Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

Barton succeeds in challenge for ASCL post

School leaders face a landmark decision that will shape the future direction of their union as either a professional association or campaigning force after a headteacher won the right to challenge the leadership favourite. Head Geoff Barton (pictured left) will challenge Chris Kirk (pictured right), an education consultant, for the top job in the Association […]

High and low attainers do worst in fully selective areas, new data reveals

Pupils with low and high prior attainment are less likely to pass five GCSEs in fully selective areas, a Schools Week analysis of government data can reveal. High and low-attaining pupils had higher GCSE pass rates in areas without selection or with partial selection, calling into question the reliability of using the blunt pass rate […]

Heads report ‘bleak picture’ and no improvement in teacher recruitment for third year

There has been no improvement in teacher supply in schools for a third consecutive, according to headteachers, who have reported a “bleak picture”. A survey of 1,094 school leaders by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has revealed that schools are unable to recruit at all in an average of 17 per cent of […]

Sir Michael Barber to leave Pearson in 2017

The leading educationalist Sir Michael Barber is to step down from his role as chief education adviser to Pearson, the company has revealed. Barber, who has led Pearson’s research on education policy and advised on strategy for education in the developing world since 2011, will leave in late 2017. A former partner at McKinsey and […]

Ofsted praises council with worst results for ‘resolute’ turnaround

Ofsted has praised the “hard work” of a council for driving school improvement just one year after it received a damning inspection report and postest the lowest key stage 2 results in the country. Bradley Simmons (pictured), Ofsted’s regional director for the south west, said it was “only right” that he should publicly congratulate Poole […]

Academy trust finance warnings more than treble in a year

The number of academy trusts issued government warnings for financial mismanagement has soared by more than 250 per cent in a year, with scandals said to be plunging the education system into a “toxic environment”. Government data published earlier this week revealed 25 financial notices to improve have been issued to academy trusts this year, compared […]

Jeremy Corbyn lodges motion to stop pupil nationality data collection

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has waded into the row over schools collecting pupil nationality and country of birth data, tabling a motion in parliament to stop the practice. If it succeeds, the early day motion will cancel new laws introduced by the government in September forcing schools to collect the data in their annual census. The […]

Inspect pupil well-being and appoint mental health lead in schools, commission demands

Every school should have a mental health lead, evidence-based training for teachers and be inspected on pupil well-being, a high-profile commission has found. The Education Policy Institute’s independent commission on children and young people’s mental health has warned that schools are struggling to engage with health services because of structural changes, confusing geographical boundaries and staff […]

RSC guide: Jenny Bexon-Smith, East Midlands and the Humber

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. […]