Careers advice in schools in England is "patchy and inconsistent", according to the Institute of Career Guidance.

The UK-wide body warns a whole generation is not being taught the skills and knowledge needed to enter the labour market.

The government says its initiatives, including the new careers profession taskforce, will improve careers advice.

Teaching unions said their members could not be expected to be employment experts as well as teachers.

Over the past decade, the government has focused on helping those young people likely to end up not in employment, education or training - so-called Neets.

Careers advice experts say this has left a huge gap in provision for mainstream pupils but they point out the shift has been less dramatic in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Low-quality guidance

The Institute of Career Guidance (ICG), the UK's professional membership association for all those working in careers information, said the system in England was "patchy and inconsistent".

ICG president Dr Deidre Hughes said: "We have a generation coming through university now that have not had an experience of high-quality careers education.

"What that means is young people are not developing the knowledge and skills of the labour market and the important skills to equip them."

Last month, the Department for Children, Schools and Families announced the creation of a careers profession taskforce.

It will work to create a "careers workforce fit for the 21st Century" and focus on recruitment and retention of well-qualified careers professionals as well as ensuring they reflect the make-up of the working population.

The government said it recognised the quality of information, advice and guidance varied across the country and it would review the system delivered by local authorities in 2011.

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Head teachers have turned up the heat on the government in England, announcing a date for a ballot on a boycott of this year's Sats tests.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the NUT teachers' union will vote from 15 March, weeks before the tests are due to be taken.

The NAHT says it is frustrated and saddened that attempts to reach an agreement with ministers have failed.

The government says a boycott of the tests would amount to a breach of duty.

The tests - in English and maths - are taken by 11-year-olds in England and are used to draw up the primary school league tables.

Both unions have carried out what they call "indicative ballots" of their members to gauge the likely support a ballot on industrial action over the Sats would bring.

At their annual conferences last year, delegates voted for a ballot on a boycott if efforts to persuade the government to change the system failed.

The other big teaching union, the NASUWT, is against a boycott.

Mick Brookes, general secretary of the NAHT, said that of those who took part in his organisation's indicative ballot, 94% said they wanted to see the system changed.

Turnout was 41%.

Mr Brookes said: "That is a massive show of confidence that we are doing the right thing."

The two unions had been talking to the government and hoped ministers would agree to take more account of teachers' assessments of pupils achievements.

Pilot schemes along these lines are under way.

"Following a successful ballot return, action would be taken to frustrate the administration of Sats - it would absolutely not be strike action"

Mr Brookes said: "We are saddened that, despite us putting forward a number of alternatives to the current assessment regime, ministers have not been prepared to make the necessary changes required to protect our colleagues from the current uses and abuses of statistical data drawn from unreliable and inaccurate tests."

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Following a successful ballot return, action would be taken to frustrate the administration of Sats - it would absolutely not be strike action.

"Children would be taught in school as normal without taking the tests in the week commencing 10 May 2010."

The government has said it is very disappointed with the decision and says a boycott of the Sats would amount to a breach of statutory duty.

The unions argue that the tests adversely affect their members' terms and conditions of work.

In a statement they said: "The use of publicly available league tables, based on the result of these tests, have negative consequences for the pay, tenure and career progression prospects of our members".

It is understood this would be their legal argument if the matter went to court.

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The government is set to miss its target for reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet), it is claimed.

England's target for 2010 is 7.6% - as an average for the year. Figures out on Thursday suggested 9.3% were Neet at the end of 2009.

As Neet levels are higher in the summer than the winter, the UCU lecturers union argues the target will be missed.

The government said the 2010 figures would not be published until June 2011.

"We need more college places to get more young people back into education"

The UCU said although Neet levels fell sharply in the last quarter of 2009, the trend in recent years is for the percentage to rise in the first three quarters of the year.

However, the 2010 figure will not be published until June 2011.

The new data comes as colleges prepare to save some £433m, provoking union claims of 7,000 jobs being at risk and college course closures.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said the latest figures out this week demonstrated the importance of further education colleges and their staff in attracting and retaining young people not in education and training.

"The overall figure remains too high and history has taught us that the percentage of Neets is likely to rise as the academic year progresses, making the government unlikely to meet its target."

She added: "The government should be doing everything it can to help the lost generation of Neets.

"Axing college places is exactly the wrong thing to do. We need more college places to get more young people back into education."

She said it was clear many Neet youngsters wanted to get back into education or find a job.

'Obstacles'

One 18-year-old who attended an event run by the organisation this week, Shamayal Yakoob, from Birmingham, said: "I have tried to get in to college many times, but my name is just put down on the waiting list.

"The colleges which do offer spaces are on the other side of the city and I cannot afford to pay the travel costs.

"I have tried to look for jobs but without any qualifications and skills I am not getting anywhere and it's just like banging my head against the wall."

Diane Johnson, 21, from Pontefract in West Yorkshire, said she would like to study at college but that it was really hard to find a course.

'Raising skills'

"Because I am over 19 they cost loads of money and I was forced to drop out because the funding I needed was delayed by two months.

"Politicians need to start listening or there will be more people facing the same obstacles as me."

