Literacy teaching still inadequate, says Ofsted
Around 40 per cent of seven-year-olds cannot read and write properly because their teachers are not using the right methods and the government's literacy strategy is inadequate, Ofsted said yesterday. (Daily Telegraph, Independent)

Dean reads riot act over 'drunken, naked girls'
Strict rules to control drinking have been imposed at one of Cambridge University's oldest colleges after complaints about "excesses of drunken, naked girls" running across the quads and disruption to formal dinners. (Daily Telegraph, Times, Daily Mail, Guardian)

'Prison is vile and alienating'
Class doesn't matter inside, and wardens are more humane at Shrewsbury than Ford, discovered the university lecturer who served 45 days in prison for causing three deaths in a car accident. (Times)

The ministers are for turning
Only time will tell if changes to asylum, education and Railtrack policies finally signify the start of the much anticipated radical second term. (Guardian)

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CBI and unions call for tax breaks on training
Employers and unions joined forces yesterday to call on the government to tackle Britain's lagging productivity record through tax breaks for companies investing in research and training. (Guardian)

Rateable values
Academics love the Research Assessment Exercise for kudos as much as grants. But will the 2001 results, so eagerly awaited, be the last? (Guardian)

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Wolves make good
Wolverhampton University is doing more than most to widen access to working-class students. (Guardian)

Hard labour
Thousands of students are working all hours to hold down a term-time job - but are they harming rather than helping their studies? (Guardian)

Battle front
Whoever gets the top job at the AUT will walk straight into the bitterly disputed issue of merger with Natfhe. (Guardian)

Brown considers tax relief to close skills gap
Employers will receive tax credits for adult skills training under new proposals being considered by chancellor Gordon Brown. The Treasury yesterday welcomed a joint report by the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress, which called for financial incentives designed to narrow Britain's productivity gap with other big economies. (Financial Times)

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Brussels setback on intellectual property rights
The European Commission has suffered a setback in a landmark case on the balance between intellectual property rights and competition. (Financial Times)

Standard that has delivered
Today Estelle Morris, the education secretary, will open a London conference celebrating the 10th anniversary of Investors in People, the not-for-profit training and development agency. (Financial Times)

We're getting the message (4,000 times a day)
The average Briton is bombarded with more than 4,000 messages every day - from e-mails to mundane washing instructions on clothes - says a report. Just travelling to work can expose people to 150 messages, including adverts and newspaper headlines, according to researchers. (Daily Mail)