Jess Staufenberg | Schools Week

Independent Schools Inspectorate raises fees after two-year loss

The main inspectorate for private schools has hiked its fees by 12 per cent after operating at a loss for the past two years. The Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI), which inspects about 1,000 larger private schools, posted an operating loss of £441,000 last year, following a £498,000 loss in 2016. The losses have contributed to […]

Data helps us intervene early, says academy trust

Trusts are concerned that a new government diktat to pull back from data collection will stop them making rapid interventions for struggling pupils. The Department for Education this week pledged to cut out unnecessary workload so teachers could “devote their energies to teaching”. It followed several recommendations in a Workload Advisory Group report, which were […]

Under-fire Ofsted plans research to assess impact of school funding cuts

Ofsted is planning to research the impact of funding cuts, as its chief inspector comes under fire for standing firm on her insistence there is no “clear evidence” to show funding pressures are hitting schools. Daniel Muijs, Ofsted’s head of research, told Schools Week the inspectorate will be running research next year on the impact […]

BCS among 3 firms chosen to run £84m National Centre for Computing Education

The British Computer Society is among three organisations chosen to run the National Centre for Computing Education, the government has announced today. In the Budget last year, chancellor Philip Hammond announced £84 million for a centre to upskill 8,000 existing computer science secondary school teachers. Sector experts told Schools Week they expected the centre to […]

Ofsted demands greater power to check on private school inspectorates

Ofsted boss Amanda Spielman has told the government to give her team more powers to check inspectorates for private schools are doing a good job. Each year, Ofsted is required to report on the quality of inspections by the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI), which inspects roughly 1,000 larger private schools, and the Schools Inspection Service, […]

DfE urges teacher trainers to scrap ‘burdensome’ workload for trainees

Teacher training providers should review their programmes to make sure they are establishing “good habits” in trainees which reduce their workload, the government has said. The Department for Education has published advice to initial teacher training (ITT) providers following a wider report on workload from the workload advisory group, also out today. That report cited […]

New teachers need more tailored support to help ‘practice shock’, NFER report finds

Schools need to give early career teachers more personalised support rather than just evaluate them with a “one-size-fits-all” approach, new research urges. New teachers commonly experience “practice shock” when they begin teaching and need frequent meetings with their mentors to state the areas they specifically want help in, according to the National Foundation for Educational […]

DfE to reduce data collection, and 6 more responses on workload

The government will tell local authorities not to ask for regular data updates from their schools in a pledge to reduce the burden on staff, as it accepts most recommendations from a new workload report. However the Department for Education has stopped short of telling academy trusts not to ask for attainment data updates from […]

Ofqual told to minimise fears around tests cheating

A behavioural-insights team commissioned by Ofqual to help it handle messaging around cheating and malpractice urged the regulator not to overplay the problem. Two companies called EdCom and Now advised Ofqual to avoid making it look as if exams malpractice is “rife”, according to an executive director at the watchdog. The advice was focused on […]