Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

DfE response on AP ‘disingenuous’, says Timpson review adviser

The government is “disingenuous” to claim it has accepted all of Edward Timpson’s recommendations on exclusions, claims an adviser to the review. Timpson called for the Department for Education to establish a practice improvement fund “of sufficient value, longevity and reach” to identify children in need of support and deliver “good interventions for them”. The […]

Timpson review: School accountability drive ‘could increase exclusions’

Damian Hinds had promised to “work with the sector” to ensure proposals for schools to be accountable for the pupils they exclude are workable – after policy experts warned of “unintended consequences”. In its response to the long-awaited Timpson review into exclusions, the Department for Education has pledged to implement a recommendation tying the results […]

31 trusts fail to justify pay – but DfE admits it’s powerless to act

Thirty-one academy trusts have failed to justify their levels of executive pay to the government, the Department for Education has said. But officials today admitted they cannot take any enforcement action against chains which ignore their most recent warning, leaving the department having to just write letters until they justify pay or change their ways. […]

Breaktimes cut by up to 65 minutes a week, and 6 other findings from a landmark study

A landmark study on school breaktimes show they are getting shorter, taking up more staff and are more likely to be withheld. Ed Baines and Peter Blatchford from the Department of Psychology and Human Development at the UCL Institute of Education surveyed schools across England and compared their responses with previous studies in the mid-1990s […]

Hinds pledges £2m to help schools tackle child exploitation

Schools will get help to tackle child criminal or sexual exploitation under a £2 million scheme announced by the government. However, further details of how the scheme will work will not be announced until after a consultation. The new tackling child exploitation support programme will see academics and experts led by Research in Practice team […]

Two senior civil servants appointed as RSCs

Two senior civil servants have been appointed as regional schools commissioners – seemingly signalling the end of school leaders being appointed to the roles. Hannah Woodhouse, a deputy director in the office of the south west RSC Lisa Mannall will replace her boss on September 1. Claire Burton, a former chief executive of the Standards […]

AQA to replace exam papers after batch stolen

The exam board AQA will replace four exam papers already sent to schools after a batch was stolen. Police have arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with the disappearance of a package containing AS sociology papers 1 and 2, GCSE French reading, foundation and higher tier and GCSE French writing, foundation and higher tier. The […]

Tackling off-rolling could prompt exclusions rise, and 8 other findings from the Timpson review

The government’s long-awaited review of exclusions has finally been published today. The Timpson review, carried out by former children’s minister Edward Timpson, was supposed to be published last year but has been heavily delayed. The review made 30 recommendations for the government to consider, and the education secretary Damian Hinds has confirmed he accepts them […]

Birmingham council appoints ex-prosecutor to mediate LGBT education protests

A leading former prosecutor has been appointed by Birmingham council to mediate between two sides in a dispute over LGBT relationships education. Nazir Afzal, a former chief prosecutor for the north west of England and Crown Prosecution Lead on child sexual abuse, offered his help in a Schools Week interview last month, claiming it was […]