Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

Lowest-paid sixth-form college teachers to get 2% pay rise

The lowest-paid teachers at sixth-form colleges will get a two-per-cent pay increase under a deal struck between the National Education Union and the Sixth-Form Colleges Association. The SFCA, which represents 90 post-16 institutions across England, has agreed to increase the pay of everyone on points 1 to 6 of the national teacher pay scale and […]

Men are paid 8% more and get 20% larger bonuses at Ofsted

Ofsted has revealed that men in its organisation are paid on average 8.1 per cent more than women. Bonuses at the organisation are also heavily weighted in favour of men, who receive on average £196, or 20.6 per cent more than women. Of Ofsted’s total workforce, 63 per cent are women. This is higher than […]

DfE doubles advanced maths premium to £1,200

The government has doubled the amount of money on offer to schools that encourage more pupils to study maths at A-level. The new “advanced maths premium” announced in last year’s autumn budget was originally going to be worth £600 for every pupil studying the subject beyond GCSE. But the Department for Education has today announced that schools […]

Sir David Carter ‘clarifies’ comments on Janet Renou’s Whitehaven visits

The national schools commissioner has written to MPs to “clarify” his comments about visits made by top officials to the troubled Whitehaven Academy, after “discrepancies” were found in his evidence to a powerful parliamentary committee. Sir David Carter told the education select committee on December 5 that Janet Renou, the regional schools commissioner for the […]

Schools must be consulted on local safeguarding arrangements

Local councils, health services and police forces will have to involve schools in their safeguarding work from now on, the government has announced. Updated statutory guidance on ‘Working together to safeguard children’ will include an expectation that all schools be “given a voice” in the work of those who set local safeguarding policy. However, the […]

How are schools implementing flexible working?

Schools are letting teachers take their planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time at home, banning work in the staff room and cutting the hours of senior leaders, all in the name of staff wellbeing and flexible working. But researchers believe more still should be done to “normalise flexible working in schools”, and have launched a […]

Catholics pray for free schools miracle

Catholic school leaders are cautious about a new drive to lift the cap on faith-based admissions, after some took a “huge financial risk” and had their “fingers burned” the last time it was promised, Schools Week has learned. Damian Hinds, the education secretary, pledged to lift the cap – which prevents free schools in areas […]

New Cambridge Assessment CEO backs out for ‘personal reasons’

The new chief executive of the Cambridge Assessment Group has withdrawn from the role before he even started, citing “personal reasons”. Bill Anderson was due to take over from Simon Lebus on March 5, but has today announced that he will no longer be taking the job. “It is with great regret that, for purely […]

Government confirms 638% hike in small private school inspection fees

The government will press ahead with plans to hike the basic amount some small private schools pay for Ofsted inspections by more than 600 per cent. Following a consultation on proposals announced last October, the Department for Education announced today that the changes will go ahead. This is despite the majority of respondents to the […]