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1 May 2026

Author: Nick Linford

Sutton Trust: Change admissions and bus in poor pupils to the best schools

The best state schools should change their admissions rules and bus in more disadvantaged pupils to boost aspirations, the Sutton Trust has said, after it revealed disinterest in university trebled between years 9 and 11. The Sutton Trust has called for the use of ballots and banding on admissions, plus free transport for disadvantaged pupils so they can […]

Schools not getting enough funding to support SEND pupils, 8 in 10 heads say

Schools are not getting enough funding to provide for pupils with special educational needs (SEND), according to more than eight in ten school leaders. The survey by The Key, a leadership and management support service, also revealed that almost 90 per cent of school leaders thought cuts to council services had a “detrimental impact” on […]

Teach pupils problem-solving, not just to ‘follow instructions’, says former Blair adviser

Schools are failing to equip pupils for an “uncertain world” and should teach problem-solving skills rather than simply training children to follow instructions, a former government adviser has recommended in a new report today. Charles Leadbeater, who advised former prime minister Tony Blair, warned that “too little” of what pupils learned at school prepared them […]

Theresa May tasks migration committee with teacher shortages probe

A panel of experts has been commissioned to examine whether teacher shortages could be addressed using migrants from outside the European Union after a recruiter reported having to turn away candidates because of strict visa rules. Theresa May, the home secretary, has asked the Migration Advisory Committee to examine whether it would be “sensible” to […]

Exclusive: Government won’t release teachers’ pay report until after EU referendum

A key report from the body which recommends teachers’ pay will not be published until after the EU referendum, despite having been sent to government almost a month ago, Schools Week can reveal. The eight-member School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), which recommends how much of a pay rise teachers should receive each year, has confirmed […]

Pace of maths GCSE reforms has led to 7-day working, subject leaders warn

New maths GCSEs are being introduced too quickly and are risking a “mess”, subject leaders today warned as one teacher reported working seven days a week to implement the changes. The new exams, to be taken by pupils for the first time next summer, require pupils to demonstrate a greater grasp of the problem-solving applications of […]

Call for more school funding to help northern schools

Teach First and IPPR North are calling on policy makers to use reform of the schools funding formula to boost educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in the north. Currently, they say, northern secondary schools are on average funded £1,300 less per pupil compared to those in London – and the upcoming funding formula reform could […]

Regional Schools Commissioner Pank Patel steps down to become academy head

Pank Patel, Regional Schools Commissioner for the West Midlands, is stepping down from his post to take up leadership of an academy in the area. Mr Patel was previously headteacher of Wood Green Academy in Wednesbury, between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, before he took up his RSC role on September 1, 2014. The Department for Education […]