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Reports the desertion of Lee Steptoe, a teacher and former Labor party parliamentary candidate, from the Liberal Democrat party in Great Britain. Disgust over the inevitable creation of a two-tier secondary school system; Approval of the Central School in Grantham to become a specialist technology college; Concern of Steptoe over the status of non-specialist schools.

Reports that more than one in seven primaries have demanded a re-mark of English national test scripts in 1999 in Great Britain. Lack of faith teachers have on the system; Unreliability of primary English tests; Rating of teaching of writing.

Reports on the planned curriculum for the year 2000 by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority of Great Britain. Exclusions of historical information in the curriculum; Aim of the proposed curriculum.

Focuses on the controversy surrounding the planned publication of performance league tables based on the `value' that each school adds to its pupils in Great Britain. Opposition of headteachers' leaders to the plan; Criticism on the plan; Features of the scheme.

Reports on the criticism of teachers and unions toward the basic pay rise implemented by the British government. Inability to tackle recruitment problems; Condemnation of Education Secretary David Blunkett's rejection to tackle excessive workload and limit class hours; Encouragement for the adoption of the Scottish pay settlement.

Reports on the performance-pay education reforms in Great Britain. Threshold assessments process; Opposition of teaching unions; Standards that teachers have to meet.

Reports on the decline of the number of children permanently excluded in Great Britain. Decline in the number of boys expelled from school; Retention of disruptive pupils.

Reports on the need for private schools in Great Britain to stop selecting students by ability to prevent damaging equality of education in the country. Findings on the issue released by the Labour Party; Reasons why the practice will undermine education policies in the country.

Presents news briefs concerning education services offered by local education councils in Great Britain as of October 13, 2000. Warning received by the Redbridge local education authority in northeast London, England, from the chief inspector of schools for the deterioration of its relations with its schools; Praise received by Bolton from inspectors for being a responsive and responsible authority.

Reports on commitments made by the Labour party during its conference. David Blunkett and Tony Blair's pledged to transform secondary schools and provide computers and improve run-down classrooms; Total budget allotted for improving basic skills for adults; Socialist Educational Alliance's criticism over the party's education policy document.

Reports on British Prime Minister Tony Blair's pledge to make education his main priority is Labour wins the general election. Focus of Blair's second term in the office on transforming secondary schools; Teachers' organizations' positive reactions to Blair's commitment to increase education spending; Concern over the failure of the Blair government to address the teacher supply shortage.

Focuses on the vision for education of the Conservative Party of Great Britain under the leadership of William Hague, centered on its commitment to free schools. Criticism received by the party's stance towards education from political opponents and local authority organizations as well as some concerned Conservative councilors; Shadow education secretary Theresa May's remarks on the issue.

Reports that private schools in Great Britain increased their share of top A-level grades while state schools narrowed their gap in pass rates between the two sectors. Percentage of increase in A-level entries awarded to private schools in summer 2000; Examination results of boys and girls' schools.

Presents news briefs related to education in Great Britain, as of September 1, 2000. Results of a study comparing boys' academic achievements as compared to their female counterparts; Language teachers' views on the effectiveness of single-sex classes in improving boys' language skills.

Reports on the launching of an Internet educational program for mathematicians in Great Britain.

Reports that sixth-formers could be awarded university admissions points for A-level math modules in Great Britain. Scheme to be debated by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service and the government's exam quangos.

Reports on the data published on the last week of May 2000 concerning the importance of the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) project in Great Britain. Benefits to education; Statements from Michael Shayer of King's College, London, England; Aim of CASE.

Examines the proposals of the British government to change the subjects that can be studied by General Certificate of Secondary Education candidates. Criticisms against the plans; Overview of the plans of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; Information on the nation's exam system.

Focuses on the math units devised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) for students in primary schools in Great Britain. Purpose of creating the program; Lessons included in the program; Remarks from Lynn Churchman, a mathematics officer at QCA.

Reports on the plan of British education ministers to introduce a United States-style graduation certificate for sixth-formers. Aim of the plan; Action to be taken by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority on the issue; Benefits of the plan for students.

Focuses on the schools being targeted by British Education Secretary David Blunkett for closure. Percentage of schools on Blunkett's hitlist that are in special measures; View of headteacher Anna White on the school hitlist; Comments from Tom Murray, councilor responsible for education.

Reports on the findings of a study in Great Britain that inspectors' first impression of schools have been formed using misleading data. Warning against using free school meal data or test results in primary schools; Statement given by the Office for Standards in Education; Proxy measures being used by the researchers.

Reports that British Education Secretary David Blunkett has announced that the work-related qualifications for sixth-formers are to be renamed Vocational A-levels. Reaction of the National Union of Teachers to the decision; Criticisms from the National Association of Head Teachers.

Reports on the efforts of the British government to create a qualifications framework that will guide teachers, employers and students. Information on available publicly-funded qualifications in Great Britain; Purpose of the evaluation of the publicly-funded course; Approval of the qualifications by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; Details on vocational and occupational qualification evaluation.

Reports that 11-year-old students in Great Britain are taking standard Math and English tests, which enable them to be accelerated in their studies. Reaction of Peter Lacey, chair-elect of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics, on the extension tests; Remarks from Martin Tibetts, chair of the National Association for the Teaching of English; Information on the Advanced English tests for secondary pupils in Great Britain.

Reports on the plan of the British government to broaden the studies covered for sixth-formers. Information on the A-level examination for sixth-formers; Examination requirements for sixth-formers; Concern of teacher unions on the extra workload that the examination would entail; Remarks from John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers.

