GCSEs key to greater access

Article Abstract:

Schools that manage to overcome the class background of their students and improve their GCSE results are likely to have a significant impact on the number of young people who opt to go on to higher education, according to the Department of Education's latest Youth Cohort Study. The study revealed that students who have five or more GCSEs with grades of A* to C are more likely to go into full-time education and remain there when they reach 18, while less than one-fifth of students with no GCSEs graded between A* and C are still in full-time education at 18. The study also revealed that class background will need to be overcome, showing that only 22% of 18-year olds from a blue-collar family background had two or more A levels, while about 65% of students from "higher professional jobs" had two or more A levels.

Demographic aspects

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No dinos or dodos will be resurrected

Article Abstract:

Alan Cooper, the director of the new Henry Wellcome Ancient Biomolecules Centre at Oxford, believes that the study of ancient DNA is interesting enough without resorting to flights of fancy about the possibility of bringing dinosaurs or dodos back to life. Cooper believes that the recreation of extinct creatures through the manipulation of DNA retrieved from fossils is basically impossible, due to the degradation of the original DNA, and is not worth the effort that it would take. He believes that the new centre, which is one of the first purpose-built ancient DNA research facilities with essentially zero levels of background DNA, will permit large-scale studies of extinct prehistoric plants, animals and pathogens.

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing, Drugs, Deoxyribonucleic Acid, Interview, Beliefs, opinions and attitudes, DNA, Extinct animals, Extinct plants, Cooper, Alan

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Fact: term jobs damage grades

Article Abstract:

Researchers from South Bank University have unveiled the Student Debt and Term-time Working report, which for the first time provides concrete evidence that the academic performance of poorer students is being undermined by their having to take term-time jobs. Margaret Hodge, higher education minister, responded to the report by announcing a major survey of the level of student hardship in order to monitor the impact that proposed white paper changes will have as well as launching a debate on what is the definition of hardship.

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