Alix Robertson | Schools Week

Edexcel allows exam candidates to opt out of gender classifications

Pupils taking exams this summer have been offered the chance to opt out of gender classifications for the first time. Pearson, the education company that owns the exam board Edexcel, made the step forward, by presenting candidates with the option of removing the male or female classification for their qualifications. The idea of a gender-neutral […]

Edexcel grade boundaries leaked ahead of A-level results day

The grade boundaries for A-level exams set by the exam board Edexcel have been leaked online, a day ahead of the results being released. The sharing of information flies in the face of a decision made by all exam boards last August to only make the grade boundaries for GCSE and A-level exams available to […]

Allow UTCs and studio schools to select pupils, argues Toby Young

University technical colleges and studio schools should be allowed to select pupils on the basis of aptitude, a controversial new report authored by Toby Young has argued. Furthermore, such a move would be legal and would only require a change in policy, according to ‘Technically gifted: How selection can save technical and vocational education’, published […]

Primary schools relying on fundraising to deliver basic education

More than four in ten Kent primary schools are dependent on fundraising to deliver basic education for their pupils new research has found, and one charity believes the problem stretches nationwide. In 2018, 43 per cent of primary schools in Kent reported that they were reliant on fundraised income to deliver day-to-day, statutory teaching activities, […]

Schools need to boost staff and governors’ data literacy, research finds

Schools must focus on boosting the data literacy of newly or recently qualified teachers and governors in order to improve their practice, new research has found. The report on ‘School cultures and practices: supporting the attainment of disadvantaged pupils’, released today, compared schools in London with those outside of the capital, and found that lower-performing primary […]

Baker clause update: DfE gears up to start ‘direct intervention’ in schools

Schools could face “direct intervention” from the Department for Education from September if they have failed to allow further education providers to promote vocational education to their pupils. The move is a part of a crackdown on non-compliance with the controversial ‘Baker clause’, an amendment to the 2017 Technical and Further Education Act, which came […]

Hinds calls on tech companies to create new solutions to support teaching

Education secretary Damian Hinds is calling on technology companies to help improve teaching and cut teacher workload, ahead of plans to develop new online resources for schools in the autumn. From September, the Department for Education (DfE) will work with the Chartered College of Teaching, the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) and other organisations to develop […]

Heads concerned after ‘lifeline’ school improvement funding cut

A “lifeline” government scheme that issued school improvement grants has closed, with £85 million from its coffers left unspent. The National Association of Head Teachers has expressed concerns after the Department for Education announced this week that no further routine grants will be awarded from the strategic school improvement fund, though emergency funding will still […]

DfE ‘minded to terminate’ funding of ‘inadequate’ academy in Bristol

An all-through academy in Bristol faces having its funding stopped and being rebrokered to a new sponsor after inspectors identified “serious weaknesses”. The Trust in Learning (Academies) (TiLA) chain has been told the government is “minded to terminate” its funding agreement with Bridge Learning Campus (BLC). It means that unless improvements are made, the funding deal […]