Ms Hunt added: "One huge step would be to simplify the jungle of funding streams for courses. Another would be to reverse planned damaging cuts for colleges."

Skills minister Iain Wright said: "Whilst there are signs that the proportion of 16-18 year olds Neet is falling, we know we need to keep working hard to back young people through these though times.

"We are committed to raising young people's skill levels and building a young, skilful and dynamic workforce throughout the economic recovery.

"That is why we are offering every 16 and 17-year-old the opportunity to continue in education or training through our September Guarantee for school leavers - and record numbers are doing so, helping to fulfil their potential and secure the future of our economy."

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Local authorities in England are failing to refer poor teachers to their disciplinary body, a report suggests.

Less than half of councils have reported a teacher to England's General Teaching Council, which has the power to strike off poor teachers, it said.

The joint GTCE and government report said some employers were uncertain about their responsibilities for referring cases of incompetence.

The GTCE is writing to local councils to remind them of their duties.

It also plans to review the advice and guidance it offers to schools and local councils to ensue there is an improved understanding of regulation issues.

'Inconsistency'

The research found inconsistencies in the way local councils approached referrals.

Some employers were anxious about referring cases because they feared a report would automatically lead to a teacher's removal.

Others feared the GTCE would be too lenient, it said.

But the body said neither worry was well-founded because its committees considered each case on its merit, it added.

Chief executive Keith Bartley said: "This report suggests that there is considerable activity on the part of employers locally to ensure that children and young people are taught by high quality teachers and it reflects upon the level of commitment and training that teachers demonstrate.

"However, the report also reveals inconsistency of understanding and practice with regard to referrals made by local authorities to the professional regulatory body."

"Employers need to ensure that they take seriously their statutory responsibilities in this area"

He added that the research provided some clear insights into reasons for these inconsistencies.

Schools minister Vernon Coaker said there was a legal duty on employers to refer cases of teachers who had been dismissed or had resigned on the grounds of incompetence.

He added: "Employers need to ensure that they take seriously their statutory responsibilities in this area.

"We expect the GTCE to fully exercise its regulatory role in respect of those teachers who fall below the high standards of practice expected of them.

"What this report identifies is the need to continue to communicate the legal duty on employers in the case of referral and so we welcome the GTCE's action plan to do this."

All qualified teachers have to register with the GTCE, which has a duty to improve standards of teaching and the quality of learning.

Since the GTCE began hearing cases in 2001 it has considered 664 professional conduct cases and 75 competence cases.

But only 13 prohibition orders, 1 suspension orders and 11 conditional suspension orders have been issued.

If a teacher is found to be seriously incompetence the GTCE can impose a range of sanctions from reprimand, through to a conditional registration order requiring remedial action.

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In our occasional series, Siobhan Freegard, co-founder of the parents' networking website Netmums, tells of five of the most important things she has learned in her life.

Biography

Name: Siobhan Freegard

Occupation: Co-founder of Netmums.com

Lives: London

Born: In Bristol, 1967

Family life: Married to Paul, who works in the aviation industry. They have three children, aged 13, 10 and seven.

Education: High school and the Irish school leaving certificate, "then A-levels through evening classes after moving to London".

Unusual fact: Didn't think email would catch on

1. There is no such thing as a perfect mother

Becoming a mum is completely wonderful, but at the same time it is absolutely terrifying when you realise you are now responsible for a real live, tiny human being. It feels as if nothing less than perfect will do - and we try to prove to our baby as well as our families, friends and ourselves that we are up to the job. We feel pressure to have a happy baby, a lovely home, a good relationship, to look nice, cook well, be sociable and be a perfect mum.

It is no wonder so many new mums (myself included) become lost and depressed when they can't keep up with this stereotypical image of being "the perfect mother".

I have learnt the hard way that babies don't need perfect mums - they need "good enough" mums. Children need mums that recognise that they need to look after themselves too in order to be capable of looking after everyone else.

2. It's ok to show weakness

I used to feel that I was only likable if I was happy and in control. When I was feeling overwhelmed by life (kids, work, whatever), I'd plaster a smile on my face and tell the world I was "fine". (I've since learned that, in counsellor-speak, "F.I.N.E." means fed-up, insecure, neurotic, and emotional).

Ultimately however, if you wear an emotional mask, you can become a bit of a "Stepford Wife" and other people instinctively sense that you aren't being true about yourself. Opening yourself up to people does mean taking a bit of a risk but it usually pays off. I have made my strongest friendships through sharing difficult times, as well as good times.

3. People value the way you value yourself

This is relevant in all areas of your life and I have to remember it regularly - when dealing with employers, bank managers, clients and also when dealing with friends, husbands and children. It's about believing in yourself and putting a high (although of course not over-inflated) value on yourself. It's amazingly effective in any negotiations and even helps your children to respect you more, because they see that you respect yourself.

4. Never judge people until you have walked a mile in their shoes

I have always been a capable, confident, happy person. If I heard about someone being depressed, I'd look at their lives and think "What on earth have they got to be depressed about They just need to pull themselves together". Then, after my first child, I had a bout of post-natal depression, complete with regular panic attacks.

