Students and staff at London Metropolitan University called on their governments to leave today as fears were raised about the future of the university.

The board of governors in the largest university in London, will meet for the first time yesterday, since its members were briefed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to “consider his position.”

They were given the warning after an investigation by Sir David Melville were accused of claiming money for thousands of students do not exist.

And the protesters are scheduled to meet outside the meeting in the building at Moorgate in the city to urge them to resign.

The University and College Union (UCU) The statement of the university can not receive core funding from HEFCE do not follow the instructions of Council funding.

General Secretary of the UCU, Sally Hunt, said: “Nobody can have confidence in the university until it has been a good shake at the top and those responsible for the present ruins are gone.

“The staff and students are not to blame for the disaster at the university is, however, continue to suffer.”

A university spokesman, said earlier this month, the Board should respond to the report of Melville after their meeting.

Related Posts

• England Universities getting a blow from foreign rival institutions
• Higher education in Britain is on the verge of a revolution
• UK Students to Pay Higher Interest Rates in Upcoming Years
• 9 Ways to Keep Students Motivated in Classroom
• Life on campus – Oxford Brookes University [Videos]
• Hundreds of thousands of students may miss out on university this autumn

British universities have slipped down the world rankings as they compete ever harder with eminent institutions overseas.

Cambridge and Oxford have lost ground to Harvard and Yale, while fewer British universities are in the top 200 list, published today, than last year.

At a time when it is essential for British institutions to attract lucrative international students who pay higher fees, they are being outdone increasingly by American universities that receive huge endowments.
What Freshers’ Week will really be like

Behaviour that would at any other time of life be inexcusably gauche is now not only acceptable, but laudable

Harvard tops the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings for the fifth consecutive year. Its endowment fund is greater than the total annual public funding for all universities in England.

Yale holds the second spot after being joint second with Cambridge and Oxford last year. The two British institutions came third and fourth respectively this year.

Four British universities are in the top 10, the same as last year. Imperial College London fell from fifth to sixth place while University College London rose from ninth to seventh.

In all, 17 universities in Britain made it into the top 100 list, down from 19 last year. More than a third of the top 100 are based in the US.

Vice-chancellors and commentators voiced concern that, without an increase in investment, Britain’s standing as a first-class destination for higher education could be under threat.

Wendy Piatt, director-general of the Russell Group of leading universities, said that its members were performing well against international rivals, adding: “The table reflects the growing strength of our major competitors – particularly the US institutions – which benefit from much higher levels of investment than UK universities.

“Without increased investment there is a real danger that the UK’s success will not be sustained.

“As a result of huge investment in higher education and science in recent years, China already looks set to overtake the UK very soon in terms of total research publications, and its universities have been steadily climbing up international league tables.”

The Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings had 29 British universities in the top 200, one fewer than last year. Of these, 22 had slipped down the rankings. The rise of Asian institutions is reflected in the inclusion of nine of them within the top 50, including three based in Hong Kong. Two new entrants this year are Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Seoul National University.

A spokesman for Quacquarelli Symonds, which conducted the research, said that its findings also reflected the higher profile of technology-based universities.

Ann Mroz, the editor of Times Higher Education, said: “UK universities are very clearly among the world’s best and have maintained good positions in the rankings this year.

“But the fact that Cambridge and Oxford have slipped down the top ten and that US universities have cemented their dominance among the world’s elite, at the UK’s expense, raises key questions about the future funding of the sector.

“As a percentage of gross domestic product, the US spends more than twice as much on its universities as the UK does.”

The rankings – which are now in their fifth year – are based on surveys of academics and graduate employers about which they consider the best universities in their fields, the ratio of students to academics, the proportion of overseas students and staff at each university, and the number of times research by each university’s academics is quoted in other journals.

UK institutions in the world’s top 200

3- (2) University of Cambridge
4- (2) University of Oxford
6- (5) Imperial College London
7- (9) University College London
22- (24) King’s College London
23- (23) University of Edinburgh
29- (30) University of Manchester
32- (37) University of Bristol
66- (59) London School of Economics and Political Science
69- (57) University of Warwick
73- (83) University of Glasgow
75- (65) University of Birmingham
76- (68) University of Sheffield
81- (74) University of York
83- (76) University of St Andrews
86- (70) University of Nottingham
99- (80) University of Southampton
104- (80) University of Leeds
122- (109) Durham University
130- (121) University of Sussex
133- (99) Cardiff University
133- (101) University of Liverpool
152- (145) University of Bath
153- (137) University of Aberdeen
160- (149) Queen Mary, University of London
162- (129) Newcastle University
170- (147) University of Lancaster
177- (185) University of Leicester
194- (180) University of Reading

Related Posts

• Obama wins could hit the ability of UK universities to recruit overseas students
• International Students Fees increasing faster than Inflation
• UK Graduates should study abroad to get High Paid Jobs
• Students owe an average of £20,000 once they complete their graduation
• Striking decrease in number of UK students taking Gap Year
• UK Universities are the top spot for Bulgarians Students

Families face record competition for places at secondary schools in more than a third of local authorities this year, a Guardian survey has found.

Demand for places at the most popular schools has reached a new high, with soaring applications meaning that in many parts of the country more than one in five children have missed out on their first choice of school.

Local authorities are working through the weekend to confirm the allocation of every state secondary school place in England before they send out letters to the parents of 570,000 11-year-olds on Monday.

Several councils in London and the south-east are reporting soaring applications linked to an exodus of pupils from private schools in the recession. It is adding to the pressure in the competition for places at high-performing state schools and grammars. In Kensington and Chelsea and Richmond in west London nearly four in 10 people will not get their first choice of school this year. In Middlesbrough, one in four will have to settle for second best and in Windsor one in five missed out.

The Guardian contacted the 150 local authorities in England. With many still working to allocate their places, 55 responded. The figures reveal how the government is still struggling to meet its pledge that parents in every part of the country have the choice of good schools for their child.

Calderdale, Darlington, Herefordshire, Peterborough, Salford, South Gloucestershire and Worcestershire all face increases in applications along with 10 of the 17 London local authorities in the survey. Lambeth saw a 17% rise in applications; Westminster and Merton both saw increases of more than 7%. In West Berkshire 17% of families have missed their first choice, in Gloucestershire 19% missed out and in Sandwell 26% were given a back-up instead of their first choice.

In other areas the future of some schools will be cast into doubt as a demographic drop leads to more empty seats in classrooms this year. Some 27 local authorities reported their applications had fallen. The rest saw no change in application rates.

In 17 local authorities which responded demand for places has risen. Richmond, west London, is reporting a “considerable” rise with the proportion getting their first place slipping from 64.4% last year to 62% this year. Cormac Smith of Richmond council said: “We are feeling the pinch as parent switch from private to the state secondaries. There is pressure on places this year.”

“If schools are oversubscribed, the government should give councils the financial support to put on another form. It’s time that Jim Knight and Ed Balls take a bit of the blame for all this. They continually blame parents but what’s so wrong about wanting a school in the right place? You can’t overestimate the stress parents go through waiting for a school place. We aren’t all terrible people and can’t all afford to move house.”

Related Posts

• Hundreds of thousands of students may miss out on university this autumn
• Diplomats have to pay 5% of School fee of their childrens in UK
• Students at London Metropolitan University wants governors to quit
• The University of Oxford – College Life [Video]
• Pupils free to rate teachers’ performance online
• 7 Things That Will Definitely Happen at Your Graduation