisions such parents will ever have to make is finding the best childcare services that suit their child and their working schedule. Whichever child care a parent chooses should be one that works on the best interests of the child while the parent is away. There are several kinds of child services that are designed to meet the different and unique requirements or lifestyles of different parents, there are services best for the stay-at-home parents, full time working parents, those who work on shifts, single parents and even those that are studying. It is important for the parent to do a great deal of home work to establish among all available options which serves their children best.

The first step should be taking to the care givers t ascertain what they offer and they level of qualification in providing childcare services. From a list of providers, the parent should visit all while crossing them out remaining with the ones that seem preferable. Another important thing to consider is the child’s individual needs. Some children may require specialized care than others. Knowing things like the child’s temperament, likes and dislikes, medical condition, interests, behaviors, interaction with other children, learning styles, stage of development and even ability to communicate can be very useful in getting the best care for children. These needs have an effect in a child’s development and growth and taking them into consideration is very crucial. Regardless of the service chosen, the most important thing is the child to get professional care in a healthy environment, get nurtured and educated.

How would you like to go to a private liberal arts college that will give you a full-ride tuition scholarship for four years? Sounds crazy? Actually, I’m serious.

Antioch College in Yellow Spring, Ohio, is waiving the tuition for all its students, who enroll in the next three years.

How much are these freebies worth? The value of the free tuition for the current year is $26,500. The scholarship, based on that price, makes each scholarship worth at least $106,000.

Some students, who file financial aid applications, will capture an even greater price break. If they qualify, they may get to skip the room and board charges or pay a reduced price. Antioch’s room and board is currently $8,628.

Why So Generous?
Obviously, it’s unheard of for a college to offer free tuition to its all students. There is, however, an explanation for the generosity.

Antioch is crawling out of the grave. Antioch College, which was originally founded by abolitionists in 1850, shut its door in 2008 after years of decline. Terrible management decisions, among other reasons, led to the closure, but tremendous financial support from dedicated alumni, who were appalled at the closure, led to its rebirth.

Antioch welcomed 35 students into its inaugural freshmen class in 2011 and it hopes to welcome another 65 to 75 students in the fall. The school’s goal is to have about 300 students attending the school by 2015.

“We are a 160-year-old start-up institution with a lot of history,” says Cezar Mesquita, Antioch’s dean of admission and financial aid. The college wants to make an investment in hard-working, engaged students, “who can help restart this great institution.”

Antioch had always been known for its work cooperative program and that tradition has returned. All students will have numerous work opportunities during their four years that include, local, national and international experiences. At this point, the school offers 12 areas of concentration ranging from environmental and health sciences to languages and social sciences.

Academic Profile of Antioch Students
The inaugural class, which hailed from states throughout the country, had an average unweighted high school GPA of 3.56 and an average ACT score of 27, which is roughly the equivalent of a 1250 on the SAT.

If you’re a high school senior, there is still time to apply! Antioch’s admission deadline is Feb. 15.

In the early hours of the morning, Chip Kelly changed his mind. When heads hit pillows on both coasts, Oregon’s Kelly, fresh off his third straight B.C.S. berth – and first win – was nearly signed, sealed and delivered to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nearly, of course is key: as with recruiting, nothing is official until signatures meet dotted lines. For as far as Kelly’s discussions moved along with Tampa Bay, his cursive script never met the bottom of a contract; perhaps there’s hope after all, thought a portion of the Oregon fan base, as heads hit pillows. Then again, no Oregon fan could have been upset if Kelly followed the money, not to mention Phil Knight’s personal and professional mantra: Just Do It.

Even if he had left last night, or leaves at some point within the next three years, Kelly’s place in program history is more than secure. He’s the only coach to win 12 games in Eugene, something he’s now done twice. He, along with Bellotti, share all seven of the double-digit win seasons in program history.

Kelly in Oregon lore: built by others – Rich Brooks and Mike Bellotti – the program has taken a step forward under his watch. The Ducks have become the Google of college stock, growing exponentially while other, more historically prestigious programs struggle reclaiming past glory.

