Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

‘Bill of rights’ for excluded pupils must not be tick-box exercise

Leading figures from the special educational needs community have backed calls for a “bill of rights” to protect pupils excluded from school, but want it to be more than just a “tick-box” exercise. Jules Daulby, director of education at national charity the Driver Youth Trust, told MPs this morning that there “absolutely should be a […]

A NEU dawn: NUT and ATL hold final conferences

The National Union of Teachers and Association of Teachers and Lecturers held their last conferences as separate unions over the Easter break. The two sections will meet as one amalgamated National Education Union next year. Schools Week’s political editor Freddie Whittaker attended so you didn’t have to. 1. Ofsted ‘overstepped the mark’ during hijab row […]

Most locked-out trainee teachers have failed their QTS skills test resits

Just six per cent of would-be trainee teachers locked out of the pre-qualifying test for their courses under old government rules have applied to take the tests again since the rule limiting resits was lifted, according to exclusive new figures seen by Schools Week. What’s more, the majority of formerly locked-out candidates who have repeated […]

ATL: ‘Keep parents from selectively withdrawing pupils from RE’

ATL has voted to stop parents “selectively” withdrawing their children from religious education lessons, claiming the practice is increasingly fuelled by antisemitism and Islamaphobia. Members of the union warned today that prejudiced parents are selectively using their right to withdraw to “isolate themselves and their children” from the beliefs of others. At its annual conference, […]

MATs are misusing public money while Ofsted and RSCs bicker, union leader warns

Multi-academy trusts are getting away with “the fraudulent misuse of public money” while Ofsted and schools commissioners fight a turf war, a union leader has warned. Dr Mary Bousted, the joint general secretary of the National Education Union, used her speech to the ATL conference this morning to call for the resurrection of the “public […]

Mary Bousted speech to ATL conference 2018: The full text

Dr Mary Bousted, the general secretary of the ATL, delivered a powerful speech to the union’s last conference in Liverpool this morning. Here’s what she said. I feel quite emotional right now. It is sixteen years since I first made first my speech to an ATL conference. And as this is the last speech […]

Mary Bousted: ‘If the government won’t act on workload, NEU will’

If the government does not reduce teacher workload, the National Education Union will take action, one of its leaders has warned. Dr Mary Bousted, the joint general secretary of the NEU, told the ATL section conference this morning that the time has come for a limit on teachers’ working hours. She also warned that her […]

NEU considers building a supply teacher vacancy service

The National Education Union will discuss proposals for a union-run supply teacher vacancy service after members demanded action on agencies that make exorbitant charges on schools but pay their staff a pittance. Members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers section of the union voted at their annual conference today to back proposals for an […]

DfE ends divisive pupil nationality data collection

Schools will no longer be forced to collect data on their pupils’ nationality and country of birth following a major U-turn by the government, Schools Week can exclusively reveal. The Department for Education is expected to write to schools in the coming weeks to outline its plans to remove the controversial categories from the school […]