Cribsheet 05.07.11

Literacy experts have written to the education secretary, pleading with him to do a U-turn on his plan for phonics testing for six-year-olds. Warwick Mansell reported that: This time next year, every year 1 pupil in England is likely to encounter a new national test assessing a central aspect of their ability to read. The children, aged five and six, will be presented with 40 individual words on paper, and asked to sound them out to their teachers or to another adult. Some words will be familiar to most, while others will be made-up or "non" words such as "mip" or "glimp", designed only to assess the child's ability to follow the pronunciation rules, such as they exist, of written English. The test, Mansell wrote, is hugely controversial, with most parents unware that it is going to happen, but "several influential organisations fulminating against its potential impact and cost." Leading literacy figures described it as an "abomination" and potentially "disastrous". The point of the exercise is to identify those children who need help so that resources can be directed towards them, but Greg Brooks, emeritus professor of education at the University of Sheffield, told Mansell teachers can and should do this themselves without the test. And, moreoever, they should do so at the beginning of year 1 rather than leaving it until May. The comment thread on this story is buzzing. tiwilliams is in favour: Before phonics were reintroduced in the teaching of English kids were struggling to learn their own national language properly at school. I write as a trained teacher of English. And if we don't test kids' knowledge we won't be able to identify their progress or otherwise. Final point, it's disadvantaged kids who need to learn literacy as soon as possible and they do so only at school these days because their parents don't usually support them to do so. Literacy and phonics are tools in an egalitarian struggle and those who oppose them are enemies of the poor. End of.... But wylde says phonics is only a tiny part of reading: And not even reading for pronunciation! Cow... row (quarrel)... row (a boat). Plough. Dough... I could go on. Bernard Shaw pointed out that 'fish' could be spelt 'Ghoti' (see enouGH, emoTIon)... Phonics may help but it's only a part of how to decode print in English. It's a debate that is set to run and run. From today's Education Guardian • Fiona Millar asks, are profit-making academies the future for education? After all, she says, there is little difference between an academies group and a local authority, apart from a lack of accountability that is. • A vocational version of the International Baccalaureate is being trialled , but there are fears for its prospects, Janet Murray reports. • Phil Beadle reflects on his Education columns over the past seven years, and how education has changed in that time • Peter Scott gives his verdict on the higher education white paper: It's a total mess • Improbable research: Do swear words have predictable effects on football referees? A team of Austrian scientists tackles that question in a study called May I Curse a Referee? Swear Words and Consequences. More Education news from the Guardian • A local authority is considering building a half-mile footway that will link a school with a McDonald's restaurant used by scores of pupils every day Education news from around the web • Thanks to the BBC for giving us a reason to pity a dentist: Hundreds of GCSE examination papers were sent to the home of a dentist in north Wales by mistake. A courier delivered the maths papers to Erik Lof's home in Colwyn Bay instead of an examiner's. • Tweet of the day has to be this one from @themanwhofell who says: Next year University Challenge will have the same question over and over: "Do you have £9000?", "Do you have £9000?", "Do you have £9000?" • Universities will be forced to reveal which A-level subjects are most likely to gain an applicant a place on a degree course, reports the University of Birmingham's student newspaper Redbrick • The Times Higher is closely following the story of Professor Bernard King . King, who had been the principal of the University of Abertay Dundee and the convener of Universities Scotland, was suspended in Febuary "in the midst of what one source described as a "war" between senior managers, reports the Times Higher. During his suspension, King turned 65 and the college duly dispatched a letter saying that he was officially retired. King is refusing to accept this, saying he remains in dispute with the university. The Scotsman reported that: "He also claims he was victimised for acting as a 'whistleblower' by raising complaints on behalf of other staff." Museum visit Exhibitions don't come much more child friendly than the Barbican's current offering. Watch Me Move: The Animation show documents the history of animation over the last 150 years, bringing together over 100 films by cut-out, collage, puppet, clay and stop-motion animators, auteur filmmakers and exponents of experimental film alongside the creative output of the commercial studios. For sports fans the Weston Park museum in Sheffield has Sports Lab: The science behind the medals . Which answers burning questions like: How many hours of training does it take to win a gold medal? Will a shark-skin swimming suit really make you swim faster? And where would you draw the line between fair play and downright cheating? Children living near Portsmouth can Meet the Saxons at the City Museum on 23 and 24 July. Reenactment group Weorod will portray the first Germanic settlers of the Meon valley, the Meonwara. With the obligatory battle reenactments of course. No point inviting a saxon warrior over for tea if he isn't going to show you his Weorod. On the Guardian Teacher Network • How to teach the story of Far East prisoners of war This includes a collection of interviews with men who endured years of slave labour, malnutrition and neglect in the Far East prisoner-of-war camps during the second world war. The archive is part of a pioneering education project for secondary schools set up by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund). Background to the powerful and moving interviews here The network also has lessons for Make a Difference Day . For more information about the Day, visit www.csv.org.uk and look for the Make a Difference Day campaign. Guardian Education Centre seminars for teachers Insight into Journalism: investigative and features journalism This seminar, part of our popular Insight into Journalism series, gives secondary school teachers and college tutors the chance to spend a day at the Guardian. You'll meet specialist journalists from the investigations team, find out from writers what makes a good features article and learn about commissioning, editing and interview techniques. Time: 8 July, 9.15-4.30. Cost: £72, including lunch and resources. Education seminars from Guardian Professional Making the most of media opportunities to enhance your school's profile Whether it's sharing good news or handling a crisis, headteachers and school management teams need to be able to handle the media in all of its forms. This one-day seminar in association with the NAHT is essential for new and aspiring heads as well as established school leaders who wish to update their knowledge. It includes a session on social media. 20 September, London. 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 Claire Phipps 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 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 your tips and stories to me, Frederika Whitehead, by email