Now, whatever the issue, I try to realise that until we have experienced someone's individual circumstances, we cannot make judgments on them. I try to sympathise and empathise with people, and think "there but for the grace of God go I".

5. Sometimes, the "sensible" decision isn't the right one. It can be ok to follow your heart.

When I had my first child I had a successful career as a marketing director and went back to work full-time within three months. But to my surprise (and shock) I yearned to be a stay at home mum. Friends, family and my husband talked me out of it as I had always loved my job: I earned a great salary and they all said I "just wasn't the type" to be a stay at home mum.

After two miserable years I put my foot down and left my job ,which included some serious downsizing. I was blissfully happy from my first day at home. I now have three children and Netmums and none of that would have happened if I'd done the sensible thing.

Siobhan Freegard's book, How to be a Happy Mum, was published in 2009.

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Almost two thirds of local authorities in England are failing deaf children and their families, research suggests.

The University of Manchester study of 57 authorities found 60% did not view deaf children as "children in need", despite being defined as such in law.

The report, for the National Deaf Children's Society, said deaf children were 3.4 times more likely to be abused and 40% had mental health problems.

It raised major concern over deaf children's protection, the NDCS said.

Expertise

The research found that only about a third of local authorities had specialist teams or arrangements with designated responsibility for deaf children and their families.

"This research shows widespread lack of awareness among social care services of deaf children's needs"

Where there were "children's disability teams", they were unlikely to have any specialist expertise in this area.

"The lack of specialist knowledge and expertise was significant because it demonstrably hampered teams from being able appropriately to recognise the seriousness of a presenting problem when it concerned a deaf child," the report said.

Four authorities were found to have no designated services arrangements at all for deaf children and their families.

And in 46% of the authorities assessed, there were no qualified social workers who worked with deaf children and their families either as part or whole of their job remit.

'Optimum outcomes'

More than 50% said they had no formal referral arrangements between social work and education professionals, and nearly 45% said they had no formal referral arrangements between social work and health professionals.

Only 37% of local authorities surveyed showed evidence of co-working arrangements between child protection teams and specialist social workers, and 18% described a situation in which there was no co-working at all.

"There is clear evidence, on a widespread basis, of poor integrated children's services arrangements in respect of deaf children and their families," the report said.

The report said the findings were of concern because deaf children were at "particular risk of a range of less than optimum outcomes".

"They are 3.4 times more likely than hearing children to experience abuse; 40% will experience mental health problems in childhood; educational attainments lag significantly behind national averages.

"Deaf children, whether using spoken or signed language, face significant challenges in achieving normative linguistic, cognitive and psychosocial development."

NDCS policy and campaigns director Brian Gale said the findings raised serious concerns about the protection of deaf children.

"This research shows widespread lack of awareness among social care services of deaf children's needs. In addition to the increased risk of abuse, 40% of deaf children will experience mental health problems.

"It is vital that local safeguarding children boards take heed of this research and improve their child protection arrangements for deaf children before it is too late."

The University of Manchester research is published in Every Child Journal.

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More than one in 10 five-year-olds are already at risk of disengaging from education when they start school, according to a think tank report.

A study of 15,000 young children by Demos found 11.5% begin school without the behavioural skills they need to learn or to build friendships.

The study comes ahead of figures out later on young people not in education, employment or training - Neets.

Early intervention at the nursery stage is needed, the report argues.

Author Sonia Sodha said: "One in 10 children lacks the tools to benefit from education before they even get to the school gate."

"These nursery Neets show the same behaviour problems as older Neets, like difficulty making friends and bad behaviour."

The report says that only by helping children at an early age can they be prevented from later becoming unemployed and out of education.

It calls for more money for Sure Start centres and nurseries serving children from deprived areas and the trialling of financial incentives for at-risk parents to complete parenting courses.

Shaks Gosh, chief executive of the Private Equity Foundation which supported the study, said: "Early intervention is not about branding children before they have even started school - it is about dealing with any emotional issues, family problems, literacy and numeracy before it's too late."

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Seven-year-old Khyra Ishaq weighed just 2st 9lb (16.5kg) when paramedics found her emaciated at her home in Handsworth, Birmingham.

Her death five months after her mother withdrew her from school raised concerns about how closely home educated children are monitored. But were other opportunities missed by the authorities to spot the child was being abused

When paramedics went to Khyra Ishaq's home in May 2008 they found a severely malnourished girl who had suffered an infection. She had been deliberately starved by the very people who should have cared for her most. The child was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.

"There are a tiny minority of people who use the home education system as a mask for sometimes horrific abuse of their children"

Khrya's mother cleared of murder

Her mother Angela Gordon, 35, was cleared of murder but was found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. She admitted five counts of child cruelty at Birmingham Crown Court. Her partner Junaid Abuhamza, 30, had already admitted the girl's manslaughter.

In December 2007 Gordon had removed her daughter from school. The school's deputy head was so concerned for the little girl's welfare she went to her house and after she was not allowed in by Gordon she contacted social services.

They did not accept a child being taken out of school to be home educated was a reason for urgent action and advised her to contact the police who visited the house, saw the mother and some of the children in her care and said there was no cause for concern.

Mother 'hostile'

Over the coming months education social workers tried to visit the home on several occasions but were not allowed in. In the February they did see some of the children, including Khyra, on the doorstep and no concern was raised.

