Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

DfE in ‘serious data breach’ after naming whistleblowers

The government chose not to redact the names of three whistleblowers who gave evidence relating to cheating allegations against a multi-academy trust. The disclosure casts doubt on the government’s commitment to protecting teachers who raise concerns that they believe to be in the public interest under the cover of anonymity. Schools Week revealed last week […]

DfE proposes legal definition of ‘full-time’ education

The government is seeking to define what constitutes full-time education in law for the first time, as part of efforts to clamp down on the operation of illegal schools. The Department for Education has launched a consultation which proposes to “expand on and more clearly define what full-time institutions are” under the law. It means […]

Ministers want academy trusts to open their own AP

Some of England’s largest academy trusts are considering establishing their own alternative provision for excluded pupils. It comes as Lord Agnew said this was a potential solution to problems with off-rolling and high levels of exclusion among SEND pupils – urging larger trusts to ‘own the problem’ More active thinking is going on with our […]

Ofsted extends curriculum grace period for a year

Schools will get an extra year to bring their curriculum into line with Ofsted’s new inspection framework, after the watchdog announced an extension to its transition period. The new framework, which places greater weight on curriculum content and less on outcomes, came into effect last September. However Ofsted worked in a year-long transition so that […]

Williamson and Gibb re-appointed in post-Brexit reshuffle

Gavin Williamson will continue in the role of education secretary following a reshuffle that saw a number of his colleagues return to the backbenches. The MP for South Staffordshire, who has been in post since last July, said he was “delighted” to have been re-appointed by Boris Johnson in a long-awaited reshuffle held to mark […]

Government’s ‘obsession’ with phonics is driven by need to help working-class white boys

The underperformance of white working-class boys in England’s education system is what has driven the government’s “obsession” with reading and phonics, the schools minister has said. Nick Gibb told a Westminster Hall debate today that a belief that children’s educational background has more of an impact than their social or cultural background was the “essential philosophy” […]

DfE property firm’s boss got £30k bonus, despite missed value-for-money target

The boss of the Department for Education’s property company received a £30,000 bonus last year, despite the organisation missing one of its key targets. Accounts for LocatED, a company set up by the government to find land for new free schools, show Lara Newman received a bonus payment of between £30,000 and £35,000 in 2018-19, […]

‘We are not convinced’ – leaders’ union ASCL won’t back #PauseOfsted campaign

The Association of School and College Leaders will not back calls for school staff to stop working as Ofsted inspectors because its leaders are “not convinced” it’s the best way forward. The #PauseOfsted campaign, launched by Headteachers’ Roundtable chair Stephen Tierney at the think tank’s annual conference last week, calls for those working part-time as […]

Special school with ‘serious, widespread’ safeguarding failures to get a new sponsor

A residential special school in Worcestershire will be moved to a new academy trust after inspectors identified “serious, widespread” safeguarding failures. The boss of the academy trust in charge at Vale of Evesham School today admitted that mistakes at the school had led to “catastrophic results”, including the recruitment of a member of grounds staff […]