Young people lack financial skills

Young people are entering adult life with “dangerous gaps” in their financial knowledge, according to a new survey.

Under 25s are showing worrying gaps in their financial knowledge relating to bank statements, overdrafts and interest on loans, according to a new survey from Barclays and charity pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group) to mark the beginning of My Money Week, which runs June 3 to June 9.

Of those surveyed, 42pc could not interpret the difference between being in credit and overdrawn on a bank account statement, while more than a third did not know the correct meaning of APR in relation to interest charges on loans or credit cards.

Around one in eight (13pc) did not know what an overdraft was, with 8pc thinking it was a low-cost one-off loan from a bank.

Tracey Bleakley, pfeg chief executive, said: “It is clear that many young people are entering adult life with dangerous gaps in their financial knowledge that could lead them into serious financial difficulty.
“These findings underline the need for all schools to teach their pupils about personal finance, to equip them with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to manage their money well.”

Financial education will likely become compulsory in schools across England for the first time next year, following its inclusion in the new draft curriculum.

Personal finance is already taught in schools in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Money Advice Service released research last month which found that most children’s financial habits have already been formed by the time they reach seven years old.

It published a report compiled by behaviour experts at Cambridge University, which found that most seven-year-olds have already grasped how to count out money and know that it is used to buy goods. They have also worked out what it means to earn money and what an income is.

Money habits are ‘formed by age seven’

The government-backed Money Advice Service has warned parents “not to underestimate the effect of their own bad money habits”.

Most children’s financial habits are formed by the age of seven, it was claimed today by the government-backed Money Advice Service (MAS), as it urged parents not to “underestimate the effect their own good (and bad) money habits will have on their children”.

The organisation pointed to a Cambridge University study that suggested that most young children had grasped all the main aspects of how money works and formed “core behaviours which they will take into adulthood and which will affect financial decisions they make during the rest of their lives”.

Caroline Rookes, chief executive of the Money Advice Service, said: “This study really demonstrates the power of parental influences, and illustrates how much of what you learn and absorb when you are young, both consciously and subconsciously, affects the choices you make throughout the rest of your life.”

The MAS said it would establish a forum to create “world-class parenting and teaching resources” and has called for money education to be included in the primary school curriculum in England.

Michael Gove, Education Secretary, announced plans earlier this year to put personal finance education on the curriculum for secondary school pupils.

Teachers call for boycott of primary school literacy tests

Teachers are threatening a national boycott of new primary school literacy exams amid claims they will damage children’s education by forcing them to “jump through hoops”.

Schools could refuse to administer an exam in spelling, punctuation and grammar for 11-year-olds in England because it risks promoting a culture of “teaching to the test” at the expense of providing a broad curriculum.

The National Union of Teachers said the exam for 600,000 pupils – being introduced for the first time this year – will waste class time and fail to improve children’s literacy.

Activists are also opposed to a controversial new reading test for six-year-olds.

At the union’s annual conference in Liverpool, teachers voted to launch a campaign that could lead to a boycott of the “pointless and silly” exams in 2014.

A Free, Open, Curriculum for Web Education

 

 

WaSP InterACT is a community driven project that offers a free, open, curriculum for web education.

Schools that teach web design struggle to keep pace with our industry, and those just starting their curricula often set off in the wrong direction because the breadth and depth of our medium can be daunting. The WaSP InterACT curriculum project seeks to ease the challenges schools around the world face as they prepare their students for careers on the Web.

WaSP InterACT is a living curriculum designed to change and keep pace with the fast moving industry. Its courses are divided into several tracks that provide students with a well rounded foundation in the many facets of the web design craft.

Anyone can get involved and contribute!

(via swissmiss)

MF, studio, dbda

Minister calls for computer science education “revolution”

The UK minister for culture, communications and creative industry has called for a revolution in the way computer science is taught in our schools. Fearing a future drop in the number of students able to properly write programs (as opposed to those able to simply operate programs such as word processors and spreadsheets), Mr. Vaizey hopes to bring a “stronger” computer science curriculum to secondary schools.

Via EDGE.

Update: Dr. Richard Wilson of TIGA has responded to Ed Vaizey’s comments. (via EDGE)

Gaming industry veteran introduces $25 computer, laments lack of computer science in schools

Veteran programmer David Braben has launched the Raspberry Pi (via a UK-registered charity, the Raspberry Pi Foundation), a $25 computer only slightly larger than a 20p piece, in the hope of rekindling an interest in computer science and programming in children, something he feels has been lacking from the UK curriculum in recent years.

Full story via EDGE via the BBC.

Staff’s confidence crisis hits science grades

TES  reports on the findings from Ofsted’s ‘Successful Science’ review of science teaching in schools from 2007-2010 which found that science teaching in primary schools has deteriorated over the last three years due to teachers’ “lack of confidence”, Ofsted has warned, however standards have improved in secondary schools.

Areas of particular concern included primary teachers’ limited knowledge of science, the low take-up of continuing professional development and reduced levels of local authority support.

The review found that in weaker primaries, pupils had “fewer opportunities to plan and carry out investigative activities”, and many repeated their learning when they moved between key stages due to “weak communication and poor continuity”. However the abolition of science testing at KS2 had allowed more “varied”, “engaging” and “enjoyable” lessons.

Source: TES and Ofsted ‘Successful Science’  ndp dbda

Examples of engaging and stimulating science resources:
National Grid Education – School Power
Syngenta Periodic Table 
 

 

ndp dbda

Ofsted finds science improving in secondary schools

The quality of science education has improved over the past three years with pupils’ progress in science reported as good or outstanding in 70% of primary schools and in two thirds of secondary schools visited. However there are areas that need further improvement, particularly in primary schools.

Key points for dbda:
– in schools which showed clear improvement in science subjects, key factors in promoting students’ engagement, learning and progress were more practical science lessons and development of the skills of scientific enquiry
– the best science education has scientific enquiry and other aspects of ‘how science works’ at its heart
– insufficient professional development  in science to tackle the lack of confidence amonst primary teachers, particularly in their understanding of scientific enquiry skills and the physical sciences
– lack of specialist training and short tenure in the role, limited the effectiveness of science coordinators in developing teaching and raising achievements in primary schools
– secondary teachers in particular benefited from attending courses at the network of Science learning Centres, but too few of the schools visited had taken advantage of this high quality provision

Ofsted’s report ‘Successful Science’ is based on an evaluation of science education in England 2007-10 which looked at the strengths and weaknesses of science in 94 primary schools, 94 secondary schools, two special schools and 31 colleges.

For full report: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Thematic-reports/Successful-science

Source: Ofsted (Nicki)

Back to Basics – curriculum review

The Government’s ‘back to basics’ review of the curriculum started last week to decide on the future status of the eight non-core subjects and develop study programmes in English, Maths, Science and PE (statutory). There are fears that citizenship could be a casualty of the review. The Government wants the new curriculum (to be taught from 2013) to give schools ‘greater freedom to construct their own programmes of study outside the National Curriculum and develop approaches to learning and study which complement it’.

Phase 1 Timings: Autumn 2011 – Ministers consider recommendations; Early 2012 – public consultation on core subjects for teaching from Sept 2013

Phase 2 Timings: non-core subjects reviewed by Autumn 2012; public consultation early 2013, teaching from Sept 2014

Source: TES 21st Jan (Nicki)