Search

This paper summarises the results of an investigation into the social and learning experiences of students with disabilities in a UK University. The students' experiences were evaluated in three broad areas: with respect to the categories used by the Higher Education Council to examine the quality of the learning experience for all students in higher education; against the issues conventionally included in studies and policy developments for independent living for people with disabilities; and in relation to the impact coming to university has on the lives of students with disabilities. The paper highlights the issues of central concern to students with disabilities in the University and draws some conclusions with policy implications from a discussion of student perception of services, the practical constraints facing the institution, and the social values which underpin the framework of support for students with disabilities in Higher Education in England and Wales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like the rest of the United Kingdom, Wales is facing a new challenge from the implementation of the Coalition Government’s cuts. The Welsh Assembly Government [WAG, renamed Welsh Government (WG), in May 2011] budget was reduced by £1.8billion over the next four years. WAG responded by introducing its own revised austerity budget which reduced spending on Education by 8%. At the same time, the performance of Welsh Education has been under severe strain as a result of a series of new challenges. These include the consequences of Welsh pupils’ performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the failure to meet government targets projected in The Learning Country, funding disparities, the findings of the Chief Inspector’s Annual Report for Wales, the state of literacy in Wales, the re-organisations within the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills [DCELLS, renamed Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in May 2011], the Thomas Review Report and the announcement of the Minister’s new twenty-point plan which will guide policy for the next four years. This paper will first put Welsh educational policy into context before considering each of these issues in turn and finally, projecting forward to the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The governance of schools reconstituted by the Conservative Education Reform Acts of 1986/88 has been the subject of review since the turn of the century, with questions raised about the roles and responsibilities of governing bodies. Do governors as volunteers have too many responsibilities? Do they contribute to school improvement? Do they matter? This paper reports on a national study of governance and school improvement in Wales. It presents original data that shows an association between good governance – especially the practice of scrutiny – and the performance of schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]