English Bacc music GCSE warning

24 May 2011 Last updated at 13:03 GMT By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent Musicians warn that GCSE music will suffer from its exclusion from the English Bacc It could become "impossible" for young people in England to study music GCSE, if the English Baccalaureate is kept in its current form, a professional body for musicians says.

Music is not included in the proposed English Bacc list of GCSE subjects.

And the Incorporated Society of Musicians is writing to the schools minister to say teachers are reporting the subject is being "squeezed out".

An education department spokesman said funding for music was being protected.

A final decision on the shape of the English Bacc, for the 2012 league tables, is expected from ministers in the next few weeks.

'Almighty shock'

But Incorporated Society of Musicians chief executive Deborah Annetts said teachers had already reported a drop in pupils taking music GCSE and one school where it was no longer on the curriculum.

The English Bacc sets out the subjects on which league tables will be based showing how many pupils achieve at least a C grade.

The subjects proposed by the government are English, maths, two sciences, an ancient or modern language and either history or geography.

But critics say this will undermine the teaching of other subjects and limit the choices for GCSE.

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It is a concern to the government that children, particularly in deprived areas, are not being offered that combination of choices”

End Quote Nick Gibb Schools minister "Without music GCSE being given the weighting it deserves, our cultural and creative economy will be put at risk, and young people who want to be involved in the music sector will have their efforts hampered," said Ms Annetts.

"The government is setting England up for an almighty shock in the future if they continue this policy - let alone the impact it is already having on young people who want to study music."

There have also been protests about the absence of religious education and economics from the list and concerns schools will prevent pupils taking both history and geography, when only one will appear in the league-table results.

A Department for Education spokesman rejected the suggestion that music in school was not being supported.

"We've actually protected ?82.5m funding for music services this year and are reforming the system so money is targeted where it is needed most in future.

"We're recruiting top music graduates and performers into the profession through Teach First and will launch a National Plan for Music Education later this year - to close the 'musical divide' between rich and poor."

And he said that it was up to schools how they responded to the English Bacc.

"The ball is in schools' court over how they structure their curriculum and best meet pupils' needs. The number of EBacc subjects has been kept deliberately small - leaving plenty of lesson time to offer other valuable academic and non-academic qualifications, like music and RE."

On Monday Schools Minister Nick Gibb told the House of Commons the English Bacc would add to the quality of information available and help ensure more children take core academic subjects.

"The English Baccalaureate is not prescriptive. It is just a measure, one of many measures, that this government are putting forward as part of the transparency agenda," he said.

"It is the next stage in that school's improved performance. It is a concern to the government that children, particularly in deprived areas, are not being offered that combination of choices."

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Childcare benefit 'cuts' warning

23 May 2011 Last updated at 11:08 GMT By Kate Conway Politics reporter, BBC News Lone parents can feel trapped on benefits David Cameron's vow to make work pay could be "shattered" by cuts to childcare support, a think tank says.

Changes to childcare tax credits, due to come into force in 2013, could leave some parents losing 94p for every extra pound they earn, the Resolution Foundation said in a report.

Mr Cameron promised to end the "injustice" of low-paid lone parents losing out by working extra hours.

A government spokesman said the policy was still being worked out.

The planned changes to the benefits received by lone parents are part of the government's plan to replace Britain's complex benefit system with a single Universal Credit.

This flagship policy - broadly backed by Labour - is meant to end the "benefit trap" and make work pay for all.

Budget changes

In a speech to last year's Conservative Party conference, Mr Cameron said it would end "once and for all" the "injustice" of low-paid single mothers losing 96p in every extra pound they earned.

But the Resolution Foundation report, commissioned by lone-parent charity Gingerbread, cast doubt on this claim - and suggests the government will "fail" its own test on welfare reform by putting people off working.

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Living standards are already severely squeezed and this would be a further hammer-blow to working families”

End Quote Gavin Kelly Resolution Foundation A single parent on the minimum wage would earn ?3 a week more if he or she decided to work four days a week rather than three, the report suggests.

Parents used to be reimbursed for up to 80% of ?300 a week for childcare costs - so they could recoup up to ?240 for two or more children, depending on their income.

But changes in March's Budget brought this down to 70% - so the most they are now entitled to is ?210 a week.

The Resolution Foundation report says the government is considering two options under the Universal Credit that would further reduce childcare support.

The first would mean parents could claim no more than ?150.50 a week - the second would give them back just ?136.

'Knocked down'

Mother-of-four Karen Millar, from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, says she and her partner Darren both work full time to support their family and claim child tax credits.

She said: "There have been times when we've just thought one of us is going to have to give up work because the cost of childcare can take up to half your salary.

"It feels like we've been knocked down a bit, back to 'man goes out to earn and women stay at home'."

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has said the UK has some of the most expensive childcare among developed countries, costing an average of 68% of the family's second wage.

Resolution Foundation chief executive Gavin Kelly said: "Living standards are already severely squeezed and this would be a further hammer-blow to working families."

'Squeezing childcare'

But the government insisted it would "match the same amount of spending on childcare as in the current system".

A Department of Work and Pensions spokesman said: "We are looking at how best this support can be allocated to individuals to ensure that parents have an incentive to work, whilst targeting support at those most in need.

"We have been taking time to consider this issue carefully, and have been working closely with relevant organisations, like Gingerbread, on the rate at which childcare will be paid and the way this support will be delivered."

But shadow work and pensions minister Stephen Timms, for Labour, said: "You would have thought that the government would be making it easier for parents to work and pay tax so that we can get the deficit down.

"Squeezing childcare support when costs are rising will do nothing to make work pay and could make people very reluctant to take a job."

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Lambeth in school place warning

18 May 2011 Last updated at 11:56 GMT Lambeth Council predicts it will run out of primary school places by 2015 A south London council has warned it cannot guarantee a primary school place for every child in the borough by 2015.

Lambeth Council said the demand for school places has risen by 40% in the past four years in some areas and it would need 800 extra places by 2015.

The authority is asking residents to write to the government over its plea for ?50m funding over two years.

The Department for Education (DfE) said it had given ?800m to local authorities for additional places for 2011/12.

The council has received ?40m from the government since 2006, for primary school places, and another ?12m for 2011/12.

The money went into creating 11 permanent and 13 temporary facilities and 300 additional places since 2009, but it will need to find funds for another 800 additional places by 2015.

'Sticking plaster'

The council said it had spent ?500 in printing 5,000 pamphlets, which have been distributed to nurseries and libraries, to gather public support for the campaign.

Peter Robbins, Lambeth's cabinet member for children and young people, said: "Our schools are full to the brim. We have already added as many temporary classrooms as we have space for but now we need proper investment to permanently expand schools.

"To help us make the desperately needed space, we are asking the government to provide ?50m investment over two years.

"Our argument is clear, if we don't get funding, the alternative is to build so-called bulge classes. This approach is an expensive and temporary sticking plaster over the problem."

A DfE spokesman said: "The government, in a tight capital settlement for 2011-12, prioritised basic need to support the provision of additional pupil places, including doubling the amount allocated to local authorities to ?800m. This has been targeted at areas predicting the greatest increases.

"However, the management and allocation will be informed by the James Review, which is aimed at ensuring that best value for money is achieved and that the maximum number of pupils benefit from the available funding."

London Councils, which represents the city's 32 boroughs, said the shortage of places is an issue across the capital.

"The shortage of school places across the capital has become critical with a predicted shortfall of around 70,000 over the next four years," it said.

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