Jess Staufenberg | Schools Week

Poorest pupils three times more likely to be out of work by late 20s

The poorest pupils in year 11 are three times more likely than their wealthier peers to be on out-of-work benefits nine years after leaving school, new data reveals. The Department for Education has published a report which for the first time examines the progress of vulnerable school leavers in the labour market by the age […]

Pupils in Birmingham, London and north-east targeted for summer holiday food clubs

Thousands of poorer pupils will be targeted by projects that will provide food and activities throughout the summer holidays. The government has revealed that seven providers will provide “enriching activities” in the north-east, Birmingham and London, by divvying up a £2 million fund first announced in March. In January, ministers declined to back a private members’ […]

School-led teacher training routes pull further ahead

The proportion of trainee teachers that took the government’s favoured school-led route into the profession increased again last year, new figures have revealed. The Department for Education published initial teacher training statistics for 2016-17 this morning, and figures show the overall number of trainees gaining their QTS has remained stable at 91 per cent, the same […]

Only ‘knowledge-rich’ schools eligible for £2.4 million fund to reduce workload

Only schools with a “knowledge-rich” curriculum will be able to apply for a multi-million pound funding pot that will find the best ways to reduce teacher workload and improve results. The Department for Education announced a £7.7 million “curriculum fund” over the next five years in January, saying it would allow schools to pilot ways of […]

Government strikes back at mental health green paper critics

The government “completely rejects” the finding of two committees that its mental health green paper lacks ambition, will be rolled out too slowly, and does not prioritise early intervention. The powerful Commons education select committee joined forces with the health and social care committee to produce a damning assessment of the government’s green paper, called […]

Make schools more accountable for ‘forgotten’ excluded pupils, say MPs

Schools lack the “moral accountability” to look after challenging pupils, and must be made more accountable for the children they exclude, an influential group of MPs has said. The parliamentary education committee warned today that rising numbers of children are being denied the education they deserve as a result of increasing exclusions, illegal off-rolling and […]

Make schools publish termly exclusions and leavers data, and 9 other recommendations from the education committee

Schools should be forced to publish termly data on the number of exclusions they make and the number of pupils who leave of their own volition, MPs have said. The parliamentary education committee has released a report on exclusions, which calls for a “bill of rights” for excluded pupils and improvements to alternative provision. Here […]

Five graphs that reveal why better teacher pay should be a ‘matter of priority’

The decline in teacher pay compared with other graduate professions must be addressed “as a matter of priority”, the School Teachers’ Review Body has warned. As part of its report into pay, the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) recommended that all teachers get pay rises of 3.5 per cent. However the government has stopped short of […]

MoD extends fund to help schools support service children

A multi-million pound fund to help schools support pupils with parents in the armed forces is being extended because more service children are expected to return the country. The Ministry of Defence announced today that its Education Support Fund, which is meant to “mitigate” the effect on pupils’ educational performance of moving around or being away […]