So you’d understand why Tampa Bay was interested. And you’d understand why Kelly would reciprocate any interest; the N.F.L. offers Kelly not just a large annual contract, but also the opportunity to put behind the sort of non-coaching business that plagues the day-to-day activities of a college coach.

There’s no recruiting in the N.F.L., which to some college coaching stars might be the league’s most attractive draw of all. There’s no petting the egos of high school juniors and seniors. No milking relationships with high school coaches – or a figure like Willie Lyles.

Speaking of Lyles, the N.F.L.’s enforcement committee focuses primarily on non-sanctioned sock height, noticeable bandanas and overaggressive over-the-middle head shots. Measure that with how the N.C.A.A. pursues a figure like Lyles, the Texas-based runner who factors heavily in Oregon’s past and future, and you can see why Kelly, and others, look at the N.F.L. as the promised land.

It’s an idea that goes beyond merely competing on football’s highest level, which according to reports has long been one of Kelly’s career goals – him and everyone else, it should be added. Some coaches, like a Steve Spurrier, aren’t happy until they’ve tried their hands on the N.F.L.; most come back with their tail between their legs, but they tried.

So what flipped Kelly – what made a done deal into no deal? Fairly simple, really: his heart wasn’t in it. Everything else was, but according to Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik, Kelly’s “heart is with college football and Oregon.”

Music to Oregon’s ears, and a disaster averted. And put to bed the idea that Kelly was jumping ship, much in the same way most assumed Pete Carroll skipped town at U.S.C. just as the N.C.A.A. was preparing to drop the hammer on the Trojans’ program.

The only issue with that idea, that Carroll got out of Dodge, was that Carroll had been eyeballing a return to the N.F.L. – a chance to reclaim his good name on that level – for at least two years prior to his eventual departure. He was merely waiting for the right opportunity, one that would allow him to have some degree of power of personnel decisions.

Kelly was going for the fun of it. Well, perhaps fun is the wrong word: the N.F.L. is a lot of things to a lot of people, but coaching in the N.F.L. is the opposite of fun; there’s a reason Bill Belichick, the most successful N.F.L. coach in generations, never smiles. Vince Lombardi only smiled on Sunday nights after victories, when he and his wife would entertain guests with cocktails in hand.

Kelly wanted to go because, with a George Mallory-like mentality, the N.F.L. is there. But his heart wouldn’t be there; as Dominik noted, his heart would have remained with Oregon and college, where Kelly knows his offensive philosophy remains the most devastating attack in the F.B.S.

So Oregon breaths a sigh of relief, and looks forward to a few years of coaching consistency. You forget that the Ducks have experienced precious little coaching turnover for decades, not just at head coach – three since 1977 – but also with assistants. Running backs coach Gary Campbell is closing in on three decades in Eugene, for example.

For a few hours, it seemed as if the program would need to return to the drawing board. This would be completely unlike the transition from Brooks to Bellotti, when Oregon promoted the latter, then Oregon’s defensive coordinator, from within the staff. Or from Bellotti to Kelly – offensive coordinator to head coach.

Knight and the Ducks would have looked outside the program, and things may have never been the same again. Yes, there’s that Nike money, not to mention the fact that Oregon’s national prestige continues to grow with every passing fall; once nouveau riche, the Ducks are close to joining the old guard.

There will be no new coaching search, though it was close. The program’s climb will continue under Kelly, though Oregon might want to have a transition plan in mind, should he ever be enticed once again by coaching on football’s highest level.

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THE BEE’S TOP 20

PR previous ranking; records through Sunday

Team W-L PR

1. Sheldon 13-3 2

2. Jesuit 14-4 1

3. Pleasant Grove 17-1 3

4. Sacramento 12-5 4

5. Antelope 16-1 5

6. Foothill 15-3 7

7. Franklin 14-4 8

8. Bella Vista 15-3 9

9. Del Campo 15-3 10

10. Burbank 12-5 6

11. Kennedy 14-4 11

12. Oak Ridge 11-7 12

13. Center 13-4 13

14. Folsom 10-9 14

15. Granite Bay 9-9 15

16. Del Oro 11-7 16

17. Capital Christian 13-4 17

18. River Valley 14-3 19

19. Valley 11-6

20. Whitney 12-6

Bill Paterson