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council, Terry Brownbill, said it had done all it could.

"Had the children been playing truant the mother would have been in trouble", he said.

But Gordon said she was taking some of the children in her care out of school and was "hostile and aggressive", he said.

Social workers and police had no right to force their way into the home, unless they considered there was a serious issue that warranted a court order, he continued.

Meanwhile two staff from education social services had visited the home and had seen the room where the children were supposedly being taught and the mother was asked to provide a teaching plan. But none of the children were seen. No-one seems to have spoken to Khyra alone.

Birmingham City Council's social services department was under pressure at the time. Last year its children's services were found to be "not fit for purpose".

An inquiry was commissioned the previous year after it emerged eight children known to social services had died in the city in four years.

An audit by a Birmingham City Council scrutiny committee identified failings, including a shortage of experienced staff, inadequate monitoring, excessive paperwork and too little time with children and families.

But Mr Brownbill defended the council's actions saying: "It had no reason to suspect anything was going wrong within the family.

"The mother had a 100 per cent attendance record for the school. The children were not on the at risk register. A number of the children were still going to school."

A serious case review by the city council will be published following the trial.

"Something happened in the house that no-one could get to because there wasn't sufficient legislation to get in," said Mr Brownbill.

The trial heard how behind closed doors Gordon's partner had put a lock on the fridge door and punished Khyra hitting her with a cane and putting her in detention in the garden.

The children were all forced to eat from one bowl or force fed until they were sick if they had eaten too much.

Home education 'liberal'

Graham Badman, who conducted a review last year into elective home education in England, made recommendations about tighter regulation, which are currently going through parliament.

He said while the number of serious cases involving people who were home educated was "very very small" studies also showed you were twice as likely to be the subject of a child protection plan if you were electively home educated than if you were part of the general population.

"The vast majority of people who embark on home education do so for very positive motives."

But he told the BBC: "There are a tiny minority of people who use the home education system as a mask for sometimes horrific abuse of their children."

His review recommended giving local authorities the power to regulate and monitor home education through registration and giving them the right to regularly check on a child's progress.

Mr Badman said it was "very worrying" this mother was able to evade the authorities for so long.

One study puts the number of children who are electively home educated in England at 20-25,000 but he said the figure could be double. He said children could still be "hidden" from the system.

Ann Newstead, spokeswoman for Education Otherwise, a charity that supports home education, said it was "ludicrous" to suggest extra legislation would have made a difference in this case when social workers, school staff and police had been unable to get into the house.

"Why didn't social services have cause for concern" she said.

She fears this case is being used as justification for tightening regulation of the home education system and said Mr Badman's review had found no evidence of home education being used for abuse.

"We are ending up with a witch hunt against home educators based on ill thought-out comments," she said.

And she took exception to the idea children were hidden from view when home educated.

Early intervention

Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said teachers were good at recognising the signs children were suffering from abuse.

"But once you have that information it is still patchy how schools can pass this on.

"We still have very overstretched social services who have a threshold of engagement. It is sometimes too hard for early intervention to take place when schools have identified there are difficulties."

He believes there needs to be "better joined-up services" before a crisis is reached and believes there needs to monitoring once a child is withdrawn from school.

Four months after Gordon pulled her daughter out of school in April 2008 the social work team manager agreed to close the case as home tutoring had been approved, according to the city council. Weeks later the seven-year-old was dead.

While this case was a "one off", Mr Badman said there was still a need for better regulation of home education.

"What we cannot do is ascribe rights to parents that deny the rights to the child," he said.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Science and maths exams should be more demanding and more experts should be involved in teaching the subjects, an independent report has said.

The Science and Learning Expert Group says improving science and maths has been a high priority in recent years.

But it calls for more demanding GCSEs and A-levels, regulation of private exam boards and greater use of flexible pay to attract specialist teachers.

The government says many of the issues raised are being addressed.

Exams 'inadequate'

It set up the expert group as one of five which would provide advice on the UK's Science and Society Strategy.

"An excellent education depends on excellent teaching, a strong curriculum and assessment that is fit for purpose"

Science and Learning Expert Group chairman Sir Mark Walport said: "Many of us have good cause to be grateful to a single inspiring teacher whom we encountered during our school education.

"Our overarching recommendation is that specialist teachers and their subjects need to come to the fore in the teaching of science and mathematics in schools and colleges."

The report also calls for more maths content in GCSE and A-level science courses - especially in chemistry and physics A-levels.

The authors suggest exams are dictating what is taught in schools and that the exams themselves are seen as "inadequate" in testing the depth of students' knowledge and their understanding of key concepts.

The report said assessment should follow the curriculum rather than define it and that expert groups should be set up for each subject area to advise on the curriculum for five to 19-year-olds and on GCSEs and A-levels.

The science and maths community want a greater say in the development of qualifications and assessment, it adds.

'Right track'

Sir Mark said: "An excellent education depends on excellent teaching, a strong curriculum and assessment that is fit for purpose."

"We believe that by involving those with real experience and understanding of teaching, a more holistic and effective science and mathematics education system will result"

The group calls for regulation of private exam boards which offer GCSEs and A-levels, saying this would "prevent competition between them leading to lower standards".

