Education: Policy, Research, Practice, Thoughts.

Mental health is becoming more visible. It seems that finally mental health is a degree less stigmatised in society, allowing the previously taboo to be discussed. In the education world, this discussion has been particularly prominent within the higher education sector.  We are often painted the picture of university students carefree and having the time of their lives: socialising, drinking, dancing, playing sport and attending the odd lecture as long as it’s not at 9am. In reality, there is a significant proportion of the student body for whom – even if they portray this image – it is not the case. HESA figures released last week revealed that 1,180 students left their courses early in 2014-2015 due to mental ill-health. This is reported as a 210 percent increase since 2009-10. Part of this increase could be due to better data collection or a greater tendency for students to report mental health problems now than before, but it remains a shocking figure.  Cont...

Being quick off the mark might be a successful strategy of election campaigning, but Labour rather jumped the gun with the leak of their manifesto on Wednesday. It makes for an interesting read. Skipping over the “cradle-to-grave learning” phrase – which sounds overwhelmingly sinister – there is a roughly 50:50 split between specific policy recommendations with a degree of sense, and major issues being swept under the carpet. Throughout the education section however, there is one theme which repeats itself – more money for the education system. £8.4 billion a year for basic school funding, £700-900 million a year for free school meals, and £1.7 billion a year for Higher Education maintenance grants to name but a few. These funding boosts could be highly welcome. The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) recently highlighted the cost pressures facing schools, with real terms cuts of 6.5% to their budgets between 2015-16 and 2019-20. The education press is awash with stories of how the...