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The Guardian - UK

National

Judy Friedberg

Cribsheet 21.06.11

As I write, MPs are interviewing "teachers" from Jamie Oliver's television "school" about pupil behaviour. They include David Starkey, who famously deployed a fat joke to quieten restless students.

The education select committee believes, apparently, that "while Dream School only had 20 students, many of the challenges faced by them and their teachers are found across the UK, and in other schools and colleges as well".

Marvellous. While the cast of Casualty sorts out the NHS, perhaps the residents of the Big Brother house could advise MPs on prisoner voting?

Education news from the Guardian

• How do universities cope with the things students say about them on social media? It's a pressing problem, writes Harriet Swain:

"At a time when reputation is more important than ever because of higher student fees and global competition, the ability to manage their reputations is falling out of their hands."

Some have gone on to Twitter to respond to inaccurate claims about them. Others have primed students to correct people who've got the wrong end of the stick. Imperial College has recruited a team of official student bloggers to write about their experiences. They aren't paid, though there are "occasional prizes" for the best blog.

• Why don't outreach programmes change the proportion of students from low-income backgrounds who make it into elite universities? Mary O'Hara, the only person in her family to go to university, goes back to Cambridge to find out what students think could be done to change the odds.

One student tells her that the recruitment effort is being directed at the wrong schools:

"It needs to be better concentrated on people who wouldn't necessarily think of applying."

A graduate says:

"Access is predicated on having social and cultural capital in order to navigate a way through a system that is completely alien to people from a non-traditional background."

• Private companies are eyeing up the money to be made in state schooling. Wey Education, led by the former chair of Ofsted Zenna Atkins, intends to "play a major role as an outsource provider of management services to schools providing state education … taking control of all aspects of the day-to-day running of such schools". @warwickmansell has posted a link to the full statement. Toby Young says Atkins has got the wrong end of the stick in his Telegraph blog:

"In fact, there's little evidence that the current government has any appetite for allowing private companies to run taxpayer-funded schools."

• Parent-teacher associations play a huge part in raising money for schools. As times get tough, PTAs have got extremely crafty in coming up with ideas from auctioning manure to selling potatoes at Glastonbury. But as Russell Hobby, of the National Association of Head Teachers, points out, that's all very well for schools in affluent areas:

"Inequality is the key concern here. Many schools in challenging areas relied on government grants. Hoping that fundraising will replace them is difficult. It's unpredictable, and will only exacerbate divisions. The most disadvantaged will lose."

• Andrew Adonis is championing a technical baccalaureate for vocational skills. He tells Jessica Shepherd:

"Competence in vocational skills is at least as useful as knowledge of the Tudors and Stuarts. And that is effectively the trade-off."

• Rebecca Smithers has done a lovely piece on the resurgence of Saturday art clubs, which are uncovering extraordinary talent among disadvantaged teenagers. We have a picture gallery to go with this story, and the artwork is on display at Somerset House in London.

Guardian views

Mike Baker While we wait for the higher education white paper, let's consider what would happen if private universities mushroomed.

Martha Lane Fox Lack of digital savvy is keeping people out of decent jobs. Race Online 2012 is pushing to build a 100% networked nation by the time of the Olympics.

Research revelations

• Duncan Bannatyne, the Dragon, has prosopagnosia. Which may go some way to explaining his behaviour - if you know what it means of course. Lucy Tobin throws light on the subject of "face blindness".

• The Improbable Researchers investigate a woman who built dollshouse crime scenes, complete with tiny victims and murder weapons, and endowed a "department of legal medicine" at Harvard to house them.

On the Guardian Teacher Network

• It's Wrong Trousers Day on Friday - the charity fundraiser that invites children and adults to pay £1 for the right to look "wrong" in a pair of wacky or weird trousers - and it's not too late to get involved. The Guardian Teacher Network has pulled together resources .

• Refugee Week runs until 26 June. The network has resources from the Red Cross: a positive images toolkit and a refugee welcome activity.

Education news from around the web

• A leading bishop, Rt Rev John Pritchard, has warned that the Church of England must "act now" to secure its role in education amid swift policy change. He expressed concern about support for church-run academies and the exclusion of RE from the English baccalaureate.

• Sir Peter Scott says the government's overhaul of higher education is probably the worst example of public policy making he has ever seen. The Telegraph reports on the professor of higher education studies at the University of London's Institute of Education labelling the approach "a slow car crash".

• The Evening Standard reports that the Duchess of Cornwall (that's Camilla if you're losing track) is visiting a school in west London to promote reading. The Standard says the duchess has "distinguished herself as a champion of literacy".

Guardian Education Centre seminars for teachers

Reading for Pleasure

This half-day conference for primary school teachers will help you inspire students to read with pleasure and maintain the reading habit. Andy Stanton, author of the Mr Gum series, will be joined by Julia Eccleshare, Guardian children's books editor, and reading development experts.

Time: 1 July, 9.15-12.45.

Cost: £48, including refreshments and resources.

Insight into Journalism: investigative and features journalism

This seminar, part of our popular Insight into Journalism series, gives secondary school teachers and college tutors the chance to spend a day at the Guardian. You'll meet specialist journalists from the investigations team, find out from writers what makes a good features article and learn about commissioning, editing and interview techniques.

Time: 8 July, 9.15-4.30.

Cost: £72, including lunch and resources.

Education seminars from Guardian Professional

Distinctiveness and branding in higher education

Higher education institutions will struggle in the marketplace unless they stand out from competitors and make sense to stakeholders. The Guardian's half-day seminar in partnership with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education will explore what it takes to develop and maintain a distinctive brand that attracts students, staff and funders. Participants will hear from experts, examine case studies and have the opportunity to network with peers.

28 June, London.

Making the most of media opportunities to enhance your school's profile

Whether it's sharing good news or handling a crisis, headteachers and school management teams need to be able to handle the media in all of its forms. This one-day seminar in association with the NAHT is essential for new and aspiring heads as well as established school leaders who wish to update their knowledge. It includes a session on social media.

20 September, London.