The fear is that schools might opt for exam boards they consider to be offering easier qualifications.

Schools Minister Iain Wright said the report suggested the government was "on the right track" and that many of the issues raised were being addressed.

These included the need for greater maths content in GCSE science, the need to continue recruiting and supporting specialist teachers and the need for science A-levels to be more challenging, he added.

'Valuable contribution'

Royal Society vice-president Professor John Pethica said he was "delighted" by the recommendation that expert groups should advise on the development of the curriculum and qualifications.

"We believe that by involving those with real experience and understanding of teaching, a more holistic and effective science and mathematics education system will result," he said.

Sylvia McNamara, from the QCDA, the body responsible for the development of the curriculum and qualifications in England, said the report made a "valuable contribution" to the debate around the critical role of science and maths.

"This summer A-level students will sit the new style exams, which demand a more broader understanding and will better prepare young people for higher education and employment," she said.

"Input from teachers and lecturers, awarding bodies, subject specialists and the royal societies all played a vital role in the recent revisions to maths and science GCSEs, as well as the new Science Diploma for 2011."

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An undercover investigation by BBC Newsnight has exposed fraud at the heart of the student visa system.

The programme was able to buy two bogus visa documents which would have virtually guaranteed entry to the UK. One cost £200, the other just £150.

Overseas students coming to study in Britain have to obtain a formal invitation from one of nearly 2,000 colleges on an approved list run by the Home Office.

These official documents, called visa letters, are issued by a range of institutions, from major universities to tiny private colleges in rows of shops.

Under the UK Border Agency's points-based system, a visa applicant requires 40 points to get into the country.

Thirty points come from having a valid visa letter for a UK college. Another 10 are awarded for having several thousand pounds in the bank for 28 days - which could easily be borrowed.

Secret office

"Mr Shah would like to make it abundantly clear that he has played no part in the sale of bogus visa letters"

Information from a source prompted Newsnight to investigate a small, private college in west London called Gateway2uk Education. The college, with a campus at Hayes, has been operating with an A rating from the UK Border Agency.

But Newsnight was told that people linked to the college were selling bogus visa letters for cash from a secret office in Wembley Park in London.

Newsnight set up a covert observation point nearby and filmed deals taking place. We watched as a succession of young men came and went. One even counted his cash outside. They left with A4 white envelopes.

Using undercover researchers, we then managed to buy two bogus visa documents and filmed the process. One of these was sold by a former administrator at Gateway2uk Education.

The administrator later went to India. When traced there by Newsnight, they said they bitterly regretted getting involved in the fraud and had been a minor player, directed by the then owner of Gateway2uk Education, Indian entrepreneur Darpan Shah.

Darpan Shah denies this account. Through his solicitor he said he had very little overall control of the business and he could not comment on the activities of the administrator who sold us the documents.

His solicitor told us: "Mr Shah would like to make it abundantly clear that he has played no part in the sale of bogus visa letters."

'No knowledge of fraud'

Darpan Shah says he only owned Gateway2uk Education for 25 days in January. But he was a director until 5 February 2010 and Newsnight's bogus letters were bought while he was still there.

Newsnight took the bogus visa letters to the Hayes campus of Gateway2uk Education to ask the academic principal for his reaction.

Principal Jeremy Coulton was visibly shocked, saying he had no idea that visa letters were being forged.

The following day he found a box full of bogus visas - almost 160 - which had been left in the office. They were sent from a company in Baroda in India called Krish Immigration. The company is owned by Darpan Shah.

Mr Shah told Newsnight he has "no operational control" over Krish Immigration and has "no knowledge of fraud".

He said: "There has not been any allegation of wrong-doing previously," adding that "Krish Immigration… prevents forgery and fraud".

Mr Shah says he has been unwittingly caught up in two frauds, in the UK and India. On both occasions, he argues, people working with him have acted wrongly without his consent. He says he has now sold the Gateway2uk Education college.

Earlier this month, as Newsnight was finalising its investigation, the UK Border Agency suspended Gateway2uk Education's licence to take in new students. Its premises were inspected on Tuesday.

Two other colleges with close links to Darpan Shah have also had their licences suspended pending further inquiries.

On Monday the government introduced a new electronic system to help tackle student visa fraud.

But given the huge sums of money involved - £8bn a year - the industry will continue to attract those who seek to exploit weaknesses in the system.

Watch the full report on Newsnight on Wednesday 24 February 2010 at 2230 on BBC Two, or afterwards on the BBC iPlayer.

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Three one-day strikes by staff at the University of Leeds have been cancelled after the immediate threat of compulsory redundancies was withdrawn.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) are campaigning against compulsory redundancies and planned savings of £35m by the institution.

The UCU had announced strikes for 25 February and 2 and 4 March.

But the university and union said the strike action had been suspended after "very good progress" was made in talks.

The UCU said plans to restructure the university's Faculty of Biological Sciences (FBS) would lead to hundreds of staff losing their jobs.

'Close to agreement'

It announced the strike dates on 11 February after a ballot of the UCU Leeds membership voted in favour of industrial action.

