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Scottish universities will launch the Widening Access to Medicine scheme in summer-2003. The scheme is aimed at schools which do not normally send many children to university. It includes controversial personality tests to be performed on children from underprivileged backgrounds to ascertain whether they have the potential to become vets or doctors.

According to research by the Times Educational Supplement, the number of boys taking maths and physics A-levels has fallen significantly over the last 20 years. Many believe the the overly-masculine image of the subjects is to blame for this fall.

According to research carried out by the Times Educational Supplement, senior staff at boys' private schools earn significantly more than senior staff at girls' private schools. Eton currently has 100 teachers being paid more than GBP40,000 per year, while only 3 staff at Roedean earn more than GBP40,000 per year.

The UK government has seen 19 of the country's top private schools pull out of A-level league tables. The schools, which include Haileybury, Stonehurst and King's Canterbury are concerned about the accuracy of the marks which decide schools' places in the league tables.

Eton College, public school, currently has a GBP30 mil per year income, ni addition to GBP162.1 mil in assets, according to research by the Times Education Supplement. According to the research, this is almost 10 times as much as a similarly-sized state school would expect in annual income, and highlights the huge divide which still exists between state and public schools.

This article examines the controversy over the charitable status of private schools in England, focusing on how the UK government defines a charity and plans to make private schools prove they offer a public benefit to retain the financial gains associated with charity laws. Topics include the work of the Charity Commission to oversee the finances of private schools.

Statistics motivating Tony Blair to consider lowering benefits for parents of student truants may be inaccurate. As many as 80% of students seen in public during school hours were accompanied by an adult, and this figure is being linked to the estimated 50,000 students truant each day in England.

Almost 2,000 teachers in state-schools transferred to the independent school sector in 2002, while only 650 teachers moved in the opposite direction, according to the Independent Schools Council. Private schools are also increasingly popular among parents, who send their children to private schools because of the smaller classes and their dissatisfaction with the state sector.

An examination of the Labour Government's Building Bridges scheme, which it introduced as a replacement for the Assisted Places Scheme - which subsidised pupils at private schools - when it was abolished in 1997. Since 1998 over UKPd4 mil has been invested in the Building Bridges scheme, through which state and independent schools work together on educational projects, however, ministers believe that the scheme is so successful that they plan to increase its budget to UKPd2 mil/yr by 2005-2006.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, an exam watchdog has introduced tests to help gifted and talented children. The series of tasks are designed to motivate pupils working above national curriculum test levels. There are optional tasks in maths, English and science at key stages 2 and 3.

The Boarding Schools' Association is pushing the government to amend legislation to allow three-yearly reports to be published. The move follows mistakes in drafting the new National Care Standards Commission aimed at protecting boarders' health and welfare. As the rules stand, schools can hide a critical report and the commission cannot publish its findings.

The Association for Science Education is considering advice for members over the fear that unruly students will disrupt practical science sessions making them too dangerous. Experiments are being replaced by paper-based learning because of unruly pupils potentially throwing dangerous chemicals or lighting gas taps. Classroom assistants could help by providing another pair of eyes during practical sessions.

Tina O'Brien and Bruno Langley, the actors who play Sarah-Louise and Todd in Coronation Street, have been recruited by Manchester council as part of a campaign to inspire children to improve their GCSE results. The scheme is aimed at boosting pupil morale and rewarding pupils for their efforts to date.

Bristol University has been accused of favouring the poor over the rich. However, research into the university system as a whole gives a different picture, with privately-educated students over-represented at elite institutions.

According to research carried out by the University of Middlesex, proper whistleblowing procedures in schools could help prevent child abuse. However, only 19% of schools have proper procedures in pklace which would allow parents to report their concerns about other children.

The League Against Cruel Sports has attacked top public schools for encouraging pupils to hunt with dogs. Schools being attacked include Marlborough College and Ampleforth, with plans to name and shame more.

The scarcity of suitably-qualified science teachers bodes ill for UK industry. Of teachers teaching physics at key stage 4 in England, two-thirds do not hold a related degree.

UK entrants to the international science Olympics in Taiwan are almost all from private schools. Of the UK physics team travelling to Taiwan for the contest in summer 2003, four out of five are from the independent sector.

Ampleforth School, Catholic school in rural North Yorkshire, UK, will become totally co-educational in order to prepare its pupils for modern university life. Along with this expansion will be a UKPd5 mil investment in boarding facilities.

An essay-writing competition organised by the Boarding Schools' Association has revealed that many children attending boarding school feel that they have been 'sent away' by their parents. The aim of the essay competition was to determine whether the reality of boarding is any different from the myths associated with the system.

