John Dickens | Schools Week

The Science of Learning

Evidence-based education tends to be regarded in much the same way as Oscar Wilde viewed advice: useful for other people. After all, how many teachers have the time to go hunting for research that is: not behind a paywall; written in a language at least approximating English, and can be immediately applied in the classroom? […]

GCSE results 2019: Double science

Here are the trends in double science GCSE grades for 2019. The data shows a small rise in the top grades at GCSE double science this year, although the proportion of grade 7 results has remained static at 4.4 per cent. The proportion of results missing the pass mark at grade 3 has fallen substantially, […]

GCSE results 2019: Six interesting things we have learned

GCSE results are out this morning – here’s your usual handy Schools Week round up of the key trends. One thing to note: From a Schools Week perspective, the most useful data for our readers is the England 16-year-olds data. Wales and Northern Ireland run their GCSEs differently to England, so UK-wide data isn’t useful. […]

DfE ditches statement suggesting top unis support EBacc subjects

The government has ditched a statement on its website stating that the country’s top universities believe the EBacc subjects “open more doors to more degrees”. It follows the Russell Group of elite universities dropping its list of preferred A-level subjects, known as “facilitating subjects”. The list of subjects included all five of the areas covered […]

Pearson: We apologise for not being clear on BTEC changes – but it’s the right call

This week, tens of thousands of students receive their results for their Level 2 vocational qualifications and GCSEs. Our BTEC Tech Awards are designed to be taught alongside GCSEs, giving students a glimpse into a professional sector whilst teaching them skills for life. Students will receive grades for the first time in five new BTEC […]

Licence fees to almost double for cash-strapped UTCs

The Baker Dearing Trust is set to double the membership fee that university technical colleges have to pay, meaning the charity will collect nearly £500,000 annually from the cash-strapped institutions. The charity’s new chief executive, Simon Connell, has defended upping the annual fee, which will increase from £5,500 to £10,000 this September. But the unexpected […]

Boris Johnson vows to give schools ‘powers they need to deal with bad behaviour’

Prime minister Boris Johnson has pledged today to give schools the “powers they need to deal with bad behaviour and bullying”. In a statement released on A-level results days, Johnson also said the government will “do all we can” to improve funding. Schools are still waiting to hear about the full details of Johnson’s pledge […]

A-level results 2019: 5 key trends in England’s data

A-level results are out! Here’s what we know… 1. Overall performance in England* The proportion of A* and A grades has dropped this year by 1 percentage point to 25.2 per cent, the lowest since 2007. Pupils achieving an A* is also down, from 8 per cent last year to 7.7 per cent – […]

Exam boards ‘confident’ in maths A-level grades as investigation launched

Exam boards have insisted they are “confident” in the grade boundaries set for A-level maths after Ofqual launched an investigation following “unusual” changes. Schools Week revealed yesterday that this year’s grade boundaries had been leaked ahead of results day for both the Edexcel and OCR exam boards. They showed a big shift in grade boundaries […]