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13 May 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

New extremism advice drafted after Trump supporter Milo has school speech cancelled

A teaching union is drafting new guidance for teachers and leaders on extremism after a Kent school cancelled a speech by an alumnus with extreme right-wing views. Simon Langton grammar school for boys in Canterbury announced on Monday that it was ditching a talk by former pupil Milo Yiannopoulos (depicted in above cartoon) following threats […]

Ofsted to put more emphasis on preparation of pupils for employment

Schools will be more heavily judged on how they prepare pupils for the world of work after Ofsted warned they were putting the “nation’s future economic prosperity” at risk because of a failure to sufficiently prioritise enterprise education. Inspectors found that just 10 per cent of schools were getting enterprise education right, and warned that poor […]

Autumn statement: Grammars grants confirmed, but no schools funding boost

The government has today confirmed a £50 million annual capital investment to deliver new grammar schools, but school leaders hoping for additional cash to address “severe funding pressures” have been left empty-handed. The chancellor Philip Hammond said the capital funding for the expansion of selection, which was announced by the prime minister earlier this year, […]

Pilot ‘Teach North’ scheme to boost school performance, report demands

The government needs to improve its teacher supply model and pilot a ‘Teach North’ training project to improve school performance in the north of England, a leading academies boss has urged. A review of the role of schools in the government’s ‘northern powerhouse’, by Dixons Academies chief executive Sir Nick Weller, has found that teacher effectiveness is […]

RSC Guide: Rebecca Clark, South-west England

It’s been two years since the first regional schools commissioners and their headteacher boards were appointed. To keep you up to date, Schools Week is running four updates in which Freddie Whittaker looks at two RSC areas each week. Who’s new, who’s still there – and how they are doing on those all-important academisation rates. […]

Schools boost Ofsted grades despite deteriorating performance, report finds

More than one in ten ‘good’ secondary schools were promoted to outstanding grades by Ofsted despite having a “significant deterioration” in academic performance, a new analysis has revealed. Research by the Education Policy Institute, published today, found large numbers of schools are maintaining positive Ofsted grades despite “significant deterioration” in results. The analysis of Ofsted […]

RSC Guide: Tim Coulson, East of England and north-east London

It’s been two years since the first regional schools commissioners and their headteacher boards were appointed. To keep you up to date, Schools Week is running four updates in which Freddie Whittaker looks at two RSC areas each week. Who’s new, who’s still there – and how they are doing on those all-important academisation rates. […]

Affluent schools more likely to improve Ofsted grade, and 3 other key findings from EPI Ofsted report

The Education Policy Institute has released a major piece of research based on Ofsted inspection outcomes and school performance and demographic data. The report, School Inspection in England: Is There Room to Improve, offers insight into how prior attainment and disadvantage of pupils can affect a school’s Ofsted grading, and raises questions about the watchdog’s effectiveness in judging […]

Schools to foot bill as councils top-slice apprenticeship levy

Schools across England are being told by councils that they must foot the bill for the government’s apprenticeship levy, regardless of whether or not they employ their own staff, a Schools Week investigation has revealed. The levy, which comes in next April, will see all employers, including councils and multi-academy trusts, in England with wage bills […]