Cribsheet 18.11.11

Schools in deprived areas stand to lose most in Michael Gove's proposed budget shakeup, according to research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). The education minister is considering plans to set a national formula for funding schools. The switch would result in 15% of schools recieving less money than they do now, and 10% recieving more. Jessica Shepherd explains: Local authorities currently decide how to allocate funds. Some prioritise schools with high numbers of children with special needs; others choose to allocate more to schools where many pupils do not speak fluent English. Current funding levels were set in 2003 so schools in poor areas with declining populations such as Liverpool, Wigan, Coventry, Wolverhampton and north-east Lincolnshire are likely to be hit the hardest if their present intake is substantially lower. The Financial Times described schools as facing the "threat of years of cuts": Some schools could face budget cuts of 5% a year for six consecutive years if ambitious coalition plans to correct regional discrepancies in education funding are to be introduced in time for the start of the next decade. But a Department for Education spokesman said IFS's analysis was based on "assumptions of what a funding formula might look like". Warwick Mansell tweeted: Nat sch funding system, like post- A-level applications, has been advocated for long time. V complex logistics more challenging in austerity Chapter and verse on the funding review can be found in the House of Commons briefing for MPs. More education news from the Guardian • Teachers in union NASUWT have voted in favour of industrial action . They are protesting against their "excessive workload, rapidly worsening pay and conditions and increasing job losses". Thousands of schools could close affecting millions of children. • Almost everyone agrees that cycling to school is the healthy option. It provides children with exercise, keeps them fit, wakes them up and gets them ready to learn. But despite all of this, a paltry 2% of kids actually make their way to school by bike. However, projects carried out by the cycling charity Sustrans are doubling the number of children riding to school. Find out how in this blog by Peter Walker. • Michelle Hanson reckons her dog could work out a better student loans system than the one currently in place. Education news from around the web • Vince Cable is concerned that universities are 'blocking' colleges from offering cheaper degrees, the Independent reports. • A university lecturer faces jail after admitting he had hidden a stash of drugs in his home. During a party at his house teenagers found the drugs and a schoolgirl died, the Evening Standard reports. • Dundee and Abertay University have decided against a merger. The Scottish universities were considering the measure as a way to reduce costs but eventually agreed to remain autonomous, reports the Scotsman. • The schools adjudicator has ruled that the entry system operated by an over-subscribed Catholic girls school in Croydon has the potential to be discriminatory, the Telegraph reports. Coloma Convent School rewards parents who can prove they are actively involved in the community with extra points. But the Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark said that this was unfair on hard-pressed low income families who work long hours, or on single parent families, as they are less likely to be able to volunteer in the community. On the Guardian Teacher Network Award-winning teacher Ross Morrison McGill shares his favourite teaching and learning strategy: Pose, Pause, Bounce, Pounce. He has written a blog about it and created a worksheet and powerpoint file so you can try it out for yourself. On the Guardian Higher Education Network The distinctiveness gap: do students see the difference between universities? Aaron Porter's first or fail: Student partnerships and fee waivers University Guide 2013 As we prepare the next Guardian University Guide, we invite universities and colleges to check that we are on the right track when it comes to matching subjects with cost centres and Jacs codes – the subject categories used by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa). Please enter your university's details via our dedicated website. Education seminars from Guardian Professional The Guardian Teacher Network runs training sessions for teachers throughout the year in Yorkshire and London. Upcoming courses include: Preparing for inspection under the new Ofsted framework Are you ready for the new Ofsted framework due to take effect in January 2012? Led by a highly experienced inspector, this seminar will explain the new framework in detail and provide step-by-step guidance to help you plan for the next inspectors' visit. January 24 in Yorkshire. March 6 in London. • For a full list visit the Guardian Teacher Network The Guardian's education centre The Guardian runs a range of free workshops for primary and secondary children as well as adult learners and further and higher education students. Visitors to the centre can become reporters and editors and will create their own newspaper. History workshops that draw upon the newspaper archive are also available, as well as science and environment lessons. Find us on the Guardian website EducationGuardian.co.uk All today's EducationGuardian stories Follow us on Twitter and Facebook EducationGuardian on Twitter Judy Friedberg on Twitter Jeevan Vasagar on Twitter Jessica Shepherd on Twitter Alice Woolley on Twitter Claire Phipps on Twitter Guardian Teacher Network on Twitter Guardian Education Centre on Twitter EducationGuardian on Facebook EducationGuardian resources The Guardian University Guide 2011 The Guardian Postgraduate Guide 2011 School league tables The world's top 100 universities Updating table of university fee announcements for 2012 From Guardian Professional The Higher Education Network for university professionals Free online classroom resources on the Teacher Network Job vacancies in education More about Cribsheet Sign up to get Cribsheet as a daily email To advertise in the Cribsheet email, contact Sunita Gordon on 0203 353 2447 or email [email protected] Subscribe to get Cribsheet as an RSS feed Interested in social policy too? Sign up for Society Daily Judy Friedberg is away this week so please send tips and story ideas for Cribsheet to Frederika Whitehead until 18 November