Back at my desk on a grey drizzly London morning still grinning inanely and wearing mad earrings after a weekend of Welsh sunshine and lovely music - thank you Green Man.
As we turn our attention to GCSEs - results are coming out on Thursday - Estelle Morris produces a thoughtful piece on the value of good grades in the context of recent urban unrest:
"There are no GCSEs in values, no league table for citizenship. This summer's exam results don't tell us which pupils will make the most responsible citizens or the best parents. These skills aren't easily measured or weighed, and we don't have a marks system that charts individual progress. As a result, we have often given the impression that they are not as important as those things we can measure.
It must not be either/or. Academic achievement gives young people the confidence and the choices that help them to realise they have a stake in society and we must be wary about returning to a time when 'being a nice kid' was an excuse for academic underachievement. Yet leaving school with just a clutch of good GCSEs cannot count as a rounded education."
Alan Smithers (@profsmithers) reckons one in four GCSE entries could be awarded an A grade this year, and one in 12 an A* - and we all know what that's going to lead to accusations of.
Louise Tickle has been talking to schools about how they plan to tackle the topic of the recent violence with their pupils at the start of term - and has elicited some pretty frank responses. Here's the head of All Saints Catholic school and technology college, Barking and Dagenham:
"Ours is a very successful school, but there's a strong gang culture in Barking and Dagenham, and I know that some of my kids will have been involved in what happened. I will reiterate that this is absolutely unacceptable. There are a number of parents - about 3-4% - who are in total denial of what their child would do, and do not understand the realities of their child's growing up in a different country and culture from their own. If I heard that a pupil of mine had been involved? I would tell the police."
Education news from the Guardian
• Children are now far more likely to read emails and websites than comics, according to a National Literacy Trust survey of more than 18,000 eight to 17-year-olds. One in 10 children claimed to have read 10 books in the last month, but 13% had not read any at all. And boys were nearly twice as likely to say they never read than girls.
• While Ucas tells us that there are four students chasing every place in clearing, Lucy Tobin (@lucytobin) talks to some of those who got their A-level grades last week about their plans for the future. If you're interested in number breakdowns, consult the Guardian datablog, which has analysed official scores by type of school and pupil gender.
If you want advice about starting university - from how to budget to what to wear - take a look at The Fresher. If you need to know how to deal with Student Finance England, check out the online chat we hosted with a representative yesterday. And Charlie Brooker offers his personal tip to those who didn't get the grades they were hoping for - just lie when you fill in job application forms.
• There's a row brewing over Scottish university fees. Scots pay nothing, EU students pay nothing, but students from other parts of the UK have to cough up thousands of pounds a year if they wish to attend a Scottish university. Now leading human rights lawyer Phil Shiner is girding his loins to mount a legal challenge against the Scottish government.
"The financial schism on Scottish campuses will widen to a chasm, with unknown consequences. For one thing, English students bearing chequebooks might appear rather attractive to cash-strapped institutions far over Hadrian's Wall. For another, the EU's bar on intra-state differences being applied between member states could stoke English ire. It means English students will pick up their bills while watching Germans and Poles enjoy a Scottish-style waiver."
• With figures out last week showing youth unemployment reaching more than 20%, the scrapping of the education maintenance allowance and a large hike in tuition fees, young people need decent careers advice more than ever. But, as Louise Tickle (@louisetickle) reports, it's a service under siege. A new national service is due to launch next April - but teenagers will no longer be entitled to any face-to-face careers guidance. Instead they will be pointed to a website or told to call a helpline. The duty to provide personal advice will be transferred to schools, though they are to get none of the £203m central funding that pays for the existing service.
From Guardian Careers
A live chat today: Weighing up your options? Wondering if university is the best way to boost your job prospects? Join out discussion about the career value of a degree.
Education news from around the web
• Just when you thought we'd escaped a silly season this year, there's an awful lot of talk about girls' skirts this morning. Here's the Independent's version:
"A school concerned about rising hemlines has become the latest to ban girls from wearing skirts. Northgate High School in Ipswich has removed skirts from its approved uniform list to stop students coming to lessons in "inappropriate attire". It is the third school in the town to introduce such a ban."
• The Telegraph says official league tables could show the proportion of teenagers that state secondary schools and sixth-form colleges send to Britain's top two universities each year. The move is intended to reveal which schools push children the furthest and prepare them best for the rigorous Oxbridge applications process.
Shadow education sec Andy Burnham (@andyburnhammp) says:
"There is a dangerous elitism driving the government's education policy. Michael Gove has a plan for some children and some schools, but not all of them.
"He seems to want to judge an entire school system around the requirements of Oxbridge."
• The rise in take-up of traditional science subjects seen in A levels is set to be repeated at the GCSE level this week, says the Independent. Experts predict that more teenagers have opted for physics, chemistry and biology - reversing an earlier trend towards taking a combined science GCSE.
• The Mail Online has the story of a father who is planning to sue a private school because his son failed to achieve the three A grades teachers had predicted. Roger Webster says the £11,000-year Silcoates School in Wakefield failed to guide him properly on his geography coursework.
• Great guest posting on the Creative Education blog (@creativeedu) about why text speak should be taught in class. It makes lots of good points, including this one:
"By teaching SMS text speak in schools the students can apply it to other classes as well by using it as a shorthand note-taking skill. Unlike formal note-taking which can take too long and lead to missed notes, SMS can help students effectively take notes at a speed close to the verbal communication of their teachers."
Education seminars from Guardian Professional
This seminar will provide independent advice and information on framing a research proposal, the process and pitfalls of a research degree and career prospects.
9 September, 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.
Using social media to enhance the student experience
As tuition fees rise, so too do student expectations. Social media is an effective, low-cost way to manage this challenge. This seminar will explore newly conceived best practice, techniques and strategy for all higher education staff: academic, communications, recruitment, marketing and strategy.
22 September, London.
Whether it's getting published, convincing an employer that you have transferable skills, or securing an academic post, you need to be fully prepared to achieve your goals. This course will help you identify career opportunities for those with research skills and specialist knowledge.
28 September, London.
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