Here's an idea for those tossed out of the education system by cuts, fees and Ebaccs: they're going to need someone to police this demonstration as it seems the police will be otherwise occupied. Demonstrating. So if you fancy yourself as a kettler, now's your chance to shine.
Education stories from the Guardian
• The long-awaited special needs green paper is out today. Parents will be given a personal budget to spend on the care of their SEN children needs under government proposals that will also replace SEN statements with a new "health and care plan". The green paper says these plans could be contracted out to "the voluntary and community sector" rather than local authorities. Discussion is happening on Twitter on #SENGP. Watch out for comment from @GuerrillaMum on the Guardian site later today.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of teaching union Nasuwt, says:
"The key message appears to be that the coalition government believes that there are too many children and young people classified as having special needs.
The evident danger is that it is seeking to redefine what constitutes special needs. In the context of an austerity programme, this can only mean that fewer children will qualify for additional support."
• A huge fuss and bother has been churned up by an evangelical pressure group called the Christian Institute that claims children as young as five are being shown "explicit" images to teach them about sex. The Daily Mail is terribly excited. But Justin Hancock, who teachers sex and relationships education, blogs:
"What it ignores is that sexual anatomy and descriptions of sexual acts are only a very small part of a broad and comprehensive SRE programme, especially at primary school age."
"Someone should tell the Christian Institute that Jesus was result of an unplanned teenage pregnancy out of wedlock, and he turned out OK."
Stories from around the web
• Is Germany better at teaching English courses than the UK is? The BBC reports that it has been named as the most supportive country for overseas students, in an international league table from the British Council.
• The Independent reports that Cambridge University is at the centre of a row over ethical funding after accepting a new donation from the Oman government to promote religious understanding. The deal, signed only two weeks ago, is the second substantial donation the university has received from the Sultanate - bringing total funding to well over £4m. It's also received £8m from the House of Saud to set up a new centre for Islamic studies. Last night a new students' group, campaigning to promote "clean" funding of universities, called on the university to refuse to accept any more cash from either regime - on the grounds it could be compromised.
• The Mail is not at all happy that "taxpayers are funding 1,600 prisoners to do Open University courses". It quotes Tory MP Priti Patel, who says:
"This is yet another example of gold-plated rights for convicted criminals at the expense of their victims and the law-abiding majority.
The public will be outraged to see their hard-earned taxes funding degrees for prisoners while most people have to pay their own way through university by taking out loans.
Not only will this seem unfair to those who do the right thing, pay their own way and do not break the law, but it also sends out the signal that crime pays."
• Warwick Mansell has blogged about the Wolf review and its implications for league tables.
• You can watch Noam Chomsky live speaking at UCL at 6pm today.
• Alastair Campbell posted a blog yesterday about his appearance on Jamie's programme which I'm sure we are all looking forward to this evening. He reckons Rolf Harris got a raw deal from the editors last week.
"Episode One last week showed up - and this is inevitable given how many hours of footage they have - how editing means people will rarely get the whole story. If you only watched the programme as broadcast, you'd have thought Rolf Harris had been something of a disappointment. In fact on Youtube there is a very touching film of how he brought out a seeming real talent in Ronnie."
The Voice union makes merry with a Department for Education ad for a speechwriter. Here's its suggested outline for your application:
"Dear DfE, I wish to apply for the post of speechwriter… sample of my work… I have a dream… promised land of free schools in every street, an academy on every corner.. we're all in it together.. heart and stomach of a king, sorry secretary of state, I have nothing to offer you but blood, toil, tears and sweat, a huge student debt and an uncertain future, but you will have freedom of choice and a big society… Ich bin ein free schooler."
Guardian careers
Live Q&A on the web this afternoon: What can I do with a degree in physics? Experts will be discussing the skills physics graduates have gained and the career options available to them. Start posting your questions now.
Media skills seminar for education leaders
This one-day seminar on 22 March is organised by the Guardian and the NAHT.
Whether it's sharing good news or handling a crisis, headteachers and senior school management teams need to be able to handle the media in all of its forms. This seminar is for new and aspiring heads, established school leaders who wish to update their knowledge, and chairs of governing bodies who may find themselves in the media limelight. Speakers will cover print and TV, and give up-to-the-minute advice on the internet and social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
Caricature masterclass by a Guardian cartoonist
Sharpen your pencils - the Prince's Drawing School is running a weekend masterclass for adults, led by Nicola Jennings, on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March from 10am to 4pm.
The weekend will begin with a brief history of caricature, followed by a look at the proportions of the face. Students will learn to observe and analyse facial expressions and movements, highlighting appropriate characteristics to describe personality. Here's the booking form.
Insight into journalism seminars for teachers
A unique opportunity for teachers to spend a day at the Guardian, find out how a national news media organisation works and get ideas and resources that can be used in the classroom.
News 11 March Learn about the 24-hour news cycle; meet news reporters, feature writers, picture and sub editors; understand the role newspaper advertising; go on a tour of the editorial floors and take part in a workshop creating you own news front page which will be evaluated by an editor.
Multimedia 31 March Writing for a news website, web editing, blogging, the use of social media, video production; podcasting.
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