Billy Camden | Schools Week

Parents meet with MPs to discuss ‘damaging’ grammar schools

Parents with children in selective education areas are at parliament tonight to discuss with MPs their personal experiences of the “damage caused” by grammar schools. The meeting has been purposefully scheduled to coincide with a reception hosted by pro-grammar MP Graham Brady for heads of grammar schools. Melissa Benn (pictured), chair of Comprehensive Future which […]

Virtual lessons no ‘panacea’, says trust’s technology director

Academy trusts that want to set up “virtual centres of excellence” should be “cautious” about expected results, warns a technology director at a chain that already delivers online lessons. The education green paper published last month encourages trusts to educate their high-attaining pupils in “centres of excellence”, which can be “virtual” to get around potential […]

Sixth-form colleges move to start academy trusts

At least four sixth-form colleges have started consulting on becoming academies, with half eyeing up sponsorship of other schools in their own multi-academy trusts. Priestley college (pictured), in Warrington, is the latest to announce formal proposals for academy conversion, following applications from Hereford sixth form college, Rochdale sixth form college, and New College Pontefract. Priestley […]

Teachers ‘not prepared’ for pupils’ poor mental health

Professionals outside education are “horrified” by the paltry training that teachers receive about mental illnesses in young people, claims a mental health charity. Hannah Kinsey, training and consultancy manager at YoungMinds, told delegates at a Westminster Education Forum event in London on Tuesday how the scarcity “shocked” people. “I recently did some work with the […]

Four-day week threat as budgets hit ‘breaking point’

School budgets at “breaking point” are forcing headteachers to take “drastic measures”, a union leader has warned. Heads of primary and secondary schools across West Sussex sent a letter to parents last week revealing funding cuts may result in a four-day week. The county is one of the lowest funded in England with, according to […]

UTC will switch to become secondary school at cost of £13m

A south London council is facing a £13 million bill to convert a university technical college in financial trouble into a secondary school which will meet demand for places. Royal Greenwich UTC (pictured) will become Greenwich trust school from next September, just two years after it opened as a 14 to 19 institute. Government data […]

£30,000 schools grant for workload research

Schools can apply to the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) for funding to carry out in-house research on the best ways to reduce staff workload. A grant of up to £30,000 is available for schools to run their own research projects on how to “effectively” reduce either marking, planning or data management. Funding […]

Five schools unveiled as regional research hubs

Five schools across England will be given a share of £2.5 million to become education research hubs for their region, it was announced today. The new “research schools” will receive the funding from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Institute for Effective Education (IEE) to build support networks between the schools in their areas […]

Schools face action over ‘bogus’ Ofsted logos

Hundreds of schools have been alerted to possible legal action by Ofsted after an obscure policy about unauthorised use of its logo to advertise a “good” rating surfaced. Last week, Schools Week’s sister paper FE Week revealed how an unnamed training provider had been threatened with court action by the education watchdog for using a […]