The Youth Fight for Jobs organisation has held demonstrations in Leeds in support of the university workers.

In a joint statement the UCU and the university said they were "close to an agreement" after talks through conciliation service Acas this week.

They added: "The two sides are still discussing the position in the FBS, but have made good progress towards agreement.

"The university has agreed that, in the case of FBS, the post-restructuring review process will be extended to the end of January 2011 and that no compulsory redundancies can be proposed before the end of that process.

"The two sides have agreed an intensive series of meetings over the next fortnight."

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Lessons about tobacco should be in a range of school subjects and take in more than the physical impact of smoking, say public health advisers.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) is targeting schools as the place to discourage youngsters from starting to smoke.

It wants information about tobacco to be taught more broadly and to include the legal, economic and social issues.

By the age of 15, more than one in six young people are regular smokers.

The guidance from Nice is intended to encourage intervention before young people start to experiment with smoking.

Smoking advice

It calls for a concerted range of approaches - with advice on stopping smoking being given a higher profile in the curriculum.

Information about tobacco should be integrated into subjects such as biology, chemistry, citizenship and media studies, suggests the guidance - looking beyond the health advice about the physical consequences of smoking.

There are also calls for "whole school" smoke-free policies, for anyone visiting or using school premises and support for anyone associated with the school who wants to break the habit.

And anti-smoking efforts in schools and colleges should be led by both adults and young people, the advisers say.

"The earlier children become regular smokers, the greater their risk of developing life-threatening conditions, such as lung cancer and heart disease, if they continue smoking into adulthood," said Mike Kelly, director of the Nice Centre for Public Health Excellence.

Earlier this month health ministers announced a target of halving the number of smokers in England in the next decade.

The number of people smoking has fallen by a quarter in the past decade to 21%, and the proposed target is for this to be 10% by 2020.

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Schools Secretary Ed Balls has defended the government's record on teenage pregnancies, as new data is likely to show a key target will be missed.

Mr Balls said he expected statistics to show that the rate of teenage pregnancies is now the lowest it has been for well over a decade.

But he conceded it would be "really hard" to achieve the pledged target of a 50% decline on 1998 figures by 2010.

The statistics will be published by the Office of National Statistics.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the Schools Secretary also defended legislation passed on Tuesday night that will force faith schools to teach sex education.

An amendment to the Children, Schools and Families Bill will mean that religious educators will be allowed to teach personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons "in a way that reflects the school's religious character".

The amendment was passed by a majority of 345 in the Commons.

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It is a cold, snowy morning when I meet Rex Wade at his house in Cornwall.

He is padding about in his flip-flops. He puts it down to the years spent growing up in Australia.

He is probably one of the last children sent half way round the world from Britain to Australia.

There are no exact numbers. The Child Migrants Trust estimates about 7,000 made that journey after World War II; academics put the figure at just over 3,000.

Rex was in care and thought he would find a family who would adopt him Down Under.

He was 11 when he left. He is now 51 and has no doubt his experiences there ruined his life, leading to years spent in and out of trouble as he tried to find somewhere he belonged.

He was sent to a children's home in Tasmania where he says he faced physical abuse and hardship.

"They were horrible. There will be other kids out there who know, from other homes, they were used as slave labour," he said.

"And there was no love, no kindness.

"I spent all those years out there and my life was stolen. They were all wrong, they let it go on."

'Deplorable conditions'

The Australian government has already apologised for the abuse children like Rex faced and on Wednesday, the British prime minister will say sorry on behalf of the successive UK governments who allowed them to be sent in the first place.

Although child rescue charities usually organised the migration, it was done with government approval. Its involvement can be tracked in the national archives.

"It would be glib of me as chief executive of Barnardo's in 2010 to apologise for something that was done in large part before I was born"

UK to make child migrants apology

The BBC has seen a confidential report written by British officials in 1956.

They went to Australia to look at the places where children were being sent, visiting 26 homes, two thirds of those approved by the British government. Their conclusions were damning.

For instance, one place was described as isolated, with "deplorable conditions", and the boys "appeared unhappy".

Accommodation at another was primitive, with managers "rigid and narrow in outlook".

The worst 10 places were blacklisted but while the government decided what to do with the report, children were still being sent to those homes.

According to Steven Constantine, professor of modern history at Lancaster University, child migration after the war was part of an Australian policy to increase the white British population.

And charities in the UK strongly believed children would benefit.

"The pressures on the government to continue this policy come very strongly from the Australian government and also from these very powerful and prestigious child rescue societies," said Prof Constantine.

"The Church of England were involved in sending children, the Church of Scotland, the Roman Catholic Church.

"For them to suddenly be told that what they'd been doing was inappropriate, the politicians of the day were rather cautious of giving offence to such powerful lobby groups."

'Put right'

One of those powerful organisations was the Fairbridge Society which sent Rex to Australia. It now views the policy as totally unacceptable, but says it was supported by government.

Barnardo's was another organisation that sent children. It too regrets what happened, but its chief executive Martin Narey believes saying sorry is not appropriate.

"It would be glib of me as chief executive of Barnardo's in 2010 to apologise for something that was done in large part before I was born," he said.

