Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

Gibb becomes ‘school standards’ minister in DfE reshuffle

A shake-up of ministerial roles at the Department for Education has been announced, with some interesting changes following the appointment of new education secretary Justine Greening. Nick Gibb, the former schools minister, is getting an expanded brief under a new “school standards” remit, while many key responsibilities have been passed to Lord Nash, one of […]

Scottish MPs ‘not ruling out’ attempt to block Theresa May’s grammar schools plan

Scottish MPs have not ruled out breaking with convention to block Theresa May’s bid to scrap the ban on new grammar schools in parliament, Schools Week can reveal. Carol Monaghan, the Scottish National Party’s education spokesperson in Westminster, said her party was “not ruling anything out” when it comes to the prime minister’s plan, which […]

Education committee chair joins growing opposition to May’s grammar schools plan

Education select committee chair Neil Carmichael has joined the growing ranks of politicians, policy experts and academics opposing Theresa May’s reported plan to lift the ban on grammar schools. The backlash against the proposal, revealed by the Sunday Telegraph over the weekend, has been fierce, and has crossed party political and ideological lines. There is […]

Just 30 refugee children resettled in UK before start of term

Schools have been urged to develop a “different approach” to teaching refugee children after it emerged hundreds are still yet to enter the school system just weeks before the new academic year. The government has been under pressure to let at least 300 unaccompanied young people into the UK from camps in Europe before the […]

Free school bid changes pave way for more studio schools – despite spate of closures

New rules governing the opening of free schools could pave the way for more studio schools, it has been claimed, despite question marks over their viability after scores of failed projects had to close. The new guidelines for would-be sponsors of free schools have already prompted fears that it could spark a “free-for-all” as the government […]

MP relaunches compulsory PSHE bid as police boss calls for education to tackle child abuse

A new bid to force the government to make personal, social and health education (PSHE) compulsory in schools has been launched amid claims by a senior police commissioner that sex education is the only way to tackle child abuse. Caroline Lucas (pictured), the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, has re-tabled her PSHE bill, which demands formal lessons on […]

New online portal will offer schools free access to thousands of marked exams

Schools will be able to download all marked Edexcel GCSE and A-level exam scripts for free from next year in a move to make decisions on whether to challenge grades easier for teachers and exams officers, Schools Week can exclusively reveal. The education company Pearson, which took complete control over Edexcel in 2005 and currently administers […]

Isolation of pupils with lunch debt ‘inappropriate’ but ‘rare’ say school leaders

A London free school’s controversial policy of isolating pupils whose parents or guardians fail to pay their lunch bills has been branded “inappropriate” but “fairly rare” by education leaders, who described the “frustrating” dilemma headteacers face with parents who don’t fulfil their responsibilities. Michaela Community School, in Wembley, has been criticised over a letter sent to parents who owed […]