Author: Freddie Whittaker

The Harris Federation, one of England’s largest academy trusts, has been asked by the government to take on the troubled Durand Academy in south London. Schools Week understands Harris has been approached about becoming the school’s sponsor from next summer, though negotiations are in their early stages. TES reported this morning that the Durand Academy […]

An influential group of MPs has publicly questioned the Department for Education’s ability to support schools with financial problems. Meg Hillier, the chair of the parliamentary public accounts committee, has written to Jonathan Slater, the DfE’s permanent secretary, demanding an update on several government cost-saving initiatives. Although an additional £1.3 billion of funding will be […]

A new Teaching Regulation Agency will be established from April 2018, following the closure of the National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL). The Department for Education has today announced that the NCTL will cease to function next year, with its teacher recruitment functions merged with the rest of the department. The regulation of the […]

The government is under pressure to release “firm plans” for compulsory personal, social, health and economics education (PSHE) in all schools. Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, told MPs in a parliamentary session today, that she has been “asking questions” about proposals to make PSHE statutory. Currently, there is no requirement for any schools […]

The Children’s Commissioner wants to write a letter to all schools reminding leaders that behaviour policies must respect children’s rights, after hearing an example which labelled quiet pupils as “not that bright”. Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, told MPs in a parliamentary committee this morning that intended to call for action from the […]

A large academy trust has been told to improve pupil progress, just months after the resignations of several of its leaders, including the former education secretary David Blunkett. Ofsted has released the outcome of a “focused inspection” of 13 schools run by the David Ross Education Trust. Inspectors visited the schools in September, rating two […]

The effectiveness of teacher peer observations is in doubt, after a £1.2 million study at 82 schools found they made no difference to exam results. The findings, published by the Education Endowment foundation, are based on the English and maths GCSE results of more than 14,000 secondary pupils who took part in trials. No evidence […]

More than 2,500 anti-extremism Prevent duty referrals were made by schools, colleges and universities in the first year of its operation, but action was taken in fewer than 150 cases. They were responsible for the highest number of referrals in 2015-16, ahead of the police and local authorities, new data published by the Home Office […]