Graham Able, headteacher of Dulwich College, a private school, is the chairman of the Headmasters? and Headmistresses? Conference. Able would like to have closer links with other associations, and not just those in the private sector.

According to Derek Bell, the Association for Science Education?s chief executive, the establishment of regional and national science learning centres will not resolve the current science teacher recruitment crisis. The setting-up of the centres will cost GBP51 mil.

According to Graham Able, new chairman of the Headmasters? and Headmistresses? Conference (HHC), private schools should stop awarding scholarships to rich, intelligent children. The HHC represents private schools, with research showing that GBP103 mil in scholarships and GBP107 mil in bursaries was given out in 2000-2001.

Carol Evans, president of the Girls' Schools Association, has launched an attack on the government's policy of fostering partnerships between independent and state schools. She criticised apparent discrimination against teachers in the independent sector, which are not eligible for initial teacher training, funding for the National Professional Qualification for Headship or New Opportunities Fund money for ICT training. Evans said the independent-state partnerships are not two-way.

Robert Hill, a new adviser to Charles Clarke, used to be a National Union of Public Employees activist. But his trade union credentials are of no consequence to those who know him well. They claim that he is 'gung-ho' for privatisation and unlikely to be conciliatory towards unions.

Boarding schools are increasingly being forced to cancel activities which they claim helped to differentiate them from other schools because of increasingly litigious parents. Many activities can only be pursued under the supervision of a teacher, which limits the times when such activities can take place. The change is a result of parents being increasingly likely to sue in the event of something going wrong.

Leading biologists have expressed concerns at the lack of fieldwork carried out by pupils, which they claim will prevent the country from developing the next generation of ecologists and conservationists needed to help protect the environment. According to the Field Studies Council, timetabling pressures and health and safety concerns are the main reasons for the lack of fieldwork. In addition, pupils are now able to access more information via the Internet and on video.

Exam boards are braced to receive a deluge of complaints from students and teachers after only 1,945 students have had their grades improved by a regrading inquiry. Only 168 students saw their A-level results improve enough to qualify for their top choice university. Three boards reviewed over 300,000 entries in 31 subjects.

The UK Commons science and technology select committee has described secondary science teaching as pointless, tedious and in danger of killing all interest in the subject. The committee has called for at least UKPd120 mil to be earmarked for investment in improvements to school laboratories and prep rooms.

Even with its recent increase in fees, Eton College is not the most expensive private school in the United Kingdom. The school that is now attended by Prince Harry does not even make the top ten in most expensive schools. Tuition rates for various British private schools are discussed.

A new plan by the British government will distribute money to schools according to need. Each school will receive basic funding per student and than extra will be given to schools with special needs.

Chief school inspector David Bell maintains teacher shortages are manageable although he is concerned about the gap between the worst- and best-performing schools. Bell wants to improve teaching standards and believes local school management should have the greatest influence.

Periodicals published for British teenage girls may be a significant source of sex education. A guide published in the Jun 2002 issue of Bliss magazine is designed to provide information most school curricula do not offer for 13- to 17-year-olds.

Results by independent school inspections suggest higher fees do not invariably create the best school environments. Approximately 75% of schools whose fees were 8,000 pounds sterling a year were rated 'good' or better.

This article follows the career of educational leader Tim Brighouse, focusing on his work to improve standards in Birmingham's schools. Topics include Brighouse's talent for communication and negotiation between teachers, administration, and government.

Schools on the Isles of Scilly may receive funding from the government because the islands do not have the resources to support their schools. The organization of the schools will also be considered during the renovation of the school district.

Primary schools in the U.K. are criticised for mishandling information about students. Secondary schools need this information in order to correctly place and teach new students.

The Advertising Standards Authority has supported five complaints that have been registered in the past six months, accusing UK private schools of issuing misleading claims to the public. ASA officials are hoping the bad publicity for the schools will be effective at stopping this trend. New College in Cardiff, King's School in Rochester, and the Ealing Tutorial College of West London are three of the offending institutions.

Unpublished statistics from UK social services shows that bullying in boarding schools continues to be a problem. Roger Morgan, soon-to-be England's first director of children's rights, says that the amount of bullying has not changed in the past ten years. He says that the main shift involves bullies now sticking within their own age groups. The amount of harassment that is physical has lowered a bit, while verbal abuse continues to rise. The National Care Standard Commission will soon begin inspections.

The next chief inspector of schools, David Bell, is a well-liked and demanding educator. Bell's appointment is a welcome move away from the style of predecessor Chris Woodhead, and is an optimistic step toward progress in English education. Bell's curriculum vita, listed here, underscores his accomplishments.