Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

‘They think it’s exclusive…but it’s done on a massive scale’ – inside the glossy mag that charges schools £3,500 for exposure

The Parliamentary Review “misleadingly implied” it was an official government magazine, the advertising watchdog has ruled. A Schools Week investigation now takes a looks behind the scenes at the controversial publication. Last year, we revealed how schools were approached by the Parliamentary Review through letters from senior politicians, including Lord Pickles, the former communities secretary, […]

Williamson’s plea for festive joy falls on deaf ears

Councils across England have snubbed Gavin Williamson’s offer of extra funding to find alternative polling stations so school nativities can go ahead. Last week we revealed how the education secretary had been told that his extra cash for councils who wanted to avoid using schools on December 12 was too little, too late. Councils claimed […]

Parliamentary Review ‘misleading’ over government links, advertising watchdog rules

A glossy magazine that charges heads thousands of pounds to publish content about their school was “misleading” over its links to government, the advertising watchdog has ruled. The Advertising Standards Authority also ruled that the Parliamentary Review failed to make it clear that letters sent to potential customers are marketing communications, or that articles included […]

Corbyn: Teachers having to buy ‘uniforms and mattresses’ for pupils

Teachers are being forced to buy “uniforms and even mattresses” for pupils because their parents cannot afford them, Jeremy Corbyn has warned. The Labour leader told activists in a speech today that it made him “angry” that schools are having to close early on Fridays, and said he had heard from teachers that pupils could […]

Ditch ‘corporate’ language in academies sector, says former DfE adviser

The use of corporate language in the academies sector – such as calling bosses chief executives – is “unhelpful”, says a former Department for Education policy adviser. Jon Yates, who was a special adviser to Damian Hinds, said there would be “some value” in “moving away” from such terms – including “multi-academy trust”. He backs […]

Marginal seats set to benefit from £18m injection

An £18 million cash injection to boost social mobility in deprived areas has been called “pork-barrel politics” after it emerged that nearly half are marginal constituencies. The Department for Education announced on Monday that its social mobility opportunity areas programme will be extended for another year. It takes the total funding to £100 million. The […]

Illegal schools have ‘drills’ to avoid scrutiny, says Ofsted director

Illegal schools have prepared “drills” for Ofsted visits that include sending children “running out of every door” when inspectors call. Sean Harford, the inspectorate’s national director of education, told the IncludEd South conference in London on Saturday that his staff have had to go “back and forwards” to nail illegal settings. When we go into […]

Ofsted faces complaint over ‘oversimplified language’ in new reports

An academy trust has complained to Ofsted about the “oversimplified language” inspectors used to describe its failings at a special school rated ‘inadequate’. Since the introduction of the new inspection framework in September, Ofsted’s reports have become shorter and simpler. I find the tone patronising – these reports are for adults, not children The change […]

Schools told to reschedule flu vaccinations as nasal spray deliveries delayed

Schools have been told they will need to reschedule flu vaccination sessions planned for later this month after some batches of the vaccine were delayed. Public Health England has announced that manufacturer AstraZeneca has advised it of a delay to the delivery of nasal spray given to primary school pupils. The announcement means some schools […]