Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides

QCDA: The Qualifications & Curriculum Development Agency have worked with schools to develop speaking assessment activities that encourage interactive talk between students, that are replicable & manageable and support & supplement guidance for Controlled Assessment of Speaking.
Press release
 
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recently published updated final guidance on preventing osteoporotic fractures following a reconsideration of the use of strontium ranelate (Protelos).
 
The 2 pieces of guidance for both primary & secondary prevention of osteoporotic fractures recommend that strontium ranelate should be used in circumstances where patients are unable to tolerate oral bisphosphonates, and who are at high risk of osteoporotic fractures.  This guidance has been produced following a Court ruling.
Press release ~ Primary prevention guidance ~ Secondary prevention guidance
 
EU News: A new Guide aims at clarifying the European rules applicable to the organisation & financing of services of general interest.  This Guide thus helps public authorities, especially at local level, to provide high quality & efficient services in line with the EU rules. 
 
The Commission has also published another guide (IP/11/105) to help public authorities to buy goods & services in a socially responsible way in line with EU rules.
Press release ~ First Guide ~ Buying Social
 
LSIS: New research resources are now available on the Excellence Gateway through the expanded Learning and Skills Improvement Services research site.
Press release ~ Excellence Gateway ~ Practitioner research ~ Reviews of evidence.
 
NICE: Draft guidance published by NICE recommends the use of naftidrofuryl oxalate as a treatment option for people who suffer from the painful symptoms of peripheral arterial disease called intermittent claudication.
Press release
 
FSAGamekeepers across the UK are reminded of their responsibilities for ensuring animal feed is safe for food-producing animals and for carrying out recordkeeping correctly.  Food Standards Agency guidance is available, explaining the requirements of EC Regulation 183/2005 ('The Feed Hygiene Regulation').
Press release (includes links to guidance)
 
Defra: Defra has published new Green Claims Guidance to help companies describe the environmental credentials of their products in a way that people find easier to understand.  The Guidance is designed to help consumers make more informed judgements about what they buy, prevent misleading claims and encourage the development of greener products. It is designed as a proactive toolkit - using principles & practical examples to help businesses get their green claims right.
Press release ~ Read the full Guidance or the shorter ‘quick guide’.
 
SE: The launch of a new online governance, finance & control self-help tool for sports organisations was last week welcomed by the Minister for Sport & the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP. The tool -Things to Think About - has been developed by Sport England and UK Sport in response to requests from national governing bodies of sport (NGBs) for support as they develop their governance, finance and control frameworks.
 
It covers governance, strategic planning, financial management, human resources, organisational policy and risk management.  It sets out the standards assessed in Sport England and UK Sport core-funded sports bodies, along with prompts to help organisations to think about the principles behind those standards, plus providing links to other specialist websites.
Press release ~ Find out more about Things to Think About
 
Ofcom: A new website has been launched to help consumers search for & compare the accessibility features of thousands of mobile handsets. The mobile accessibility website is part of an initiative designed to help disabled & elderly people identify mobile phones that have the features they need.
Press release ~ Mobile accessibility website
 
BIS: The Automotive Council has published a new guide (Technology and Manufacturing Readiness Levels – A guide to recognised stages of development within the automotive industry) which defines technology & manufacturing readiness levels.  This will help steer developers & adopters of new automotive technologies through the stages of bringing new capabilities to market, from the early stages of research to supply chain entry.
Press release ~ Automotive Technology and Manufacturing Readiness Levels ~ Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) ~ SMMT: 11th Annual Sustainability Report or Motor Industry Facts (scroll down) ~ Technology Strategy Board
Facing the Future...find out more