Author: Freddie Whittaker

The impact of a new law which forces schools to allow training organisations the chance to speak to pupils about technical qualifications and apprenticeships will be reviewed by the Department for Education. The government has commissioned the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, a sector body that represents training companies, to carry out the review, […]

Leaders of a school run by the doomed Education Fellowship Trust have been praised for “considerable improvements” which raised their Ofsted rating from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’ in less than two years. But the academy chain, which is in the process of giving up all of its schools, faced stinging criticism from inspectors for failing to […]

There is “overwhelming” support in schools for the introduction of compulsory PSHE lessons, according to a new report from a coalition of education unions, charities and teaching groups. A joint report by the National Association of Head Teachers, the National Education Union, the NSPCC, the Sex Education Forum, the PSHE Association and several other high-profile […]

A small London academy trust has been lined up to run Durand Academy, after the Harris Federation backed out of a sponsorship deal, citing concerns about legal agreements and the state of the school’s buildings. The government has agreed in principle to allow Dunraven Educational Trust, which runs neighbouring all-through school Dunraven Academy, to take over […]

Ministers will hand councils £50 million to expand special schools and improve existing facilities for pupils with special educational needs. The money will be given to local authorities to help them give families “more choice” and to meet “increasing demand” for places, the Department for Education (DfE) said today. Using the cash, town halls will be […]

Ofsted is now “at the limit” of what it can do with scarce resources, a senior official has admitted, after the government’s own spending watchdog warned of “significant challenges”. Luke Tryl, Ofsted’s director of corporate strategy, said his organisation does not feel it should go “any further” in reducing the amount of time spent on […]

Ofsted’s value for money has been called into question in a damning report by the National Audit Office. The spending watchdog evaluated the inspectorate’s performance, and raised concerns about budget cuts, missed targets and problems with retention of inspectors. Here are six of the most interesting findings. 1. 8 per cent of new free schools […]

The government is under pressure from Ofsted to authorise more regular inspections of ‘outstanding’ schools, following complaints to the inspectorate from parents. Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of schools, believes the quality of education at some schools currently exempt from inspection may have deteriorated, and has warned the Department for Education that the rule that […]

MPs have grilled the schools minister Nick Gibb for almost two hours over the government’s grammar school expansion plans, academy trust accountability and teacher pay. Here are the five most important things we learned. 1. Selective schools could lower 11-plus pass mark to get expansion cash Grammar schools hoping to get their hands on a […]