Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

New Ambition Institute wants degree-awarding powers

A new “graduate school” set up to aid the development of teachers at all levels of the school system wants to obtain degree-awarding powers. Melanie Renowden, interim chief executive at the Ambition Institute, told Schools Week her organisation is “working towards degree-awarding powers”. We’re working towards degree-awarding powers The new charity was formed through the […]

New ‘Ambition Institute’ launched following ASL and IfT merger

Education organisations Ambition School Leadership and the Institute for Teaching have been rebranded as the “Ambition Institute”, a single graduate school with a focus on supporting the development of school teachers and leaders. The two groups officially merged last year, initially keeping both names. Today’s rebrand marks the beginning of a new chapter for the charity following […]

Hinds didn’t ‘snub’ headteachers over funding, claims minister

An education minister has insisted her boss didn’t “snub” headteachers, despite claims he refused to meet leaders campaigning against school funding cuts. During education questions in the House of Commons today, skills minister Anne Milton defended the education secretary Damian Hinds after a group of heads claimed last week they were turned away when they […]

Revealed: The 39 areas set to get new special and AP free schools

The government has revealed the names of 39 areas that have successfully bid to get new special or alternative provision free schools. Ministers say more than 3,400 extra places will be created at the new schools. A bidding process for community groups, teachers, charities, existing education providers and other organisations to open and run the […]

Teacher shortage won’t be addressed without more BAME teachers, warns Hinds

England’s teacher recruitment and retention crisis will not be solved without an increase in the number of ethnic minority teachers, the education secretary has said. Damian Hinds told Oasis’s Break the Cycle event in London this morning that the government “can’t afford” for people to think teaching isn’t a viable career for them because of their […]

Hinds backs headteachers over LGBT education

The education secretary Damian Hinds has backed headteachers who teach pupils about LGBT relationships following protests by parents against the curriculum of a Birmingham school. West Midlands police has confirmed it is investigating homophobic graffiti at Parkfield Community School following vocal rallies organised by parents against the school’s programme of study on LGBT rights amid […]

DfE gets just 14 funding bids for new voluntary aided schools

The Catholic church has admitted its dioceses are finding it “challenging” to open new voluntary-aided schools, after new figures showed the government has received just 14 bids for capital funding. The church was urged by the government to set up new VA schools last year as a compromise after ministers reneged on an earlier promise […]

Spielman ordered sanction of off-rolling school

The chief inspector intervened to downgrade the Ofsted rating of a school found to have off-rolled pupils, Schools Week can reveal. Inspectors visiting Discovery Academy in Stoke-on-Trent in January were advised by Amanda Spielman (pictured) to rate the school’s leadership and management as “requires improvement”, rather than “good”, after they discovered evidence of off-rolling of […]

More schools could be forced to cut teaching hours, union warns

More headteachers will be forced to cut the length of the school day if the government doesn’t address the current funding crisis, says the head of the Association of School and College Leaders. Geoff Barton’s warning comes as a Schools Week analysis finds that 26 schools, most of them in Birmingham, have made or are […]