WHOSE DEGREE IS IT ANYWAY?
Is our university system crumbling around our ears? Universities are now accountable as never before to decisions of government. Surveys show that given their time again, one in four graduates would choose to go to a different university, six out of ten would consider doing a different course, and only three in five undergraduates believe their current course is good value for money.
Joining Libby Purves to discuss the issues are Robert Naylor, Chair in Pharmacology at the University of Bradford, who has also just published a bookÌý Whose degree is it Anyway?, andÌý Baroness Tessa Blackstone, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich and former Minister for Education and Employment.
TEACHING FREEDOM
Teachers often complain that with SATS tests and league tables - there isn't much time for creativity in the classroom. An organisation called Teaching Freedom is trying to change that, by inspiring teachers in primary schools to teach more creatively and freely, by using various techniques – including 'creative visualisation'. For the past four years a pilot scheme has been running in primary schools in Leeds and they’re about to expand to Birmingham.
Libby Purves is joined by James Dakin, the creator and founder of Teaching Freedom.
Reporter, Judy Merry visited Methley Primary School in Leeds to find out more and talk to the children about their experience of visualisation.
DREAM PLAYGROUNDS
Recent research shows that a quarter of primary school aged children have experienced bullying in the school playground. Whilst the reasons for bullying are complex, one suggestion is that children who are bored are more likely to behave in negative ways. A recent report says one in six children experience "break-time boredom'', and underlines the concerns of a national school grounds charity, Learning Through Landscapes.ÌýÌý Joining Libby to discuss the reportÌýis Catherine Andrews, Chief Executive of Learning through Landscapes.
Ali Grant reports from Christchurch Church of England Primary School in Bristol, which has transformed its playground, and seen big changes in the children – including a drop in bullying.
Closing the Gap’ week on Teachers TV, reviewing how schools can tackle the attainment gap:
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