Billy Camden | Schools Week

Trust chairs should walk before they run, says commissioner

People who want to chair the company board of multi-academy trusts should consider taking a more junior position first, says the south-west regional schools commissioner. Sir David Carter (pictured) believes that more succession-planning should be done for the role of chair in academy chains, in the way it is for headships. But he makes it […]

Dramatic £12 million dip in fees as schools hit exam entrant deadline

Schools have saved £12 million in the past academic year by entering more pupils for exams on time, Schools Week estimates. Ofqual’s latest figures show that in 2013/14, half the number of pupils sitting GCSEs or A-levels were entered late compared with the previous year. In 2012/13 there were more than 1.2 million late entrants, […]

Lawyer heads new review on Norfolk inspections

Ofsted has appointed an education law expert to review their own investigation into alleged inspection irregularities at three Norfolk schools. Julian Gizzi (pictured) will review an inquiry into allegations that schools in the Inspiration Trust academy chain received prior notice of inspections. When asked about Mr Gizzi’s appointment, announced last week, a spokesperson for the […]

Academy trusts: how the big five rate

The largest academy trusts have low numbers of schools rated at least good by Ofsted, with most operating more ‘not-good’ schools than good and outstanding ones – analysis by Schools Week shows. Of the five chains with the most schools, none has more than 65 per cent of its academies rated as either good or […]

A-level decoupling: who’s going to benefit?

A-level reform will leave sixth-form students facing increasingly difficult curriculum decisions and decreased attainment. Change is an inevitability that all teachers have become accustomed to in recent years. Adapting to survive and remain competitive is a necessity. A-level reform, in particular A-level decoupling, is the latest in a raft of government-led changes intended to increase […]

Ros McMullen, chief executive, LEAF

Sitting across from Ros McMullen, it is hard to imagine the headteacher of one of the most successful turnaround schools in Yorkshire as a teenage political activist in the 1970s. But that young rebellious streak undoubtedly got her to the top – and is what continues to drive her. “I was never going to become […]

How can schools strengthen mental health for all pupils?

The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) code of practice will give schools the impetus to review their approaches to supporting mental health. About one in 10 school-aged children has a clinically diagnosable mental health disorder. Many of these difficulties will still be apparent in adulthood, with estimates suggesting that around half of all adult […]

Creating a toolkit to help raise teaching standards

UK heads joined school leaders from around the world in Washington to explore ways of developing professional learning and providing effective feedback. Earlier this week, I was fortunate enough to be among 24 UK headteachers who travelled to Washington DC for the Teacher Development Summit organised by the Sutton Trust and the Bill and Melinda […]

Government launch ‘mortgage’ offer for academies

Academies will for the first time be able to borrow government cash, “like a mortgage”, in a bid to improve facilities or expand their schools. They will be offered low rates of interest and would repay the money to the Department for Education (DfE) over 10 years. The money would be provided through the Condition […]