John Dickens | Schools Week

DfE pulls out of major TALIS survey to ‘reduce considerable workload burden’

England will not take part in a major international survey that ranks countries based on their teacher working conditions – with ministers saying it will help to reduce workload. The Department for Education has confirmed it will not take part in the 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Nearly 50 countries took part in […]

Self-isolating pupils who miss Autumn resits face entering 2021 exams

Pupils who can’t sit exams during the additional Autumn series face having to wait until next year to try again to achieve a better grade. The Department for Education has this evening published contingency guidance for the autumn resits – for pupils who feel their centre-assessed grade was unfair. It states that, as in normal […]

Fraud police drop Bright Tribe investigation

Fraud police have dropped their investigation into the Bright Tribe academy trust, Schools Week can reveal. The investigation was launched after a Panorama probe accused the trust, founded by businessman Michael Dwan, of making false claims for hundreds of thousands of pounds for building and maintenance government grants. They’ve previously said they can’t release such […]

Break the rules and you’re out, minister tells academy bosses

The academies minister has declared there is “simply no place” in education for discredited academy bosses – and vowed to “take action” against those who flout the rules. Baroness Berridge’s threat comes after the education secretary barred a third school leader this month for breaking academy rules. Nardeep Sharma, the former chief executive of the […]

Warning over school leaders with ‘reactivity fatigue considering early retirements’

School leaders are suffering from “reactivity fatigue” with some looking at early retirements because of the toll taken by the coronavirus pandemic. Michael Pain, chief executive of the Forum Strategy, will issue the warning later today at his organisation’s annual conference. It comes after a Teacher Tapp survey found one in five headteachers said they […]

Former academy CEO barred for ‘failing to act with integrity and honesty’

A former academy chief executive has been barred from running schools by the government for “failing to act with integrity and honesty” following payments to a firm connected to trust staff. It’s the latest sign that government is finally flexing its powers to ban rule-breaking academy bosses. Nardeep Sharma has been barred from holding a […]

Pay rise costs take sheen off extra funding

School funding will still be six per cent lower than it was in 2010 after cash swallowed up by rising salaries is taken into account, a new study has found. The government has promised to pump an extra £7.1 billion into the schools budget by 2023, which the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said “near […]

Government considering extra testing kits for schools

The government is looking at increasing the number of testing kits issued to schools. In the commons today, Conservative MP Nick Fletcher urged the government to increase the number of test kits issued to schools, currently 10, up to 30 to “help pupils remain in the classroom”. Schools Week revealed last week how schools were […]

DfE seizes control of handling school covid cases after PHE local teams ‘overwhelmed’

The government has set up a national helpline for schools to report positive coronavirus cases following some being left in “limbo” waiting three days to get official health advice. A Schools Week investigation revealed yesterday how schools were waiting days for advice from local health protection teams on how to handle outbreaks. The Department for […]