Contends that the educational change planned by the government which will broaden a sixth-form study in Great Britain will fail unless schools are rewarded with extra cash when their students take more examinations. Investigation on the impact of government educational change in Great Britain; Questions regarding the seriousness of government educational change in Great Britain; Concerns over a key skills qualification.

Reports that Welsh curriculum advisers will consult all higher education institutions in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland over plans to replace A-levels with an over-arching baccalaureate. Stance taken by the advocates of Welsh baccalaureate (WelshBac); Aims of WelshBac; Impact of the baccalaureate program on British youth.

Report on the requests by curriculum advisers to British Education Secretary David Blunkett to approve vocational sciences courses as replacement to General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) being given to 14-year-old pupils. Features of the General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ); Description of GNVQ science approach; Aim of the plan to change GCSE with GNVQ.

Reports on a research carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research which calls into question the effectiveness of whole-class teaching in primary mathematics in Great Britain. Doubts raised by the foundation's analysis; Arguments against the reseach findings.

States that male students in Great Britain are learning trade skills under a program which allows them a day per week off school to spend at work. Employment of some of the students after their satisfactory learning of the skills; Details on the rules allowing them to learn trade skills.

Reports on the failure of some Great Britain's local authorities in a literacy test league. Details on the results; Implication of the result; Efforts of the Government to help the authorities that failed in the test.

Highlights the report titled `Setting in Primary Schools,' by Great Britain's Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). Popularity of `setting' strategy in the country; Number of lessons setted in 1998; Reasons few schools have avoided settings.

Reports that Great Britain's Office for Standards in Education inspection head, Mike Tomlinson has criticized the government's science curriculum review. Comments from a spokesman for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA); Factors affecting science and information technology.

Analyzes the result of the 1998 national curriculum test of seven, eleven and 14-year-olds conducted by the Great Britain's Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. Problem on spelling; General findings on the seven-year-olds; Factors that hinder many children who manage their time badly and leave questions unfinished.

Reports on the attack of Great Britain's Chief Inspector Chris Woodhead on the national curriculum test conducted by the government. Reasons Woodhead opposes the regime of the test; Reactions of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority on the comments of Woodhead; Results of the test; Comments from the spokesman of Office for Standards in Education.

Reports that the British government is pressing on with its plan to introduce a more sophisticated measure of school performance despite the collapse of progress index. Reason for the drop in the progress index; Fundamental difference between the abandoned progress measure and the pilot value-added project; Benefits of the project.

Cites figures from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority which show that boys made insignificant progress towards hitting British government targets in 1998's junior English tests. Progress made by girls in the English tests; Average rise for boys and girls together; Performance gap between boys and girls in English at all key stages.

States that as of November 1998 General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQ) entries in Great Britain have fallen by 14 percent. Decrease in the number of candidates; Number of candidates completing the GNVQs; Findings released by the Joint Council of National Vocational Awarding Bodies; Comments from Martin Cross, chair of the joint council.

Reports that the Department of Education in Great Britain will allow all A-level students to see their marked examination papers. Details on the initiative announced by Education Secretary David Blunkett; Purpose of the proposed scheme.

Provides information on the national curriculum booklets for schools in Great Britain which aim to guide teachers in their teaching methods created by a design agency and focus groups. Contents of the booklets; Brief information on teaching in the country; Estimated number of head teacher to be having a copy of the national curriculum booklet.

Reports that the former head of the judiciary in England and Wales, Lord Mackay of Clashfern has questioned the legality of a Government-inspired pilot to return marked exam scripts to schools. Purpose of the return of exam scripts; Statement from the former Lord Chancellor on the legal implications of the move.

Reports on the number of secondary students in Great Britain who were unable to pass the General Certificate for Secondary Education (GCSE) in summer 1999. Improvement over 1998; Comments from Education Minister Baroness Blackstone.

Reports on the move to give teachers more time to mark the national curriculum tests taken by students in Great Britain in September 1999. Inquiry into test standards headed by Jim Rose, director of inspection of the Office for Standards in Education; Allegations concerning the test marks; Plan of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority concerning marking accuracy.

Presents information on the grades of pupils from private schools compared to that of state colleges in Great Britain. Percentage of students from private schools awarded with A grade; Comments from John Dunford, general secretary of the Secondary Heads' Association; Improvement in the admission score of student from private schools in 1999.

Discusses how British education ministers plan to boost General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSE) exam results. Number of extra revision weeks to be alloted to English literature and geography subjects; Reaction of minority subject organizations; View of headteachers' associations; Targets that New Labour has set for GCSE.

Reports on a statistics from the United Kingdom Department for Education and Employment that reveals the widening of gender gap at A-level. Performance levels of both genders in the General Certificate of Secondary Education; Remarks from Doctor Jannette Elwood of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; Implication of the results. INSET: What the Teachers Say.

Reports on the proposal of the British Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) to increase the study of speaking and listening in primary schools. Details on the report `Teaching Speaking and Listening in Key Stages 1 and 2,' from QCA; Strategies on assessing pupils' speaking skills.

Discusses the performance of twins in school. Connection between the age when women have babies and twins' school performance; Studies on the academic skills of twins; Survey on the policy of schools in Great Britain regarding twins and multiple-birth children.

Focuses on the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams in Great Britain. The record pass rate in the top three grade levels for 1998; Increases in the overall failure rate; The doubling of the failure rate in English and mathematics; Number of students who took GCSE exams in 1998 and the number which failed to achieve even the lowest grade; Concerns that teachers are focusing on talented students to the detriment of poorer students; Changes in the math exam.