John Dickens | Schools Week

Academy trust chair embroiled in police probe resigns

The co-founder of Aspire Achieve Advance has resigned from his position as chair of an academy trust, after the government referred his giant training provider to the police. Schools Week revealed last night that Peter Marples had the backing of the Spencer Academies Trust, even though his training provider firm 3aaa was put into administration […]

Chinese-backed firm buys United Learning private school

A United Learning private school has been sold to a Chinese-backed international schools’ group to become its flagship school in the UK. Bournemouth Collegiate School, which charges up to £30,000 for a full boarder, has been sold to Bright Scholar – the largest operator of international and bilingual K-12 schools in China. Jerry He, chief […]

Investigation: Schools accused of fudging sport premium funding

The government has been urged to plug the holes in its sport premium cash scheme, with teachers claiming schools are fudging their funding. The call comes as the education secretary Damian Hinds announced this week a new “school sport action plan” to get more pupils to play competitive sport. National sports organisations, including the Premier […]

Third of councils have no specialist dyslexia teachers, study finds

A third of councils do not have sufficient specialist dyslexia teachers, a new study has found, as £10m recruitment pledge falls short. Research by the Driver Youth Trust found 54 local authorities in England do not include the provision of any localised, specialist teachers in dyslexia, literacy, specific learning difficulties, or educational psychologists in their […]

Sir David Carter to train academy leaders in new Ambition School Leadership role

Sir David Carter will help train academy leaders in a new role after standing down as national schools commissioner. Carter has joined the newly-merged Institute for Teaching and Ambition School Leadership as executive director of executive leadership. Carter, who announced he was stepping down as NSC in April, will provide support for executive heads, chief […]

Hinds criticised for neglecting school funding in conference speech

School leaders have criticised Damian Hinds for neglecting school funding in his first Conservative party conference speech as education secretary – instead making “recycled announcements”. Hinds said unveiled today his plans for “a world class education for everyone, whatever path you take, whatever your background”. The speech contained few new policy announcements, apart from £10 million […]

Damian Hinds: Full text of Conservative Conference 2018 speech

You know whenever I ask anyone to think back to their education, what really made a difference for them when they were at school, you know I have yet to come back – to get the answer back – “it was a smart board” or “a text book” or “an exam” or “a scheme of […]

Hinds: ‘We must re-put the case for school autonomy’

Conservatives must make the case for continuing school autonomy, which is being “called seriously into question” in political debate, the education secretary has said. Damian Hinds told a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference that parents of children at academies and free schools are “happy” with the institutions, and that it was up to […]

Investigation: Failing schools left in takeover limbo

Complex legal issues are still thwarting the potentially transformative takeovers of failing schools, including one “orphan school” that has been waiting seven years to convert. A Schools Week investigation reveals that five failing schools given government orders to convert more than three years ago are still to become academies. Most of the “orphans” have willing […]