Author: Freddie Whittaker

New sponsors have been found for eight schools run by the doomed Education Fellowship Trust, the government has said. But the trust’s accounts show that delays to the rebrokering process have resulted in additional legal and financial costs for the trust. The Department for Education said that it has “already confirmed new trusts” for eight of […]

Hundreds of headteachers gathered in Birmingham last week for the annual conference of the Association of School and College Leaders. The event hosted Damian Hinds’ first speech to the profession since he was appointed as education secretary, and keynotes from Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of schools, and Lucy Powell, the former shadow education secretary. […]

The chief inspector of schools is “loath” to commit Ofsted to judge schools on how they manage teacher workload, but has not ruled it out. Amanda Spielman told the ASCL union conference in Birmingham this morning that although she is keen to help schools tackle workload, she is also wary of Ofsted becoming “a wedge […]

Damian Hinds, the education secretary, delivered his first major speech to the teaching profession at ASCL’s annual conference in Birmingham this morning. Here’s what he said… I’m delighted to have this opportunity to speak directly to school and college leaders here at ASCL – two months into the job. Secretary of State for Education is […]

The new education secretary has admitted that school funding is “tight” and said it is “vital” for the education system to be “properly resourced”. During an on-stage conversation with Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman and ASCL general secretary Geoff Barton this morning, Damian Hinds said he understood why funding was a major issue for headteachers. […]

The government will attempt to “clarify” the roles of its schools commissioners, funding agency and Ofsted in order to address confusion among school leaders, the education secretary will announce today. In his first major speech to the schools community since taking office, Damian Hinds will tell delegates at the Association of School and College Leaders […]

The government will help schools to “strip away” workload that “doesn’t add value” and threatens the retention of teachers, Damian Hinds will tell heads today. Faced with a worsening teacher supply crisis, the new education secretary will make a desperate plea for help from teaching unions in a speech to the ASCL annual conference. He […]

Funding pressures are forcing grammar school headteachers to consider increasing their pupil numbers to reach “economies of scale”, the Association of School and College Leaders has warned. The union’s leaders told a press conference on the first day of their annual conference that although they had not felt a “huge appetite” from members who lead […]

Labour MPs will hold an inquiry into school improvement and accountability in an attempt to “flesh out” the party’s education policies, Schools Week can exclusively reveal. Lucy Powell, the former shadow education secretary, will tell delegates at the Association of School and College Leaders annual conference tomorrow that the “unchecked explosion” in academies has led […]