"What I would like to do is something much more practical. It is to do everything we can to put right any hurt that is caused."

They are offering any children they were involved with help to go back through their family records.

As for Rex, he believes the apology from the prime minister is important, but long overdue.

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Many final-year students and members of the public think teaching offers slow career progression and limited chances of promotion, a survey suggests.

An ICM survey of 1,075 members of the public in England and a High Fliers poll of 1,000 UK finalists found many also underestimated teachers' salaries.

The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) said the results showed the profession was under-rated.

The TDA said outdated perceptions were putting some potential candidates off.

When members of the general public in work were asked to rank professions by opportunities for career progression, teaching came towards the bottom, beating only journalism and careers in human resources.

Careers in financial services, medicine and the Civil Service were rated as the top jobs for career progression.

Two-thirds (66%) of the 1,000 finalists at 30 top UK universities surveyed thought teaching offered slow career progression and limited chances of promotion.

Over 80% of these of students underestimated the starting salary of a teacher, some believing it to be under half the actual wage.

Over a quarter thought the starting salary in London would be £19,000 or lower, when in reality, newly qualified teachers can expect to earn £26,000.

The TDA said the public and final-year students were misguided, with recent research from the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services showing 81% of teachers felt there were plenty of opportunities to progress.

'Increasing status'

Chief executive of the TDA, Graham Holley, said: "With teaching recruiting record numbers of people in 2009 the profession is attracting increasing numbers of top quality graduates and career changers.

"As a result it is becoming more and more competitive. It is no longer just a safe job that is all right for a fall-back.

"It is a profession with increasing status that is getting harder to get into, year by year, because more of the most talented people in this country are turning to it as their first choice.

"However, there is a danger that outdated and old-fashioned perceptions of teaching could continue to put off some candidates."

Anne Byrne, head teacher at Lady Katherine Leveson Church of England Primary School, near Solihull, took up her headship at the age of 30.

"Teaching is a fantastic career for those with ambition," she said.

"At 30, I am managing 33 staff, leading one of the top primary schools in the county and earning a wage that reflects the challenging and rewarding work that I do.

"I truly believe that there are few other professions that offer this kind of opportunity for those with the drive to succeed."

The TDA is launching a teachers' recruitment drive in Manchester, London and Birmingham in the coming few weeks.

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National schemes to improve literacy, numeracy and schools boosted learning, but suffered because of "initiative overload", Ofsted says.

The £4.5bn national literacy and numeracy strategies were the backbone of Labour's early school reforms.

But programmes were not evaluated fully before new initiatives were thrust on to schools, and thus improvement had slowed in recent years, Ofsted said.

The government said it was not sorry for focusing on the "Three Rs".

Teaching unions have often complained of initiative overload and too much meddling from central government and Ofsted's report supports that.

Schools suffered because of the "frequent introduction of initiatives, materials and guidance" which led to "overload" and diminished the effectiveness of each individual initiative, Ofsted said.

"We often have to move to a new initiative before we know the impact of those we have just worked on"

"Taken together, national agencies, including national strategies, provided a very considerable number of diverse, changing and sometimes overlapping programmes.

"Systems for communicating with schools and local authorities did not help them to have a good understanding of the coherence of different initiatives," it added.

As one head teacher put it: "We often have to move to a new initiative before we know the impact of those we have just worked on."

Ofsted's report, The National Strategies: a review of impact, comes as the national strategies are beginning to be phased out.

But its publication just a few weeks ahead of the general election may also be seen as an audit of Labour's early attempts to improve schools, most famously through the introduction of literacy and numeracy hours.

Where used well, the report said, the principles promoted by national strategies were drawn on by good teachers, honing their skills.

But where teachers were weak, their execution was less effective, it said.

The national strategies were only as good as the staff delivering them, the report said.

Although the programmes had improved teaching and learning, they did not make up for weaknesses in basic teaching skills in many schools.

'Learn the lessons'

Ofsted chief inspector Christine Gilbert said the national strategies had been at the forefront of improving teaching in the core subjects.

"However, improvement has been too slow over the last four years and this report finds the potential effectiveness of the strategies is much diminished," she said.

"From next year, when the national strategies come to an end, there will be greater devolution of funding and responsibility for improvement to schools.

"It's important we learn from what worked well in the National Strategies and ensure pupils continue to benefit from high quality programmes."

Schools minister Vernon Coaker said: "A relentless focus on the Three Rs, coupled with record investment and rapid intervention, has led to the highest ever school standards - and Ofsted's report is clear that the National Strategies have made a real impact on teaching and learning.

"And the figures speak for themselves. We've leapt from 17th to 7th in the international league tables for maths and around 110,000 more children now leave primary school secure in the basics than in 1997.

"It's true that, while secondary results continue to improve, primary results have stabilised - and we're determined to get them rising again."

Ofsted called for fewer initiatives that were properly evaluated and more time for schools to implement them.

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MPs have backed a government move to allow sex education to be taught in England in a way that "reflects" a school's "religious character".

The amendment to the Children, Schools and Families Bill was passed by a majority of 345 in the Commons.

Opponents had said ministers showed "cowardice" by making the amendment in the face of religious groups' lobbying.

