Author: Freddie Whittaker

Too many of the youngest pupils are still learning in oversized classes, Labour has said, after its analysis of official figures revealed almost five per cent of infants attend classes over the national limit. Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, warned today that the proportion of pupils in classes of more than 30 remains “unsustainable”. […]

Academy trusts are one step closer to having a new membership organisation after proposals for a “Confederation of School Trusts” were overwhelmingly backed in a consultation, Schools Week can exclusively reveal. Members of pro-autonomy group FASNA will now officially vote on plans to rebrand the organisation after 96 per cent of respondents to a consultation […]

School staff have been warned they must “act appropriately” when expressing political views, and should not use school resources for “party political purposes” in new government advice published today. The Department for Education has reissued its staffing and employment advice for schools, with an updated section including a warning for teachers and heads about politics. […]

Local oversight of school standards is “just as patchy” under the government’s regional schools commissioners as it was under local authorities and should be returned to local politicians, the former Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw has said. Speaking to The Guardian as part of a debate about Labour’s plans for a National Education Service, Wilshaw […]

The government has revealed the key stage 2 attainment and progress scores schools will have to achieve to avoid falling “below the floor”. In 2018, a school will be above the floor if at least 65 per cent of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at key stage 2, or if it achieves “sufficient progress scores” in […]

The government has announced the names of 20 local authorities that can bid for a share of £50 million to build new schools and create 15,000 new places. Ministers say the areas, which will be allowed to bid for money from the new presumption free school grant, are those with the biggest need for new […]

Free schools supported by a premiership rugby team and a major broadcaster are among those due to open this week, the education secretary has announced. Fifty-four new free schools will open their doors today, offering places for around 40,000 pupils. A further six schools are expected to open later in the 2018-19 academic year, taking […]

Seven in ten parents believe headteachers aren’t doing enough to tackle bullying in schools, a new poll has revealed. The Diana Award, a young people’s charity, has published the results of a survey of thousands of adults and children, and called for help to put an “anti-bullying ambassador” in every school. The poll, by Survation and […]

The academies minister Lord Agnew has resigned from his roles at the Inspiration Trust, almost a year after he was appointed to his government role. Documents lodged with Companies House show that Agnew, a Department for Education minister and Conservative peer since September 2017, has been “terminated” as a director of the East Anglia chain. […]