Covid-19 and the Battle for the Control of Teaching

June 4, 2020June 4, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, there has been a strong wave of public support for key workers and this has included teachers; for example, they are explicitly mentioned on the front page of the clap for our carers website. However there are widely differing views about the crucial role of schools and teachers in enabling the economy to begin to return to something like normal. On one side the right wing press - and the Education Secretary - cleverly placed this as a call to the 'duty' of teachers, positioning 'hero' teachers in opposition to the teacher unions. On the other, many parents are concerned about the safety of schools for their children. Other UK nations - not to mention some English LAs - take the view that it is unsafe to open schools so soon, as we can see. Meanwhile, the Children's Commissioner argues that disadvantaged children need to return to school quickly.

Proposals, Packages, Priorities: why Universities need support during C-19

May 13, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

Universities have proved their worth in the COVID-19 crisis, responding at speed not simply to their own students and research partners’ changed demands, but to the communities and the national effort. But there is a clear sense that the skies will darken once the immediate crisis abates. The concerns include a precipitous fall in international students and constrained local mobility, student retention and progression to university, and the impact of a prolonged economic recession on research and development budgets. These concerns led Universities UK – the umbrella body for the country’s 137 universities, of which I am a Board member, to develop a proposal to government for a systematic programme of support.

COVID-19: Blurred Spatial Boundaries?

May 7, 2020May 7, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

The social, economic and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to the UK Government issuing instructions for members of the public to 'stay at home' with limited exceptions for shopping, exercise, medical need, and essential travel for work purposes. These directions are supported by Regulations that restrict the operation of public meeting places (or Third Places) including restaurants, cafes, bars, cinemas and gyms. The guidelines for entering a public space, and the maintenance of a 2 metres distance from other individuals not of the same household, pose fresh questions about blurred spatial boundaries.

Without ‘Home’ and Away from Children: Homelessness & Motherhood during Covid-19

May 6, 2020December 23, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

Dr Emma Bimpson and Dr Kesia Reeve discuss the unique and profound challenges that COVID-19 is likely to pose to mothers experiencing homelessness. Last year we completed a research study exploring the experiences of homeless mothers for the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) and Sheffield Hallam University. Now that we are all adjusting to a life spent entirely at ‘home’ we have had cause to think about the mothers who participated in that research. It is difficult to imagine what the domestic circumstances described by those women – in the lead up to their homelessness and then afterwards – would look like in the context of COVID-19.

Youth Unemployment and Covid-19: Avoiding the creation of a pandemic generation

May 5, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

There are nearly seven million 16-24 years olds in the UK; around 1 in 10 of the national population. The scale of government responses across much of the world to the Covid-19 pandemic have been unprecedented in peacetime. Extensive business and employee support schemes (such as furloughing) have prevented an economic downturn turning into a huge crisis of mass unemployment and rapidly increasing poverty.

Never more needed – the voluntary and community sector and COVID-19

May 4, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

As the COVID-19 crisis has spread, Governments across the world have responded with a variety of virus-suppressing restrictions. Our everyday lives and livelihoods have been upended. We have become locked into an all-encompassing ‘Coronaverse’.

Flouting the rules on Covid 19: Things the government could learn from schools about behaviour management

May 1, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

With ‘lockdown’ firmly in place, no-one can be in doubt about Government rules. However, only recently the BBC News reported anti-social behaviour being on the increase. There will be those who always misbehave, however, daily I see groups of, I'm sure, 'normally law-abiding citizens' gathered together, playing, or simply enjoying the sunshine. This is particularly concerning given the volume of media reminders.

Responding to Augar: Debating Sub-Degree Level Qualifications

June 18, 2019 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

BY NICK HILLMAN, DIRECTOR OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY INSTITUTE (HEPI) Will increased demand for sub-degree level qualifications at Levels 4 and 5 as envisaged by the Augar Review actually materialise? Many influential people rushed to condemn the Augar report, in some instances seemingly before they had even read it. At the Higher Education Policy … Continue reading Responding to Augar: Debating Sub-Degree Level Qualifications

Augar and the Impact on the English Higher Education Market

June 10, 2019 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

Professor Colin McCaig, Centre for Development and Research in Education, Sheffield Institute of Education We now know what Augar recommended: reduced fees for students; a longer repayment period (which doesn't reduce repayment); no accumulation of interest during study period; restored means-tested maintenance grants; access to similar support for those studying at sub-degree levels. These are … Continue reading Augar and the Impact on the English Higher Education Market