Jess Staufenberg

  • Re-focus pupil premium on teacher retention and CPD, say MPs

    The government should rename the pupil premium the “social mobility premium” to encourage schools to spend the cash on teacher development and retention, a cross-party group of politicians has said. The all-party parliamentary group on social mobility, which includes former education secretaries Justine Greening and Baroness Morris, warned that “substantial amounts” of pupil premium money…

    0.01 Feb. 21st, 2019 | News

  • Take PE and sports premium cash off schools that misspend it, urges new report

    The government should hold headteachers to account for how they spend the PE and sports premium and claw back money if it is misspent, a new report has urged. An all-party parliamentary group has called on the government to stop relying on “market research companies” which don’t rigorously check how schools are using the cash,…

    9.45 Feb. 19th, 2019 | News

  • Most EEF trials 'don't tell us anything', say researchers

    Most trials carried out by a major educational research charity “don’t tell us anything” about whether an intervention had an impact on pupil learning, researchers have warned. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) was founded in 2011 under Michael Gove, the former education secretary, with a £125 million grant to fund research into boosting attainment for…

    7.00 Feb. 16th, 2019 | News

  • First non-faith school inspected at Star Academies Trust put in special measures

    The first non-faith school to be inspected after joining the lauded Star Academies Trust has been placed in special measures – becoming the trust’s only school not to be judged ‘outstanding’. Star, which the government has called an “expert schools sponsor”, took over Highfield Leadership academy in Blackpool in 2016 – but Ofsted’s report published…

    15.25 Feb. 15th, 2019 | News

  • KPMG Foundation report left out negative findings

    An education foundation left out negative findings from a study of its flagship literacy programme. In December the KPMG Foundation, the charity arm of the global consultancy firm, released the findings of a major study into the Reading Recovery programme. The report said pupils on the programme, which the charity’s website describes as its “flagship…

    7.00 Feb. 15th, 2019 | News

  • DfE bans ISIS supporter Mizanur Rahman from running schools

    A man jailed for his support for terrorist group Islamic State has been banned from being involved in running schools. Mohammed Mizanur Rahman is now barred from holding management positions in private schools and being a state school governor under a prohibition direction issued by the education secretary Damian Hinds. Rahman, an associate of radical preacher…

    10.47 Feb. 14th, 2019 | News

  • Government moves to rebroker failing Steiner free schools

    Two Steiner schools criticised by Ofsted over safeguarding failures have been warned they face being moved to new sponsors. Steiner Academy Bristol (pictured) and Steiner Academy Frome have been issued with termination warning notices by Lisa Mannall, the regional schools commissioner for the south west of England. The schools, which follow the teachings of Rudolf Steiner,…

    10.59 Feb. 13th, 2019 | News

  • ‘No frills’ private school founder insists it's a 'success story', despite having 12 pupils

    The founder of a new “no frills” low-cost private school has insisted it is a “success story”, despite having just 12 pupils. James Tooley (pictured),  a professor of education at Newcastle University, has defended the low pupil roll at the Independent Grammar School: Durham, which opened in September, despite predicting 65 starters in summer. The…

    10.09 Feb. 13th, 2019 | News

  • Council leaders defend taking parents to tribunal over SEND support

    Council leaders have defended their decisions to take families to tribunal to settle disagreements about provision for pupils with special educational needs to MPs this morning. Parents are occasionally taking “unreasonable positions” about what provision their child is entitled to, leaving councils with little choice but to settle the matter in court, one council leader…

    13.01 Feb. 12th, 2019 | News

  • Trust hopes PGCE ‘franchise’ will boost Russell Group grad recruitment

    A trust is in talks to “franchise” a university’s PGCE programme, allowing it to dodge UCAS recruitment and target more Russell Group graduates. The STEP academy trust, which has 14 primary academies in south London and East Sussex, is finalising an agreement with the University of Buckingham to deliver its PGCE programme. The arrangement is…

    7.00 Feb. 8th, 2019 | News

  • Pupils face £2 ‘fines’ to get their phones back

    A school has been accused of holding pupils’ mobile phones to “ransom” after charging parents £2 to return confiscated devices. South Wigston high school in Leicester bans mobile phones as it says the devices are a major tool for bullying and a distraction to learning. However, its electronic device policy says that a £2 contribution…

    0.01 Feb. 8th, 2019 | News