MATHS IN THE
PAPERS
October 2002
MATHS IN THE
PAPERS | |
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Colleges short of teaching staff
Education
Nine out of ten colleges have teaching vacancies they cannot fill, according to new research. The Learning and Skills Council have unveiled a scheme to pay ‘Golden hello' cash incentives of up to £4000 in subjects where shortages are most acute. More than 3,000 teaching vacancies remain unfilled, a 25% increase on the most recent survey a year ago. Vacancies in colleges are running at double the number of vacancies in schools.
The Guardian 8/10/02
October weather
Statistics
A cool and wet month across most of the UK. However, there were some exceptions to this, with the far south-east of England and north-west of Scotland, receiving less than normal rainfall.
Aberdeen had its wettest October reporting 230.4 mm, and the 4th wettest of any month, since readily available records back to 1924.
New
maths A-level unveiled
Education
Government plans for a new mathematics A-level have been unveiled. Students will be required to revisit some areas of work already studied at GCSE. Calculators will be banned in one paper, and there will be a greater emphasis on pure maths, with fewer courses to choose from. The QCA was forced to revise the syllabus after the disastrous introduction of new-style A-levels under the Curriculum 2000 reforms, when the number of students finishing the full A-level fell by 12,000 and university applications fell by 10%.
The Guardian 12/10/02
Odd Numbers
Statistics
The Bayeux tapestry is 230 feet long
100,000 Huguenots migrated to Britain in the 17th century to escape persecution in France.
The average life expectancy of a pedigree dog is 6 years.
The average life expectancy of a mongrel dog is 11 years
The Observer Magazine 13/10/02
Ofsted
report on lack of creative opportunity in primary schools
Education
Ofsted has stated that fears concerning lack of creativity in schools is unfounded. Inspectors visited 30 schools to investigate whether the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies were driving out opportunities for primary school children to experience art, drama and music. The schools chosen were ones where the standards of attainment in English and mathematics was in the top 25%. Teachers are concerned that the national curriculum is not flexible enough to meet the needs of early-years schooling. The Ofsted report concludes that teachers do have the freedom to provide a curriculum that meets the needs of students and that they may need training to understand this.
The Guardian 14/10/02
Most popular names for babies
Statistics
Jack has been the most popular name for boys for the past seven years and Chloe has been the most popular girls' name for the past seven years.
Conditions
in rural China
Statistics
Nearly 500,000 people have been resettled off the flood plains in the Jiangxi province of China, since the great flood four years ago, and embankments along Lake Jiangxi have been breached to let the lake return to its natural size. There are severe problems in rural China, with wages stagnating and 1 in 4 people leaving rural life to look for work in urban centres. Even with this movement towards the cities, because of population growth the number of country dwellers remains fairly constant at 800 million. According to some figures, last year more than 88 million migrant workers were living away from home, mostly in hard, dirty and unsafe conditions.
The Guardian 19/10/02
Fall in number of divorces
Statistics
In 2000, the number of divorces granted in the UK fell by 2.6 per cent (from 158,746 in 1999 to 154,628 in 2000). This continued the downward trend since the 1993 peak of 180,000.
In 1961 there were 27,000 divorces in the United Kingdom. This doubled by 1969 to 55,000 and then doubled again by 1972, to almost 125,000.
www.statistics.gov.uk
Estelle Morriss's resignation letter
Education
“I will look back with real pride at the role I have played in helping to raise standards in literacy and numeracy in primary schools, in the reform programme we now have for secondary schools, and indeed at all levels of education; and perhaps above all the enhanced status of the teaching profession. But I feel this is the right decision for me, and for the Government.”
From Estelle Morriss's resignation letter 23/10/02
Increase
in holiday complaints
Statistics
Figures published by the Trading Standards Institute show an alarming increase in customer complaints from dissatisfied holidaymakers. There were 12,551 complaints in 2000, this figure rose to 28,502 last year. Most complaints concerned package holidays, and included travel agents who didn't mention hidden costs, or who advertised holidays which had already been sold.
The Guardian 26/10/02
Men earn more than women
Men's incomes outstripped those of women in all age groups in 2000–01. However, the gap varied according to age. In the youngest age group, 16 to 19 year olds, median gross incomes were very close - £101 per week for men and £92 per week for women. For people aged between 30 and 69, incomes for women were half those of men. The proportional difference was largest for the 55 to 59 age group: in this group women's incomes were only 36 per cent of those of men.
www.statistics.gov.uk
Problems with SATS
Education
Cases of cheating in Sats referred to the QCA has risen to an all time high of 270 this year, with 11 schools having results for the whole class annulled. Problems are blamed on teachers being left alone to administer their own exams and training days for markers, who may also be administering Sats to their own classes, where exam papers are sees weeks in advance.
The Guardian 26/10/02
British
teenagers find school boring
Education
According to a recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, British teenagers find school more boring than their counterparts in any other industrialised nation. The study was carried out in 32 countries. 54% of UK 15-year-olds reported that they often felt bored at schools. The average across the nations was 48%. Teenagers in Britain and Northern Ireland are taught in larger classes, with an average class size of 25, compared to the OECD average of 24.
The Guardian 29/10/02
More people driving
In 1999-2001 82 per cent of men aged 17 and over, held full car driving licenses, but only 60 per cent of women. Licence holding has increased rapidly among women, rising by over a fifth since 1989-1991. The proportion of men holding licences changed little during the same period. The distance travelled on foot fell by 20 per cent during the 1990s to 189 miles per person per year, accounting for under 3 per cent of the total distance travelled. Since 1989-1991 the proportion of primary aged children walking to school has declined from 62 to 54 per cent. There was an increase from 27 to 39 per cent in the numbers being driven to school. For secondary school pupils there was a similar, though smaller, shift from walking to car use, and a small increase in bus use.
More loans for house purchaseThe number of loans approved for house purchase in September was 117,000, seasonally adjusted, compared with the average of 111,000 in the three months to August. There is some evidence to suggest that approvals are influenced by the number of workings days in the month. After allowance for this possible effect, the number of approvals in September (seasonally adjusted) is estimated to be 115,000 compared with 112,000 in August, and an average of 115,000 in the three months to August.