This week - 18-24 February 2012
SATURDAY
#163;1m for child asylum detainees
The Home Office has paid compensation of more than #163;1 million after 40 children were wrongly detained as adults while seeking asylum, The Guardian revealed. Officials have accepted that the policy was unlawful.
SUNDAY
Term-time wings clipped
Tell parents to forget about those cheap holiday deals. A new crackdown on term-time holidays is to be launched, The Sunday Times reported, as part of plans to cut truancy.
MONDAY
University access tsar named
After weeks of public wrangling, Les Ebdon was formally appointed the new university access tsar. Professor Ebdon, now in charge of the Office for Fair Access, was given the job by business secretary Vince Cable.
TUESDAY
Education according to Twigg
Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg unveiled his proposals to reform education. Chief among them was to establish an “office for educational improvement” to gather evidence about ways to improve schools.
WEDNESDAY
Does faith have a place?
High priest of atheism Professor Richard Dawkins went head-to-head in a debate on the role of faith schools with Bishop John Pritchard, chair of the Church of England’s national board of education.
THURSDAY
Here’s one they made earlier
The Blue Peter garden opened to members of the public for the first time at the BBC’s new Salford base. Princess Anne was expected to be on hand to carry out official opening duties.
FRIDAY
Wilshaw sets out his stall
Sir Michael Wilshaw, who led Mossbourne Academy in Hackney, east London, before taking up the top job at Ofsted last month, is to address the Independent Academies Association conference in London today.
Next week
25 FEBRUARY - 2 MARCH 2012
SATURDAY
The end of the cane’s reign
Thirty years ago today parents won the right to stop schools beating their children. The European Court of Human Rights said that corporal punishment could no longer be used against parents’ wishes.
SUNDAY
On the ball for the league cup
Liverpool return to Wembley for the first time in 16 years to take on Cardiff City in the Carling Cup final. Birmingham City beat Arsenal in last year’s final. Will there be another upset?
MONDAY
All aboard!
The iconic Routemaster bus, with its hop-on, hop-off platform, returns to the streets of London today. The new version will first plough the route of the number 38 between Victoria station and Hackney.
TUESDAY
On your marks, get set ...
Time for a bit of early limbering up, with just 150 days to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympics. Thousands of schools were told earlier this month how many tickets they had been allocated for pupils.
WEDNESDAY
Cultivate your creative side
If your brain needs exercising, try the Space for Thought literary festival at the London School of Economics. Running until 3 March, the festival includes creative writing workshops and events for children.
THURSDAY
Cambridge donor controversy
A new professorship of Chinese development will be established at the University of Cambridge, funded by a controversial #163;3.7 million donation that led to concerns over political interference from Beijing.
FRIDAY
Do re mi fa so la ti dooooo!
Warm up your vocal cords for national Sing Up day. Last year saw more than 800 events take place across the country, and thousands of schools and choirs are expected to participate this year.
