Jess Staufenberg | Schools Week

PE and RE teachers are least effective superheads, new study reveals

Heads who taught PE or RE before leading failing academies are more likely to adopt a damaging “short-termist” approach to running schools, but are awarded the most honours. A major study by the Centre for High Performance has identified the impact of different “types” of headteacher – with their leadership style linked to their degree […]

Teacher workload report recommends cutting TAs and increasing teachers

The diversity of ability within England’s classrooms is contributing to high teacher workload and needs new strategies that may include streaming and fewer teaching assistants, a researcher has claimed. Research into teacher workload published by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) on Monday found that secondary school teachers in England work 48.2 hours a week on […]

Fast-track ECDL IT qualification pass rate soars by 350%

The number of pupils passing a controversial fast-track IT qualification has soared by nearly 350 per cent in just 12 months, prompting concerns that it is pushing “more rigorous” subjects out of the curriculum. Ofqual data released last week revealed 117,200 level 2 European computer driving licence (ECDL) IT application skills certificates were issued from […]

Capital funding delays force school to cut admissions

A school waiting for investment under the government’s flagship building programme has been forced to reduce its pupil numbers after classrooms were deemed so unsafe they had to be demolished. Great Barr School in Birmingham has been given permission by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) to reduce its published admission number from 422 […]

Private schools spend three times more on each pupil

Private schools are bumping up their fees while state school funding remains flat, widening the attainment gap between the state and independent sectors, academics have claimed. Research published this week by the UCL Institute of Education, titled The labour market benefits of private schooling, has found that fees within the private sector have increased well […]

Teacher workload won’t reduce unless class sizes are increased, new report claims

Teachers will struggle to reduce their workload unless schools increase their class sizes, a new analysis has claimed. A report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), published today, found it was “unlikely” teachers can cut down on workload unless classes are expanded so they have more time to prepare for fewer lessons. Staff in countries […]

5 Key Facts: Teacher Workload In The UK vs Other Countries

A new report published by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) today has analysed teacher workload and professional development in secondary schools. The data, first gathered for the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) in 2013, included responses from 2,500 teachers across 150 schools in England and those of more than 100,000 teachers across 36 countries and jurisdictions. […]

GCSE grading changes will hamper school comparisons

The new grading system and a raft of government reforms mean GCSE results will not be comparable until at least 2022, a headteacher has warned. Liam Collins, headteacher at Uplands community college in East Sussex, said moving to the new 9-1 GCSE grading system meant parents, teachers and inspectors would struggle to compare the performance […]

Private schools pledge their support for national MFL training centre

Private schools have pledged to support a new national teacher training centre for linguists to stave off a “crisis in modern foreign language skills”, writes Jess Staufenberg. The “innovative” school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) will be led by the Silverdale multi-academy trust and is set to open in Sheffield next year. The centre was announced […]