Alix Robertson | Schools Week

Academy chains received £7 million to take over ‘schools no one wants’

Academy trusts have been given over £7 million this year for taking over schools abandoned or handed over by their previous sponsors — compared to £4.2 million last year. The figures, released for the first time today by the Department for Education, show the increasing school transfer market, with over 165 schools passed from one […]

Government lifts the lid on new school improvement boards

The government has published guidance on how the 32 new school improvement boards set up to help turn around struggling schools will operate. The new sub-regional improvement boards will make recommendations to the government on how to spend £140 million of annual school improvement funding. They were introduced in July, but the National College for […]

Strategic school improvement fund opens its second round

Applications are now open for the second round of handouts from the government’s £140 million strategic school improvement fund. Schools have until October 20 to enter submissions, explaining what they want to do with the money and why they deserve it, via an online form on the gov.uk website. The recipients of the first round […]

Most new apprentice teaching assistants are paid just £3.50

The vast majority of apprentice teaching assistants are being used as “cheap labour” for just £3.50 an hour, the union GMB has found. Analysis of 190 TA apprenticeship vacancies revealed that 143 (75 per cent) were advertised at the legal minimum wage for those in their first year of training. A TA apprenticeship is a […]

Ofsted’s Spielman examines book scrutiny in inspections

Ofsted is considering a new approach to book scrutiny, in which off-site inspectors will look at scanned versions of pupils’ books. The watchdog’s chief inspection Amanda Spielman gave a speech at the fifth annual national conference of ResearchED today, in which she explained areas of development she will be focusing on in the coming months. […]

MP accuses government of breaking promises on school uniform costs

An MP has blasted the government in Parliament over the unreasonable price of school uniforms, accusing it of breaking its promise to take action against exorbitant costs. Sarah Jones, the MP for Croydon Central, claimed that 2017 marked the start of a second new school year without any action, even though ministers pledged in 2015 […]

WCAT to give away all 21 of its schools

The Wakefield City Academies Trust is giving up all 21 of its schools, shocking staff, parents and pupils as the first term of the 2017-18 school year begins. A statement from the trust’s board said that after a “robust period of review and evaluation of all aspects of the organisation”, it had “requested that the […]

Minister slams academics who won’t engage with researchED

Schools minister Nick Gibb has slammed academics refusing to engage with researchED, an international project that aims to make teachers research-literate. Speaking at researchED’s fifth annual national conference at Chobham Academy in Stratford, Gibb pulled no punches in criticising those who have shunned the project. “It’s a shame some would rather stay in their ivory […]

56 learning projects win £20m from new schools fund

Fifty-six learning projects will receive £20 million in the first round of grants from the government’s new Strategic School Improvement Fund. They include schemes to improve progress in reading, modern foreign languages, and science, and each of them are to be delivered by schools and local authorities. The programmes will take place at academies and maintained […]