Author: Freddie Whittaker

The “blanket right” of parents to withdraw their children from sex education lessons is being reviewed by the government as it is no longer consistent with English or international law. Ministers say they will consult on whether pupils above a specific age should instead be allowed to choose for themselves whether or not to take part in sex […]

Colleges should visit schools once a year to promote vocational options for pupils under a new scheme designed to force schools to open their doors to other providers, according to Lord Baker. The former education secretary told Schools Week he envisaged such visits happening “once a year during the key times in September, October and November”, and […]

The government will extend compulsory sex education to all secondary schools and introduce relationships education for all pupils from age four. Justine Greening, the education secretary, told Parliament today that she plans to put sex and relationships education “on a statutory footing”, stating the current curriculum has become “outdated”. Pupils will be taught about safe and healthy […]

MPs have questioned the government’s capacity to cope with the growth of the academies programme, amid predictions of “further pressures” for its departments and agencies. The commons education committee says it is “far from clear” if the Department for Education and Education Funding Agency can cope with the expansion of multi-academy trusts over the next five […]

The government has handed out more than £100,000 in funding to councils to enable them to write to parents promoting post-14 education options like University Technical Colleges. A new rule requiring councils to make parents aware of schools with ‘atypical points of admission’ came into effect on February 14, and councils have now received funding […]

A cross-party bid to force “hostile” schools to give colleges and apprenticeship providers access to their pupils to promote vocational courses has been approved in the House of Lords. A move to amend the government’s technical and further education bill by former education secretaries Lord Baker and Baroness Morris succeeded last night. Baker, who served […]

The government should be “extremely cautious” about further changes to primary assessment, Ofqual’s chief regulator has told MPs. Sally Collier told the education select committee this morning that feedback had urged caution about “too much change too quickly”. Ministers have announced a review of primary assessment, with a consultation due to take place later this year, […]

The government has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ money on its flagship free school project after an investigation found more than half of new places were in areas they were “not needed”. The National Audit Office found that 57,500 of 113,500 new places in mainstream free schools opening between 2015 and 2021 will create ‘spare […]