Kathryn Snowdon | Schools Week

‘Shocking failure of SEND system’ highlighted in damning NAO report

The government’s own auditor has revealed that insufficient funding and severely stretched council budgets have left pupils with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) without the support they need. Campaigners say the findings reveal a “shocking failure” of the SEND system. The National Audit Office (NAO) report also reveals that local authorities’ spending on independent […]

Ofsted’s off-rolling analysis reveals 13% spike in schools with ‘exceptional’ pupil movement

The number of schools with exceptional levels of pupil movement has risen by 13 per cent in one year, despite Ofsted’s action to crack down on off-rolling. Analysis released today reveals that 340 schools had exceptional levels of pupil movement, up from 300 the year before. The watchdog’s latest study looked at pupil movement between […]

SEND review launched to tackle ‘postcode lottery’ of support

The Department for Education has today launched a review into tackling the “postcode lottery” of support services available for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) – just five years after launching its own major reforms to the sector. The SEND review aims to improve the services available to families and equip school staff to […]

New times-tables test ‘fails to tell 94% of teachers anything new about children’s ability’

The government’s multiplication tables check (MTC) failed to tell 94 per cent of school leaders anything new about the ability of their year 4 children, a new survey has revealed. Meanwhile, 85 per cent of school leaders said that administering the test increased their workload, with just 5 per cent saying that the additional workload […]

Michelle Donelan appointed temporary children’s minister

Michelle Donelan has been appointed as children’s minister while Kemi Badenoch is on maternity leave, the Department for Education announced today. The Conservative MP for Chippenham’s unpaid role will include the remit of special educational needs funding, safeguarding in schools and disadvantaged pupils, including pupil premium and pupil premium plus. Donelan sat on the commons […]

Edtech group chair Lord Chris Holmes steps down following sexual assault charge

The chair of the government’s expert panel set up to improve the use of technology in schools has left the role after appearing in court charged with sexual assault. Conservative peer and former Paralympic swimmer, Lord Chris Holmes, has “voluntarily stepped away” from the leadership of the edtech leadership group, a Department for Education spokesperson […]

Complaints against leading exam boards double in two years

The number of complaints received by Ofqual about England’s largest exam boards has nearly doubled over the past two years, latest figures show. Statistics released by the exams regulator today reveal that there were 143 complaints made against AQA, Pearson and OCR in 2018-19. This is a rise of 54 per cent from the 93 […]

Agnew vows crackdown on schools with ‘pernicious’ exclusive uniform suppliers

Academies minister Lord Agnew has vowed to crackdown on schools using “monopoly suppliers” for their school uniform – claiming it was a “pernicious way of excluding children from less well-off backgrounds”. During a joint education and work and pensions select committee session on Wednesday, Emma Hardy raised the issue of the cost of school uniforms, […]

Johnson government must press ahead with teacher bursaries reform, say MPs and peers

The government must press on with plans to offer larger bursaries to teachers in the most challenging schools, a group of MPs and peers has said. Justin Madders and Baroness Claire Tyler, the chairs of the all-party parliamentary group on social mobility have written to the chancellor Sajid Javid ahead of next week’s spending review, […]