English in the News
Below is a selection of articles which are archived online and may be of interest to NATE members. If you know of others please let us know. Keep up to date with our Twitter feed, too.
- Children no longer need facts because they can look them up on smartphone, claim teachers - Daily Telegraph, Wednesday April 4, 2012
The article also suggests: 'A new-style English curriculum may also lead to the introduction of distinct lessons in grammar and more rigorous reading lists covering Homer, Sophocles and Shakespeare amid fears too many pupils are “limited to a diet of John Steinbeck”.' Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here - A new kind of class warfare - The Guardian, Tuesday April 3, 2012
Michael Gove's A-level proposal will return us to the days when only the privileged were likely to go to university, writes Priyamvada Gopal of Cambridge University Faculty of EnglishLink broken or innaccurate? Please report here - 'There is no such thing as universal grammar' - The Observer, Sunday March 25, 2012
The rules of language are not innate but spring from necessity and circumstance, says Daniel EverettLink broken or innaccurate? Please report here - How to improve literacy in a time of austerity - The Independent, Friday March 16, 2012
Our national problem with reading goes beyond schools and runs deep in our society
Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Raise literacy target in primary schools, says Ofsted chief - The Guardian, Thursday March 15, 2012
Sir Michael Wilshaw, the chief inspector of schools, says the current benchmark is too low to ensure later success at GCSELink broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Ofsted: English standards in primary schools 'too low' - Daily Telegraph, Thursday March 15, 2012
Standards of English in primary schools should be dramatically raised because too many pupils start secondary education with poor reading and writing skills, Ofsted warned today.
Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Ofsted literacy warnings 'are scaremongering' - Daily Telegraph, Thursday March 15, 2012
Adrian Prandle from the Association of Teachers and Lecturers rebuffs Ofsted's claim that literacy standards in primary schools are too low in a short video.
Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Ofsted: Literacy progress has stalled, chief inspector says - BBC, Wednesday March 14, 2012
England is being overtaken by other leading nations because progress on literacy has stalled, says chief schools inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw.Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Battle over library closures intensifies - Daily Telegraph, Tuesday March 13, 2012
Culture Minister Ed Vaizey says there will be a report into library service as government is handed petition and he is branded 'Dr Beeching of libraries'. Philip Ardagh, the award-winning author of the Eddie Dickens adventures... told The Telegraph that was speaking in support of libraries because: "I want children from homes where there are few if any books to have the chance to discover the world of reading"
Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Sorry, there's no such thing as 'correct grammar' - The Guardian, Friday March 2, 2012
Martin Gwynne may have fun telling people the rules of grammar, but language is owned and controlled by everybody, says Michael Rosen
Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Now on Offer at Selfridge's – Grammar Lessons - Daily Telegraph, Friday March 2, 2012
Something very odd is going on down at the Oxford Street superstore. Every Friday night, Martin Gwynne, a retired Old Etonian businessman turned teacher, is giving grammar lessons to the evening shoppers.Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here - In praise of Byron's maiden speech - The Guardian, Thursday March 1, 2012
It is not just Lord Byron's poems that still ring down the agesLink broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Boys closing reading gap with girls - The Guardian, Tuesday February 28, 2012
What Kids Are Reading 2012 report finds children are now reading to the same level of difficulty across gendersLink broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Exam boards ordered to tighten up four GCSEs - The Guardian, Friday February 24, 2012
Regulator makes changes to English literature, maths, history and geography to ensure pupils study whole curriculumLink broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Examiners ordered to toughen up GCSE test papers - Daily Telegraph, Friday February 24, 2012
GCSEs in key subjects such as English literature and mathematics are to be toughened up amid fears pupils are being allowed to pass with a superficial knowledge of the curriculum, it is announced today.
Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here - So Dickens is too challenging for today’s children? Not for these ones - The Independent, Thursday February 23, 2012
There was one voice missing in the debate earlier this month over when children should start reading Dickens – that of the children themselves.Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Vocabulary tests on two-year-olds can identify those who will be late talkers - The Guardian, Monday February 20, 2012
Children who can speak 50 words or fewer at age two may benefit from early language therapy, say researchersLink broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Hiya pupils, please avoid slang, ta - The Guardian, Tuesday February 14, 2012
Sheffield Springs academy asks students to stop using slang words inside the school gates to improve employabilityLink broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Britain’s Got Talent stars in GCSE English - Daily Telegraph, Saturday February 11, 2012
Simon Cowell's television talent show Britain’s Got Talent has been added to the GCSE English syllabus by the examination board Edexcel
Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here - Moving to rhymes 'may boost pupils' results' - BBC, Friday February 10, 2012
Researchers are to investigate whether following a set of systematic movements for 10 minutes a day in class can boost pupils' results.Researchers are to investigate whether following a set of systematic movements for 10 minutes a day in class can boost pupils' results.Link broken or innaccurate? Please report here