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29 April 2026

Author: Nick Linford

Pupil achievement at 16 to become part of child poverty measure

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has announced a new child poverty measure which will include pupil achievement at the age of 16. Delivering a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Duncan Smith said that he did not believe current definitions of child poverty did enough “to focus government on children’s future life […]

Teachers alerted to ISIS propaganda techniques as prevent duty begins in schools

Guidance to help teachers spot the warning signs of radicalisation among pupils has been published by the government, including advice on social media and common phrases and propaganda used by terrorist groups like Islamic State (ISIS). The guidance has been issued to coincide with the activation of the ‘prevent’ duty, a legal requirement from July […]

5 things bothering me about the ‘coasting schools’ definition

Today was the first day of the Education Bill committee stage. To celebrate the ‘coasting schools’ definition was revealed. The definition matters because it will decide which schools could be forced to change management unless the regional schools commissioner decides they are worthy of being saved. A detailed look at the definition is here. In […]

Coasting Schools: Education Bill Committee Stage – Day 1 Afternoon Round-Up

The government revealed its proposed definition of a ‘coasting school’ last night. Today a cross-party committee of MPs are asking witnesses for their thoughts, and will debate proposed amendments to the definition. A morning session raised issues around the usefulness of the measure. The afternoon session was live-tweeted by @SchoolsWeek. Here’s what happened. https://storify.com/lauramcinerney/education-bill  

Coasting Schools: Education Bill Committee Stage – Day 1 Morning Round-Up

The government revealed its proposed definition of a ‘coasting school’ last night. Today a cross-party committee of MPs are asking witnesses for their thoughts, and will debate proposed amendments to the definition. This morning’s session was live-tweeted by @SchoolsWeek. Here’s what happened. https://storify.com/lauramcinerney/education-bill-committee-session-1-round-up

Coasting Schools Definition: The Nerdy Details

The official definition for a ‘coasting school’ has been revealed today. This matters because schools defined as coasting are eligible for intervention from the government under the proposed Education Bill.   First things of note: The status will not be based on Ofsted categories. It will be based on exam scores over three years. Schools […]