Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

Going for Gatsby: Schools report careers progress, but some areas lag behind

Schools across England are reporting an improved picture of careers support, but some areas are still lagging behind despite nearly £100 million of government funding to boost provision. A state of the nation report by the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) shows that more schools are meeting the Gatsby benchmarks for good careers guidance, a […]

Williamson asks STRB to advise on ‘flatter’ teacher pay progression

The body in charge of teacher pay has been asked to advise the government on how a new “flatter” pay progression model might work, after ministers pledged to raise starting salaries to £30,000 within three years. The School Teachers’ Review Body has also been asked to consider whether separate main and upper pay ranges are still […]

McDonnell backs plan to abolish private schools

A campaign by Labour activists to abolish private schools has been endorsed by John McDonnell as a move to make it official party policy gathers pace. In a statement this morning, the shadow chancellor and close Jeremy Corbyn ally said he backed the campaign “to talk about how we ensure an integrated education system, where […]

‘No exclusions from London schools’ vows Lib Dem mayoral candidate

No child will be permanently excluded from mainstream schools in London if the Liberal Democrats win next year’s mayoral election, the party’s candidate to take on Sadiq Khan has pledged. Siobhan Benita made the pledge in a speech to the Lib Dem party conference in Bournemouth yesterday. However, her plans been been branded “recklessly detrimental” […]

Ministers to consider post-results university admissions

The government will consider whether pupils should apply to university after receiving their A-level results, after the education secretary backed a review of university admissions. Gavin Williamson has today expressed his support for a review by the Office for Students, which seeks to clamp down on hard-sell tactics used by some institutions, as well as […]

Academy rebrokerage process needs reform, says departing trust boss

The government must reform its academy transfer approval process to allow both sides more time to work out if they fit, the outgoing boss of one of England’s fastest-growing chains has said. Frank Norris, until recently the director of the Co-operative Academies Trust, said chains such as his were being rushed into takeovers that did […]

New free school bids round leaves AP out in the cold

The government’s latest free school wave does not allow applications for new alternative provision, despite a major pledge from ministers to encourage and prioritise them. Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, told The Times earlier this month that opening new schools for excluded pupils would be prioritised. And when the Department for Education this week launched […]

NASUWT faces fresh challenge over legitimacy of national officials

The NASUWT teachers’ union is facing a fresh challenge over claims that its former president and other officials held office while ineligible for full union membership. The Northern Ireland Certification Office, which regulates union activity, has confirmed it will hear a complaint from Susan Parlour, the former NASUWT NI president, that five officers, including Dan […]

Spielman says second illegal school conviction is ‘tip of iceberg’

A south London school that charged parents up to £4,500 a year despite “serious safeguarding issues” and poor record-keeping was operated illegally, a court has ruled. Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of schools, has warned that the latest successful illegal schools prosecution, only the second of its kind, is “just the tip of the iceberg” […]