Daily roundup 24 August: GCSE results, Neet rate, and childcare suspension
Neil Puffett
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Fall in proportion of pupils achieving good GCSE results; government statistics show rise in those not in education, employment, or training (Neet); and childcare registration suspended at charity where two children went missing, all in the news today.
The proportion of pupils achieving good GCSE passes in England has fallen. The Guardian reports that amid a number of changes to exams and gradings, including a new nine-point scale in the key subjects of English and maths, there were weaker results in history, maths and geography than last year. Overall the proportion of students gaining at least a C, or a 4 under the new system, in England fell slightly, from 66.5 per cent to 66.1 per cent.
The proportion of 16- to 18-year-olds not in education, employment, or training (Neet) increased slightly over the over the last quarter. Figures published by the Department for Education show that between April and June the rate increased by 0.3 percentage points (to 8.4 per cent) from the previous quarter.
Two children with learning disabilities briefly went missing from the care of a Woking charity, prompting Ofsted to suspend its childcare registration. Get Surrey reports that LinkAble, which provides sporting, social and recreational activities for children and adults with learning disabilities, had its childcare registration suspended for six weeks following a compliance visit by the regulator on 4 August.
The head of social services at Fife Council has insisted that support for vulnerable children and families has improved since the deaths of three vulnerable children. STV News reports that the council has been under scrutiny after Liam Fee, Mikaeel Kular and Madison Horn were killed in their own homes in separate incidents. A report into a three-year review of child protection is due to be discussed by councillors next week.
Parents keen to secure school places are pushing up house prices in desirable locations by almost £27,000, analysis has found. The Independent reports that one in four parents with school age children have either bought or rented a new home to give themselves the right address for a particular catchment area and were willing to spend an extra 12 per cent on top of the market value of a home for the location.
