Jess Staufenberg
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Expand alternative provision to years 12 and 13, says education committee chair
High-quality alternative provision for vulnerable pupils in years 12 and 13 is too scarce and should be expanded, the chair of the education select committee has said. Robert Halfon told delegates at alternative provision academy trust TBAP’s annual conference that he was “shocked” by how little post-16 alternative provision there is in the country. In…
5.00 Jun. 16th, 2018 | News
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Why every school needs to learn how to handle ‘conduct disorder’
Schools have ineffective behaviour management strategies because they want a “quick fix” to a common disorder but don’t understand the neurology behind it. Some teachers don’t know how to manage “conduct disorder” – a mental condition which causes disruptive and sometimes violent behaviour in pupils – because they don’t know how to identify and respond…
7.00 Jun. 15th, 2018 | News
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First-choice secondary school offers fall again as 'baby bulge' moves
The proportion of pupils getting into their first-choice secondary school is still falling as the so-called “baby bulge” moves up from the primary phase. New data out today shows that 82 per cent of applicants to secondary school got into their first choice school this year, down from 84 per cent last year. This continues a…
10.27 Jun. 14th, 2018 | News
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Schools in rich areas are more than twice as likely to be 'outstanding'
Schools in the most affluent areas are more than twice as likely to be rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted as those in the most deprived. New data reveals the extent to which schools with richer intakes outperform others, and the inspectorate is now under pressure to demonstrate that schools are judged on performance rather than on…
11.25 Jun. 13th, 2018 | News
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DfE seeks bids for £100,000 phonics roadshows contract
The government is seeking bids for a £100,000 contract to deliver “phonics roadshows” across the country, five months after the cash was first announced. The Department for Education has put out a tender for up to two providers to run 20 events, half in the north of England and half elsewhere in the country. This…
16.56 Jun. 12th, 2018 | News
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Children's commissioner: 'Millions of pupils miss out on support'
Millions of vulnerable pupils have been denied much-needed support because scarce children’s services have to be targeted only at the most vulnerable. Half of the money spent on children’s services – support provided over and above a child’s education – goes to just 73,000 children in care, while the rest of the cash has to stretch…
0.01 Jun. 12th, 2018 | News
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Inaugural FestABLE becomes a celebration of SEND
Founders of the first ever festival celebrating special educational want to “bring teachers and families into the same space” and hope more mainstream teachers will attend their next event. Barney Angliss, a SEND consultant, has spent two years planning FestABLE, which took place in Cheltenham last weekend. He had the help of Elaine Gisby, director…
5.00 Jun. 10th, 2018 | News
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Beware informal 'learning plans', SEND experts warn
Pupils with special educational needs are being issued with informal learning plans in place of official plans that come with guaranteed funding. Some local authorities are giving out documents called ‘my plans’ or ‘learning plans’ if they believe pupil’s needs do not warrant a proper education health and care plan (ECHP), SEND experts have warned.…
7.00 Jun. 9th, 2018 | News
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Alternative provision academy trusts keen to open secure schools
Academy chains that cater for excluded pupils are keen to open new secure schools for young offenders, but the response from mainstream trusts has been muted. The government is encouraging trusts to bid for facilities for imprisoned pupils aged 12 to 17, two years after the idea of secure schools was first proposed by the…
5.00 Jun. 9th, 2018 | News
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National teaching job website shrouded with secrecy
The Department for Education has finally launched its free teacher vacancy website – but it somehow didn’t manage to include a link to it in its publicity materials. The site was first promised more than two years ago and will let schools freely advertise job vacancies in their schools. Diligent Schools Week research found the…
5.00 Jun. 8th, 2018 | News
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Free school that left pupil behind on school trip to close
A specialist science and technology free school in Newcastle will close this summer, three months after one of its pupils was left behind on a school trip. The £9 million Discovery School is the third free school scheduled to close this year. It will shut over “capability and capacity issues” that have concerned ministers, according to…
10.04 Jun. 6th, 2018 | News