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The Guardian - UK

National

Judy Friedberg

Cribsheet 27.09.11

Students holding credit cards in the air, student debt, graduate debt — Don't turn students into customers, plead academics. Photograph: Getty

Delighted to be back at my desk this morning, and hugely grateful to Cribsheet's many guest editors who rallied round in my absence to make sure you received your daily dose of education news.

Four hundred academics have been working on an "alternative white paper" on higher education, and today the Guardian reveals it - exclusively. The document (here it is in full) is highly critical of the "ideological" way the government is turning students into consumers, and education into an investment, with profit to be made in the form of higher earnings.

Cambridge professor Simon Szreter, who helped draw up the alternative vision, says:

"The hope would be that it provides a well-formulated agenda on the future of higher education, in contrast to the one the government has railroaded through. It is a counter to the breathtaking speed of the government programme and its reliance on an atrociously flimsy document, the Browne review."

Three of the signatories have agreed to answer your questions in a live chat this afternoon, so please do join in - it promises to be a fascinating discussion.

More education news from the Guardian

• Universities should adjust their grade targets for A-level students from poorly performing schools, says Neil Stringer of the AQA exam board. Results at St George's medical school indicate that students who get lower grades in more challenging schools do just as well as those who get the highest marks at top schools.

• New teachers are struggling to find jobs, Dorothy Lepkowska (@DotLepkowska) reports:

"Newly qualified teachers entered the employment market this year having paid annual tuition fees of £3,375 - set to rise to up to £9,000 next year - to find approximately 40% fewer full-time jobs available."

So whose fault is it if colleges are producing too many graduates for schools to accomodate?

• Labour's pledge to lower the cap on tuition fees to £6,000 would benefit the richest graduates most, according to the CentreForum thinktank. It argues that the biggest gains from Labour leader Ed Miliband's proposal would go to the top 20% highest earning graduates, those with lifetime earnings of £2m. Meanwhile "blue Labour" peer Maurice Glasman says an axe ought to be taken to universities - half should be turned into vocational colleges, he says.

Education news from around the web

• Is Manchester the worst Russell Group university? That's the question posed by the student newspaper the Mancunian, which bases its story on the Guardian University Guide:

"Student satisfaction at the University of Manchester is the lowest of all the Russell Group universities.

The Guardian university league table ranks UK universities 'according to teaching excellence' and resources rather than research performance. Manchester University is 41st with an overall student satisfaction rating of 80%. The Guardian gives Manchester University a score of 61.4 out of 100. Oxford and Cambridge scored 97.9 and 100 respectively."

(Thanks to the student newspaper aggregation site onestowatchmedia.com, which tweets as @ones_to_watch.)

• Ofqual has launched a consultation on plans to reform GCSEs, putting greater emphasis on spelling and grammar. Have your say before November 4.

• Harvard University has consolidated its position as the richest university in the world, the BBC reports, with the value of its endowment rising by 20% to £20.7bn.

• Princess Anne was interrupted by chanting students as she tried to make her first speech as chancellor of Edinburgh University yesterday, according to the Telegraph.

• Scottish teaching unions have attacked a controversial report that suggests Scottish teachers work fewer hours and are better paid than English staff, says Teacher Support Scotland.

• German students can now do a master's degree in sausages, the Huffington Post claims.

• The Local Schools Network (@localschools_UK) is running a heartfelt blog from a mother who lives in my neck of the woods and whose child has been told there is no school place for her in the borough. Haringey Council has advised Christine Phillips to home educate.

Education seminars from Guardian Professional

The Guardian Teacher Network runs training sessions for teachers throughout the year in Yorkshire and London. Upcoming courses include:

Is your school thinking of becoming an academy?

This seminar will provide an independent view of the advantages and disadvantages of converting to academy status. It will look at the process of conversion, the implications of academy status, and the support and funding available. November 30, in London. February 21, 2012 in Yorkshire

Protecting young people in a digital age

Led by school digital safety experts, this one-day course will provide safeguarding policy and Ofsted criteria updates, as well as looking at social media and offering practical advice to help your school develop its digital safety policies. February 1, 2012 in London. February 8, 2012 in Yorkshire.

For a full list visit the Guardian Teacher Network

Teachers seminars from the Guardian Education Centre

Reading for pleasure – bringing classics to life

This half-day conference for secondary school teachers will explore the use and teaching of classic books from Dickens and beyond. Keynote speakers will be Simon Callow, actor and Dickens enthusiast and Judy Golding, daughter of William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies.

20 October, London

Insight into digital journalism

Spend a day at the Guardian and find out how an international news media organisation works. The seminar will focus on aspects of digital journalism including writing and editing for a news website, the relationship between print and web journalism, live blogging, the use of social media, podcasting and video production.

2 November, Kings Place, London