Author: Nick Linford

Plans to expand an inadequate school in order to achieve “value for money” give limited government capital funding has sparked warnings about further future compromises. Walsall Council has announced a consultation on plans to increase the annual intake at Kings Hill Primary from 45 to 60, despite the school being in special measures for more than two […]

In a year when people started revolting against the opinion writer and calling for ‘safe spaces’, Schools Week continued bringing thought-provoking content – even when it caused some opposition. Here’s the 10 pieces this year which garnered the most attention.   10. If I were education secretary – Debra Kidd In our most read of the ‘If […]

Secret documents, submarines, and teachers escaping to warmer climes all graced the Schools Week cover this year. But what were the most-read stories online? In reverse order: 10. More teachers left to go abroad last year than did a university PGCE  Shocking figures revealed how last year over 18,000 extra teachers made their way to work in British […]

A studio school with just 25 pupils on its roll will close next year after its sponsor admitted a “lack of local demand”. Bradford Studio School opened in 2012 as the country’s first specialist travel and hospitality training centre and aimed to attract 300 pupils. But its sponsor Bradford College Education Trust has this week […]

Safeguarding training for school staff could become an annual requirement under new plans set out by the government. The Department for Education is consulting on proposed changes to its statutory guidance on keeping children safe in education. The draft proposals would increase the frequency at which schools must train their staff on safeguarding and child protection policies. […]

An academy trust which ‘misled’ parents over government intervention in SATs testing is to close and have its two remaining schools transferred to a new sponsor. Regional schools commissioner (RSC) Jennifer Bexon-Smith has ruled that Sandhill Multi Academy Trust “lacks the capacity to discharge the strategic nature of its role” after complaints about its handling […]

One of England’s largest academy chains will be stripped of three of its schools with the future of three more in doubt following intervention by the government. East Midlands and the Humber regional schools commissioner Jennifer Bexon-Smith (pictured) wrote to the School Partnership Trust Academies (SPTA) describing performance concerns over 13 of its academies and […]

Government officials will work with Ofsted to tackle the ‘exploitation’ of home education amid fears children are being ‘radicalised’ by their parents. The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed it is working with the watchdog to address its “concerns” over home-schooled children after the Independent on Sunday reported that officials were worried about some parents […]

Differences in the difficulty of GCSE and A level subjects are being reviewed by Ofqual as it seeks to address the “issue” of comparability across exams. The watchdog has published six working papers, a video and an infographic aimed at exploring options for ensuring exam grades are comparable across subjects. Four policy options have been […]