Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

Stop judging primary schools on one year’s SATs results, say MPs

Primary school performance should be judged based on a rolling three-year average of key stage 2 SATs results, rather than annual data, according to parliament’s influential education committee. In one of its last reports, the outgoing committee of cross-party MPs argues the close link between SATs outcomes and school accountability creates a high-stakes system that […]

Fact check: Did the Conservatives fulfil their 2015 schools manifesto promises?

Theresa May has called a snap election on June 8, and education looks set to be a major issue in the campaign. As we wait to hear what will be in the parties’ 2017 manifestos, Schools Week looks back on what was promised by the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats in the run-up to […]

The 13 ways MPs want primary tests improved

The House of Commons education committee has published a key report on primary assessments and the chaos that ensued when they changed last year. They raked over the issues, but – more importantly – also made made some recommendations. Here is what the committee wants the government to do… 1. Give thorough information about SATs […]

Corbyn: Labour will let councils build new schools and take over academies

A Labour government will let councils open and run new schools and take over academies, Jeremy Corbyn has told Schools Week. Speaking following his speech to the annual conference of the National Association of Head Teachers in Telford today, the Labour leader expanded on plans set out by the shadow chancellor John McDonnell to “restore” […]

Corbyn: We are brave enough to reverse £3bn school cuts

Labour wants to reverse the £3 billion cuts to school budgets, Jeremy Corbyn has told headteachers. The Labour leader was asked by a delegate at the National Association of Head Teachers annual conference in Telford whether he was “brave enough” to reverse the real-terms cuts faced by schools as a result of unfunded cost pressures. […]

School business leaders ‘not sleeping at night’ over funding cuts

School business leaders are losing sleep over cuts to their funding which are prompting redundancies, larger classes and sixth form closures, according to Russell Hobby. In his last conference speech as general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, Hobby said the state of education funding was “rightly” an election issue, and had entered […]

Heads consider shortening school week in protest over cuts

Heads will consider running a four-and-a-half-day school week, refusing to submit their budgets and running a deficit in a bid to fight funding cuts. The National Association of Head Teachers has voted at its annual conference to consider “every available option” if the government does not reverse its “irresponsible education cuts”. The union will now […]

Election ‘highly likely’ to delay national funding formula, NAHT warns

The upcoming snap election could cause the national funding formula to be “delayed or abandoned”, the National Association of Head Teachers has warned. Expected changes to primary testing could also be disrupted as the inner workings of government close-up shop to allow for political campaigning before the general election in June. Valentine Mulholland, the union’s […]

Election disrupts free school funding agreements

Pre-election “purdah” has put the brakes on the government’s free schools policy, with a number of institutions due to open this September now in limbo until after the election. Disruptions are also occurring to the education select committee and interventions in under-peforming schools because of the election. Schools Week knows of at least one free […]