Jess Staufenberg | Schools Week

Gloucestershire grammar schools accused of growing ‘by the back door’

Grammar schools in Gloucestershire are expanding “through the back door” by increasing their pupil admission numbers, a furious local comprehensive head has warned – but grammar heads are pointing to funding pressures and the need for more local secondary places. Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said members […]

Sponsors confirmed for 11 WCAT schools

Sponsors for 11 schools run by the failed Wakefield City Academies Trust have been confirmed by the government, but officials are still trying to formalise deals for the remaining 10. Following analysis of the 65 responses to a consultation on the future of the schools, sponsors for 11 of the 21 schools run by the trust […]

Perry Beeches Academy Trust closes after schools move to new sponsors

The crisis-hit Perry Beeches Academy Trust has officially been wound up, after its five schools were rebrokered to new sponsors. The transfer of four academies to the CORE Education trust and one to Ark trust, marks the end of the Birmingham trust, which is the subject of a government investigation into financial irregularities from almost […]

Don’t stop pupils taking triple science based on results alone, Spielman tells schools

Schools should not prevent pupils from studying GCSEs they are unlikely to pass, the chief inspector of schools has said. Amanda Spielman warned today that some pupils are having their options “unnecessarily limited” by schools that fear they will not achieve a C grade. Instead, pupils’ aspirations should be taken into account when deciding whether […]

Government ‘complacent’ on unregistered religious schools, London council claims

A London council struggling to crack down on unregistered religious schools operating in its area wants the government to introduce tougher laws to help ensure the safety of pupils. Hackney council has accused ministers of “unacceptable” complacency on the issue, after a year-long investigation found that hundreds of boys from the Charedi orthodox Jewish community were […]

School where staff mark ‘how they like’ gets government approval

A school which gave teachers a “carte blanche” to mark pupils’ work “however they like” has been picked out by the government as an example of good practice. Barr Beacon School, near Birmingham, has halved the time staff spend grading homework by lifting all marking requirements and allowing them to give pupils written feedback twice […]

Ofsted changes inspection report ‘six times’ in fight with dyslexia school

Ofsted has been persuaded to change an inspection report six times during a costly, year-long argument with a small private school. Maple Hayes Hall School, an independent special educational needs school in Staffordshire, had always been rated ‘good’ until an inspection in September last year said it failed the independent school standards over its handling […]

511 primary schools under floor standards (or 546 if you’re picky)

Fewer primary schools have fallen below floor standards this year, but more have been defined as “coasting”, according to key stage 2 data released by the Department for Education today. Just 511 schools (four per cent) dropped below the standard this year, compared with 665 last year (five per cent). However the figure is skewed […]

EPI: Primary pupils have ‘long tail of underperformance’ in maths

The gap between the highest and lowest achievers at primary schools in England is larger than in all but two developed nations – and maths teachers are blaming “fragmented” teaching methods. According to the Education Policy Institute, 21 countries have less of a gap between the best and worst primary maths results, exposing what it […]