The government said there had been no "watering down" of plans to make all schools to teach the biology of sex.

The "religious character" amendment to the bill was passed without debate due to a lack of parliamentary time.

'Major step forward'

The change follows what the Catholic Education Service claimed had been a period of "extensive lobbying".

Opponents of the amendment have argued it could allow faith schools to teach sex and relationships educations in ways that are homophobic, gender discriminatory and in violation of principles of human rights.

Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society, said the government had "once more bowed to pressure from the Catholic Church, betraying the children in faith schools who have a right to objective and balanced sex education".

"This cowardice will blight many lives," he added.

But Schools Secretary Ed Balls said the bill was "a major step forward" in requiring all schools not only to teach children about the biology of sex but also about relationships, and in lowering the maximum age for parents to keep their children out of sex education classes from 19 to 15.

He said: "There is no watering down of what is actually an overdue change.

"There is no opt-out for any faith school from teaching the full, broad, balanced curriculum on sex and relationship education and that is a huge step forward."

Mr Balls added: "Every school will have to teach the full curriculum in a balanced way that respects equality and is not discriminatory, but of course what we are saying is they can explain the views of their faith.

"Catholic schools can say to their pupils that, as a religion, we believe contraception is wrong, but what they can't do is therefore say they are not going to teach about contraception."

The full, amended, bill was passed by a Commons majority of 91 and now goes to the House of Lords.

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Labour is to promise parents a vote on whether struggling schools should be run by a different organisation.

The plan is to be announced by Gordon Brown in a speech on raising standards in which he will promise "parents a strong voice and real power".

Parents would be able to vote for a change of school leadership - with a list of approved organisations which could take over the school.

The Conservatives want it to be easier for parents to set up schools.

Labour's plans for parental ballots are intended to accelerate the reduction in number of underachieving schools, both at primary and secondary level.

'Turn things around'

Mr Brown will announce that where a "significant group" of parents are dissatisfied, the local authority will have to ballot all parents in a school on whether another provider should be brought in to "turn things around".

The prime minister says it will give "parents a strong voice and real power, but does not leave education to the mercy of the market".

He will say: "As a parent I want the best for my children. And I know all of us do. We want them to have better chances than we had. And that starts with education.

"So it's understandable that parents will go to great lengths to give their children the best possible start in life. Because what they want for their children is exactly what I want for my children."

He will say that he stands for "excellence in education" and his desire for the UK to have "world class" schools with "great teaching, personalised education, and an insatiable desire to continually drive up standards".

He will also talk of his own background and the "anger and frustration" of friends who were "denied a chance" in education - including university.

"There were no education guarantees for them. There are now," he is expected to say.

This comes against a background in which universities face unprecedented pressure on places.

Parents of children in the last year of primary school will also be promised that their views will be surveyed - and where parents are not satisfied there will have to be an "action plan", with the option of a take-over by another education provider.

The government will announce a list of the first 15 "kitemarked" organisations which will be allowed to take over other struggling schools.

These accredited organisations will include universities, colleges, successful schools and academy sponsors.

Mr Brown and Schools Secretary Ed Balls will set out plans for chains of schools, to be headed by one of these approved leaders.

The ambition is for all schools to able to join such a chain within the next five years.

Political divide

They will also announce for the first time that primary schools, as well as secondary, will be able to join these chains of connected schools - with a focus on tacking underachievement in primary schools.

And there will be a tough message to local authorities that they will be "instructed" to take action on underperforming schools, including the introduction of one of these accredited groups.

Writing on the Labour List blog, ahead of Mr Brown's speech, Mr Balls emphasised the importance of parental choice.

"If your local schools are not doing well enough, and if you are dissatisfied with the progress your local school is making, you will be able to demand change and get a new and quality-guaranteed provider."

And with the Conservatives making a centrepiece of their plans to enable parents to create their own schools - Mr Balls set out the political dividing lines.

"Compare this to the Conservative offer... they are saying to busy working parents that if they are dissatisfied with local state schools, your only option is for you to set up and run your own brand new school in the hope that it succeeds and that pupils eventually transfer from the weaker school."

The Liberal Democrats have also rejected the idea of creating new schools - with their schools spokesman, David Laws, saying that would "inevitably depend on raiding the budgets of existing schools".

Next week, parents with children in the last year of primary will learn which secondary schools their children will be attending next autumn - raising further questions about the rights of parents over their choice of school.

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Scottish Education Secretary Mike Russell is expected to call for a full debate on moves to give schools more autonomy.

Delegates at an education conference in Edinburgh are likely to hear Mr Russell talk about the case for diversity in the way schools are run.

Schools in Scotland are directly controlled by their local councils.

Critics have claimed council control can sometimes be wooden and bureaucratic.

But supporters say it is a responsive and democratic system as councillors can be voted out of office if the public are unhappy with standards in schools.

East Lothian Council is looking at allowing schools to become semi-detached.

They would each be run by a trust, and head teachers would be allowed to make more decisions of their own.

Mr Russell is expected to say later on Tuesday that he backs councils giving schools more flexibility and control.

But he is also expected to make clear head teachers will still be subject to restrictions and will not, for example, be allowed to cherry pick which pupils they enrol.

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