Cribsheet 28.04.11

Any chance of giving state schools some credit?

Kicking off today with my favourite tweet, which comes in response to the news that the number of children going to private school has fallen for a second year running, with the drop attributed to parents tightening their belts in tough economic times.

@johndunford tweets:

"Private school numbers down. Economy blamed. When private numbers up, state schools blamed. So could it just be state schs improving?"

Figures from the Independent Schools Council also show that the average cost of sending a child to a private school has risen by 4.6%, to almost £13,200 a year.

Looking forward, the National Association of Head Teachers begins its conference at the weekend, when it will release a survey showing that 10% of heads have been assaulted by a parent or carer during the past five years.

Here's the Independent's Richard Garner:

Most of the assaults took place on the school premises – often when the parents came to complain about a child being excluded from school. They include cases of heads being hit by chairs thrown by angry parents and one being subjected to "a serious kicking attack".

One female head has described how a parent had scratched the word "bitch" on her car. She said: "It wasn't an assault on me but it left me very, very shaken and traumatised. Police orders were required to protect the school from the parent."

Education news from the Guardian

• St Andrews is shuffling its feet this morning over revelations that its centre for Syrian studies was funded by, um, Syria.

Following questions from the Guardian about its relations with figures associated with the regime – and "in view of significant international concerns about recent events in Syria" – a spokesman for St Andrews said the university would be reviewing the centre's work "to ensure its high academic standards are maintained".

• Schools are holding royal wedding parties up and down the land today - let us know what's happening at your school. I'll be putting together a round-up of stories, pics, audio and video this afternoon - will your school make an appearance?

• PFI is not the best way of funding new infrastructure, the National Audit Office says, and the government should look for a alternative way of paying for new schools and the like that offers better value for money.

• Funding for education in Africa has been rising steadily, Unesco reports, but more money should be concentrated on primary schools.

• Institute of Education researchers explain their findings on the relationship between social class and how young children learn:

"Our work dispels the myth that bright poor children lose their talent as they develop: this makes for an even stronger case for supporting bright children from disadvantaged backgrounds."

Education news from around the web

• Nick Gibb, the schools minister, says the Ebacc is the first of many more performance measures to come, the BBC reports. He told the Commons education committee yesterday: "There will be more of these accountability measures, not fewer."

Susan Young has written a colourful blog for the NAHT about Gibb's exchanges with MPs:

"Mr Gibb began to flannel gently, before diving headlong into sheets of statistics demonstrating that the more pupils on free school meals are in a school, the fewer kids will get an Ebacc. It was part of the government's agenda to give children from rich and poor backgrounds the same opportunity, he said. 'These are subjects which lead to progression,' he concluded."

• Offa isn't going to stop a single university charging the fees it's applied for, the Independent reports. The story says it has also emerged that Offa has never punished a university for failing to meet its access targets since it was established in 2004.

David Barrett, assistant director of Offa, says while it is theoretically possible to reject the access arrangements of universities, he thinks it unlikely fees will be lowered:

"We are not a fee pricing regulator; that is not our role. If an institution wishes to charge a fee it has to have an accurate access agreement in place and we do have greater expectations the higher the fee. But we wouldn't say to an institution we would only allow a fee of x or y."

• Universities are so last century, Cathy Davidson writes in the THE:

"About 100 years ago, higher education restructured to meet the needs of the industrial age. It has changed little since, even as the internet has transformed life. Another revolution is needed to modernise universities and prepare graduates for a 21st-century working environment."

On the Higher Education Network

Professor Ian Marshall explains why Coventry University is charging variable fees and how these were determined, while Charlotte Frost gives her top tips for going from PhD to published book.

Education seminars from Guardian Professional

Getting the best education for children in care

The Guardian's one-day seminar in association with Tact (the UK's largest fostering and adoption charity) will provide an overview of the UK education system and strategies for dealing with the challenges faced by looked-after children and their carers.

26 May, London.

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.

13 June, Birmingham and 20 September, London.

Distinctiveness and branding in higher education

Higher education institutions will struggle in the marketplace unless they stand out from competitors and make sense to stakeholders. The Guardian's half-day seminar in partnership with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education will explore what it takes to develop and maintain a distinctive brand that attracts students, staff and funders. Participants will hear from experts, examine case studies and have the opportunity to network with peers.

28 June, London.