This week 29 October-4 November 2011
SATURDAY
DYLAN AND FRIENDS
Poet and novelist Simon Armitage was among speakers at the annual Dylan Thomas Festival, which runs in Swansea until 9 November. It focuses on Thomas’s work and the contemporaries who inspired him.
UNDAY
WINTER DRAWS IN
British Summer Time packed its bags and headed to warmer climes for another year. It’ll be a bit brighter on the way to school but the gloom will have set in by the time you escape at the end of the day.
MONDAY
PM TARGETS ADOPTION DELAYS
David Cameron launched a drive to cut the time it takes to place children with adoptive parents. The Government published controversial league tables comparing the performance of local authorities.
TUESDAY
TEENS CHALLENGE #163;9K FEES
Two teenage students mounted a High Court challenge to the near-trebling of university tuition fees to #163;9,000 a year. The 17-year-olds claim the increase breaches human rights law, which protects the right to education.
WEDNESDAY
PENSION OFFER FAILS TO IMPRESS
The Government made an improved offer on public sector pension reform in a bid to see off mass strike action at the end of this month. Unions said the plans for a walk-out remained unchanged for now.
THURSDAY
GIRL GANGS ON THE AGENDA
Journalist Jon Snow joined the debate alongside politicians and educationalists at the Youth Justice Convention in Brighton. The agenda included the fall-out from this summer’s riots and how to tackle girl gangs.
FRIDAY
NASUWT BALLOTS ITS MEMBERS
The NASUWT is due to open its ballot on industrial action over a series of disputes with the Government. It will include a question on pensions, and complaints about workload, pay and job losses.
Next week 5-11 November 2011
SATURDAY
MILK SNATCHER REMEMBERED
Pro-Thatcherite group Conservative Way Forward is to hold an event promoting freedom in education. It is now more than 40 years since the former PM was branded Milk Snatcher after ending free school milk.
SUNDAY
INDEPENDENTS ON SHOW
The concluding day of the Independent Schools Show in Battersea Park, London. More than 140 nurseries and prep, senior and boarding schools will exhibit their wares to prospective pupils and their parents.
MONDAY
INTERNATIONAL LITERACY FEAST
The Northern Children’s Book Festival begins. Billed as the biggest free children’s book festival in Europe, around 40 authors, poets and performers will participate in events for around 20,000 children.
TUESDAY
EYES TO THE SKIES
A giant asteroid weighing 55 million tonnes is due to pass close to Earth. The 1,300ft-wide rock is the largest to pass within 200,000 miles of our planet, but Nasa insists there is no chance of a collision.
WEDNESDAY
REVIEW OF 14-19 EDUCATION
In Wales, the Assembly’s children’s committee takes evidence from heads’ unions in the first session of its inquiry into 14-19 education. It will examine if students are getting a proper range of options.
THURSDAY
GRUFFALO TOPS THE BILL
Children’s laureate Julia Donaldson, creator of The Gruffalo, and former Booker Prize winner Alan Hollinghurst are among the speakers at the Literary Leicester Festival. Events are free, but sign up for tickets.
FRIDAY
FE GETS ITS DAY IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Stars from the world of further education will gather in London for the inaugural TES FE Awards, hosted by Evan Davis, presenter of Radio 4‘s Today programme and Dragons’ Den. Good luck to all.
