John Dickens | Schools Week

School mascot Brian the Lion has out-of-this-world experience

A primary school mascot captured an out-of-this-world selfie after being launched 20km into space. Westleigh Methodist primary school, in Leigh, sent Brian the Lion – named after the physicist Brian Cox – into space to launch its new values, “Aspire, Believe, Achieve”. Strapped to a weather balloon, Brian enjoyed a 90-minute journey before taking a […]

High Court grants permanent exclusion zone at school in LGBT teaching row

Protesters have been permanently banned from campaigning against LGBT inclusive lessons outside of a school. The high court ruled today that an exclusion zone around Anderton Park school, in Birmingham, will remain. A temporary injunction banning protestors – secured by Birmingham council – had been in place since June. The council said noisy protests were […]

Conservative manifesto 2019: the full list of schools policies

The Conservative party has published its manifesto for the 2019 general election today. There’s little new for schools other than what the party has already announced. But here’s what you need to know. 1. The party has pledged to back heads and teachers on discipline. This is something Boris Johnson has already said. The […]

What schools can learn from Game of Thrones on mottos

I’m fairly sure my school had a motto, but I can’t remember what it was. What I can remember however, in encyclopedic detail, are the mottos of the great houses in Game of Thrones. For those with slightly less nerdy proclivities, the great houses in Game of Thrones are a pastiche of the noble houses […]

Progress 8 fails pupils with special needs

Thousands of pupils with complex needs are guaranteed a negative P8 score and are at increased risk of exclusion as a result, writes Steve Preston. They and their schools deserve better When you visit the performance table for secondary schools, the Department for Education makes it clear that Progress 8 (P8) is its key accountability […]

Is it ever OK to remove a child from your roll?

Ofsted has been downgrading schools that “off-roll” students. But what does it actually mean? Cath Murray explains… The whole area of alternative provision (AP), off-rolling, exclusions and managed moves can be confusing. In a recent inspection, Ofsted said the school’s pupils educated in AP were “well cared for” and achieved good results. But the inspectors […]

‘We will not be gagged’ – heads switch to personal email accounts to campaign on school funding

Hundreds of headteachers have used their personal email addresses to warn election candidates about school funding pressures, vowing: “We will not be gagged.” The government last year warned headteachers over using school resources for “party political activities”. Tory politicians were unhappy about schools sending letters to parents that described funding cuts. During the pre-election period, […]

Investigation: Pupils ‘at risk’ as special school staff left to ‘fill gaps’ in medical care

Special school staff are being left “vulnerable” and fearful for their jobs because they have to pick up “increasingly complex” care procedures with dwindling support from medical professionals. An investigation by Schools Week discovered that school leaders are terrified of reprisals if things go wrong on their watch, after a year-long research project found staff […]

Schools urged to offer inclusive assemblies after trust concedes collective worship challenge

Campaigners say religious schools should now offer suitable secular alternatives for pupils withdrawn from collective worship after a school conceded in a legal case over compulsory prayers. The Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust will provide alternative materials that further spiritual, moral and cultural development for students withdrawn from collective worship to study at Burford primary school. […]