Jess Staufenberg | Schools Week

Carter: £140m funding pot shows shift from ‘mass conversion to mass improvement’

Sir David Carter, the national schools commissioner, has said the new £140 million strategic school improvement fund proves the government’s intentions have shifted from “mass conversion to mass improvement”. The Department for Education announced the pot of funding on Wednesday, which Carter explained today will go towards four targeted issues. Carter said the cash aims to create “less patchy” […]

The tick-box route to QTS: four hours’ assessment and no training

The number of teachers gaining qualified status (QTS) through an “assessment-only” route – involving about four hours of lesson observation and no further training – has more than doubled in the past three years. A Freedom of Information request reveals that the number of teachers passed by providers has risen from 429 in 2013 to […]

20% of black pupils attend Catholic schools – does that mean there’s diversity?

Pupils in Catholic schools are the “most ethnically diverse in the country”, proving that a religious ethos is “not divisive”, says the Catholic Education Service (CES). The Catholic Church, the second largest provider of education in the country, said its annual census showed more than one fifth of all black pupils attended one of its […]

SSAT 2016, day 1: Schools told cash reserves will face closer scrutiny as cuts bite

Academies can expect auditors to look “increasingly closely” at dwindling levels of cash reserves with experts warning the new national funding formula will not be a “miracle cure” for financial worries, delegates at a major schools conference have been told. A capacity to build up capital will be a priority for assessors as upcoming formula […]

Justine Greening told by five select committees that demand for compulsory sex and relationships education is now ‘deafening’

Five parliamentary select committees have written to Justine Greening to say the demand for compulsory sex and relationships education (SRE), and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) in all schools is now “deafening”. In a public letter, the chairs of five committees – education; women and equalities; home affairs; health; and business, energy and […]

Year 5 girls fall behind boys in maths for first time since 2007, TIMSS data shows

Girls in year 5 performed “significantly” worse than boys in mathematics in England, amid a mixed global picture for closing gender gaps in attainment, according to an analysis of international data. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), released by analysts in Massachusetts today, assessed 57 countries on their performance between 2012 and […]

TIMSS 2015: No overall improvement since 2011 and younger girls falling behind

England has retained its place as a solid performer in maths and science for year 5 and year 9 pupils – but has seen no overall improvement since 2011, according to the latest international data from TIMSS. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), released by analysts in Massachusetts today, assessed 57 countries […]

Government refuses MP call to make strategy on sexual harassment a statutory requirement

The government has refused a committee recommendation to make it statutory for schools to develop a specific approach to sexual harassment among pupils, despite numerous MPs calling for it. Following a report from the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) which showed 29 per cent of 16- to 18-year-old girls had experienced unwanted sexual touching at […]

Inside the hidden world of all-party parliamentary groups on education – Part 2

In a second look at all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs), Schools Week gives a further taste of their varying influences on government policy. APPGs seek to debate and bring about government policy change – with several of the education-centred APPGs managing to change the curriculum or prevent subjects being dropped. Nineteen of the informal groups, run […]