General Reports and Other Publications
CRC: The Commission for Rural Communities’ latest State of the Countryside Update looks at some of the data & analysis being used to help inform their inquiry into the future for England's upland communities, which will report in the autumn.
It indicates that many prevailing views about uplands life need challenging. On one hand a quarter of households in the uplands are living below the poverty line, average hill farming incomes have fallen by as much as 40% and there is a continuing decline in the provision of local services.
On the other hand upland economies demonstrate a diverse range of employment opportunities. As many as 1 in 4 businesses are run by enterprising sole traders and the uplands in general demonstrate a much more balanced age profile and stable population.
DH: Men are worried that drinking too much alcohol will affect their appearance according to a new survey for the Know Your Limits campaign published recently. Released during Men's Health Week, the statistics show that watching the waistline is no longer only the preserve of women, with 37% of men claiming they would reduce their drinking to cut down on the number of calories they consume. Only money-saving (44%) is a bigger incentive.
But awareness of the specific health risks is generally worse among men than women. While most men (73%) were aware of the increased risk of liver disease associated with drinking above the recommended limits:
* 83% didn't know about the link with mouth cancer
* 84% were equally unaware of the risk of throat cancer
* 66% were blind to the increased risk of stroke
News Item ~ Know Your Limits campaign – Drinks calculator ~ How to cut down ~ Men's Health Week ~ Men's Health Forum ~ DrinkAware Trust ~ Hen party enjoy and unforgettable big night out! ~ NHS Choices – Live Well ~ DH – Alcohol Misuse
HEFCE: There have been widespread improvements in human resources (HR) management in higher education (HE) since 2001, according to an independent study. HEFCE funding has supported a concerted effort by universities and colleges together with the Universities and Colleges Employers Association.
The study found that £888m of HEFCE funding has helped higher education institutions (HEIs) to modernise & transform their HR functions. The funding was provided via HEFCE's Rewarding and Developing Staff in Higher Education initiative.
Because HEIs spend more than half their income on staff costs, effective HR management & staff development is crucial when facing potential changes in income caused by the global economic downturn. HEFCE will produce a new workforce framework towards the end of 2009, directed by the HE Workforce Steering Group.
Press release ~ Evaluation of the impact of public policy and investments in human resource management in higher education since 2001 ~ Universities and Colleges Employers Association ~ HEFCE's Rewarding and Developing Staff in Higher Education initiative ~ HE Workforce Steering Group
BIS: A report by Baroness Estelle Morris calls for more support for 11.6m who need basic computing skills training in England. It recommends an entitlement for all adults to access free training in basic ICT skills.
The review, which has also informed Stephen Carter’s Digital Britain report, outlines the importance of digital skills to the health & wellbeing of UK citizens as well as the wider economy. It calls for a more focused strategy to address the skills gap that has been identified. The Government will consider further how it responds to Estelle Morris’s recommendations as the Digital Britain programme is taken forward.
LSN: The Big Debate 2009 – Learning and Skills Network’s Big Debate is a unique event in the post-16 education calendar, bringing expert speakers together with practitioners & stakeholders to debate a key issue in a lively and stimulating format. This year, the debate covered the 14-19 Machinery of Government changes, arguably the biggest change for our sector since incorporation.
Chaired by Alan Thomson from the TES, engaging & thought-provoking input from the floor followed, with a wide variety of stakeholders, including head teachers, college governors, local authority leaders, private sector partners, youth agency and practitioner representatives, contributing their thoughts, questions & analysis.
Ofsted: Most Armed Forces’ recruits & trainees feel safe and well-supported in training but a number of areas for improvement remain in the overall quality of welfare & duty of care, according to a report - The quality of welfare and duty of care for recruits and trainees in the Armed Forces - published by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.
While there has been satisfactory progress in the last 5 years, the Armed Forces still needs to address a number of issues relating to the recruitment of, and the training done by, new recruits.
Press release ~ The quality of welfare and duty of care for recruits and trainees in the Armed Forces report ~ Overview of army training
ScotGov: A joint report by the Social Work Inspection Agency and HM Inspectorates of Constabulary and of Prisons on the management of serious violent and sexual offenders has been published.
Press release ~ Criminal Justice & Licensing Bill - Scotland ~ ViSOR ~ Social Work Inspection Agency ~ HM Prisons Inspectorate for Scotland ~ HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland ~ Report on the inspection of the assessment and management offenders who present a high risk of serious harm by SWIA, HMICS and HMIP
ScotGov: Standards in English in schools are improving but not rising fast enough, according to an Ofsted report - ‘English at the crossroads’ – which shows that effective schools have strong direction from leaders who understand the subject’s importance and place it at the centre of their drive for improvement.
At present, the main focus of school improvement is on helping the lowest performing institutions. There are too few effective systems to identify & share good practice.
Press release ~ English at the crossroads report ~ Getting Going: generating, shaping and developing ideas in writing
NE: Following last week’s publication of the Government’s latest projections for UK climate change, Natural England has highlighted the urgent need to enable the natural environment to adapt to the major changes now being forecast.
Helen Phillips, Natural England’s Chief Executive said: “In the face of the challenges presented by climate change we have to allow natural processes within the environment to function. We cannot rely on technology or on building our way out of trouble. The critical services that a healthy environment delivers – like carbon capture, coastal defence, clean water, clean air or healthy, productive soils – must be allowed to operate unimpeded and undamaged to a much greater degree than they have been able to in recent years.”
Natural England has already undertaken a series of wide-ranging studies looking at how different landscapes are likely to change and has started to identify the most appropriate forms of management that will enable wildlife & habitats to adapt and to continue to provide the vital life support services that humans depend on.
The Climate Change Character Area reports published to date focus on four treasured, and very different, English landscapes, the:
* high fells of the Lake District
*woodland and chalk grassland of the Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase
*varied, farmed landscape of the Shropshire Hills
* low-lying wetlands of the Norfolk Broads
