Jess Staufenberg | Schools Week

Schools open 3-year sixth forms to boost pupil numbers

Schools have begun to offer three-year stints in sixth form to pupils whose grades are too low to start A-levels or BTECs. At least three schools and one academy trust have set up a “transitionary” year 12 in which pupils with grades below C at GCSE can take level one or level two courses, before […]

Harris academy chain to build 100 homes for teachers

The Harris Federation, one of the largest multi-academy trusts, is planning to build up to 100 homes in partnership with a housing association in a bid to stop teachers being priced out of London. The chain presented a proposal to the Department for Education in March last year about using surplus land it owns that […]

Schools can invite Katie Hopkins to speak, says Prevent expert

Schools can invite Katie Hopkins to talk to older pupils if speakers with opposing political views are also invited to talk, a policy expert on the Prevent strategy has said. Hopkins, a far-right commentator who has called refugees “vermin”, is offering discussion sessions for year 9 to year 11 pupils in schools throughout November. The […]

Ofqual rules 2016 SATs reading test was ‘unduly hard’

The key stage 2 reading test was probably “unduly hard” for pupils with low attainment and special educational needs in 2016, according to exams watchdog Ofqual. The comprehension test, which was part of the “tougher” primary curriculum started in 2014, was heavily criticised on social media after it was much harder than teachers expected. SATs […]

Scrapped teacher training caps a blow for rural providers

Rural teacher training providers will “suffer” when caps on teacher training places are lifted next year, experts have warned. The government has removed recruitment controls on school-based and university-based initial teacher training (ITT) providers for 2018-19. Limits on the number of trainees will remain only for secondary school PE and some primary school courses – […]

Entering SEND pupils to pre-key stage standards ‘too subjective’

New rules covering the way special needs pupils are assessed will mean some schools “play it safe” by not teaching children English and maths while other schools do, experts have warned. The government has responded to the Rochford Review, accepting its recommendations to replace the old P-levels, which are currently used to assess SEND pupils […]

Tighter legislation on private alternative provision ignored by Gibb

Politicians from across the political spectrum have called on the government to “implement in full” a piece of legislation concerning private alternative provision that was passed nearly a decade ago and totally ignored. In 2008, the Labour government passed tighter rules about part-time providers counting as “independent educational institutions” that must be regulated and inspected […]

Ofsted to inspect outstanding schools more often (and bring back themed reports)

Ofsted is bringing back its “state-of-the-nation” reports and will inspect more ‘outstanding’ schools, according to a new corporate strategy released today on its 25th anniversary. In its new five-year corporate strategy that will run until 2022, the inspectorate says it will publish more “national survey reports and research” that “aggregate the insights from inspections”. These […]

Popular maths resource forced to become private company

A subject body has stopped maths hubs from sharing their resources, forcing one academy to open a private company in order to keep offering materials for free. Maths hubs are no longer there to “produce or promote” resources for schools, according to the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), which oversees […]