Author: Freddie Whittaker

Sir Cyril Taylor, a pioneer of the City Technology Colleges programme who advised 10 education secretaries and founded the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, has died at the age of 82. Taylor had been involved in English schools since 1987, when he was appointed by prime minister Margaret Thatcher and education secretary Kenneth Baker to […]

The government’s “sluggish and incoherent” response to the teacher recruitment and retention crisis is putting schools under increasing pressure, the chair of a powerful crossparty committee of MPs has warned. Labour MP Meg Hillier, who chairs the parliamentary public accounts committee, said that without action from the Department for Education, teacher supply would become an “intractable […]

David Whitbread, the vice-president of the National Foundation for Education Research, has died at the age of 81. NFER staff have paid tribute to the “insightful and modest” former council education officer, who was the Local Government Association’s first ever head of education. The organisation is also asking others who knew Whitbread to share their […]

The new education secretary is “carefully considering” whether or not to scrap a cap on faith-based admissions to free schools. During his first appearance at education questions since he took the top job in education on January 8, Damian Hinds told MPs today that he still hasn’t decided whether to get rid of the 50-per-cent […]

Justine Greening has spoken of the “privilege” of serving as education secretary, a job she has “always wanted to do”, in her first major interview since she left office. Speaking to the Today Programme on Radio 4 this morning, Greening pledged to become a champion of the Department for Education’s new social mobility strategy on […]

David Meller, the organiser of the disgraced Presidents Club charity dinner, is taking a “leave of absence” from the academy trust he founded. The Meller Educational Trust has condemned the allegations of inappropriate behaviour of guests at the men-only dinner last Thursday, and said Meller’s leave of absence from the board of trustees, which he […]

David Meller, the co-chair of the controversial Presidents Club charity dinner that has been rocked by allegations of sexual harassment by guests, has resigned from the Department for Education’s board. Anne Milton, an education minister with responsibility for the board, announced in Parliament this afternoon that Meller has stood down from both his non-executive director […]

David Meller, a non-executive director at the Department for Education, is under growing pressure to resign from his role after allegations of sexual harassment by guests at a men-only charity dinner he organised surfaced in the press. A story by the Financial Times, published last night, revealed allegations of “groping, sexual harassment and propositioning” of […]

A “small number” of school building projects run by Carillion may need to be re-procured, the education secretary has admitted. In a letter to the parliamentary education committee, Damian Hinds said the construction and outsourcing firm, which is going into liquidation, is also still responsible for some outstanding work on DfE building contracts, but that […]