Leadership Briefings – Imaginative Minds

Description:: This DCSF document promotes the debate with the school system about how efficiencies in the use of resources can be achieved. It sets out a number of broad areas that offer the greatest scope for savings that could be discussed further and where schools can learn from the experiences of other schools and share best practice. It provides a discussion between schools, school leaders and their colleagues about what steps can be taken to ensure the best use of school resources in the coming years.
Submitted On:: 03/12/2009

Description:: This survey by the Training & Development Agency on newly qualified teachers reveals that many are struggling to find secure positions in England's schools. Many NQTs have fixed-term contracts, or have taken up teaching supply contracts. And nearly half of all newly-trained secondary teachers said they were working a school facing challenging circumstances compared to 43% of primary teachers.
Submitted On:: 03/12/2009

Description:: A new report on education from independent charity, Teach First, has advised that the league tables system should be completely overhauled. The report focuses on improvements which can be made to 'urban challenging schools' in England and suggests the removal of overall grades from report cards, as well as the separation of academic and vocational routes for children.
Submitted On:: 03/12/2009

Description:: The Commission for Rural Communities has released a new report, which examines how poverty and lack of access to services affects children in rural communities. It also provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities of delivering children’s centre services in rural areas and sets out the key areas in which change is needed to improve support for families through rural Children’s Centres.
Submitted On:: 03/12/2009

Description:: Lessons in using the internet safely are set to become a compulsory part of the curriculum for primary schoolchildren in England from 2011. The lessons are one element of a new government strategy called Click Clever, Click Safe by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS). This strategy outlines how government, industry and charities are working together to keep children and young people safe online by implementing the recommendations from Professor Tanya Byron’s review 'Safer Children in a Digital World'.
Submitted On:: 09/12/2009

Description:: Safeguarding children and young people is a key priority for the Government. ‘Staying Safe’ is one of the five outcomes of the ‘Every Child Matters: Change for Children’ programme that has been taken forward since 2003. The main aim of this research is to measure and track parents’ and children’s awareness, attitudes and reported behaviour across the various safety issues covered within the Staying Safe Action Plan and the Byron Review.
Submitted On:: 09/12/2009

Description:: The risky and risk-seeking behaviour of young people has long been of concern to policy makers given the influence it can have on young people’s education and other longer-term outcomes. This study explored young people’s involvement in risky behaviour during secondary school. It also looked at social activities that young people engage in, and how these may prevent or reduce risky behaviour.
Submitted On:: 09/12/2009

Description:: This study was commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to explore solutions that will meet the emergency accommodation needs of young runaways. The report provides an overview and a set of overarching recommendations. Three supplementary reports will be produced next year relating the recommendations to the specific policy and service contexts in England, Wales and Scotland.
Submitted On:: 09/12/2009

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