Nick Linford | Schools Week

NQT retention rate branded ‘dismal’ as union reveals two in five stay less than a year

The “dismal” retention rate of newly-qualified teachers (NQTs) has been lamented by a union leader after figures revealed only three fifths of those who gained qualified teacher status (QTS) in 2011 were still in teaching a year later. But conflicting figures from the National Council for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) for the number of NQTs who […]

Gove’s ‘school structure experiment’ has left schools in free-fall – Bousted

Michael Gove’s “great school structure experiment” has failed, and the proof is in the schools which “fall through gaps in the system”, Dr Mary Bousted will tell the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) conference today. During her speech shortly after 10am, the ATL general secretary will cite the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) school oversight […]

The state of the union – ATL’s Dr Mary Bousted targets education’s top leaders

Association of Teachers and Lecturers general secretary Dr Mary Bousted certainly didn’t pull her punches when she addressed her union’s annual conference this morning. Here, we look at the full list of people and organisations who earned her ire. Michael Gove The former education secretary got a whopping 20 mentions during Dr Bousted’s speech (Kudos […]

Hunt pledges ‘far-reaching’ reform of Ofsted and peer review system by 2020

Labour will complete “far-reaching reform” of Ofsted and introduce a peer review improvement system by 2020 if the party forms a government after May 7, Tristram Hunt has pledged. Addressing the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) annual conference in Liverpool this morning, the shadow education secretary said the school improvement system was too focused […]

STEM-specialist free school branded ‘inadequate’

A North London 16 to 19 free school which specialises in science, maths, engineering and technology has been branded inadequate less than two years after it opened. STEM Academy opened in Islington in September 2013 as part of the government’s plan to encourage more 16-19 academies, but has been ordered to improve by Ofsted following […]

Ofqual list: GCSEs and A Levels that WILL begin reform for 2017 – and those facing the chop

Ofqual, the qualifications regulator, has announced its final batch of GCSEs and A levels facing reform. Most ‘core’ subjects have already been reformed – eg English, maths, geography. (And a few other oddities). Today, the final decisions were announced for other subjects. If a subject you teach is under the ‘will NOT be reformed’ list, […]

Struggling City Academy Bristol calls in RSC David Carter’s old chain after Ofsted ‘inadequate’ rating

An academy chain once run by regional schools commissioner David Carter has been called in to help a struggling school in Bristol after Ofsted plunged it into special measures. City Academy Bristol (CAB) has announced a partnership with the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF), of which Mr Carter used to be chief executive, after the watchdog […]

Independent groups appointed to tackle initial teacher training in wake of Carter Review

Two independent bodies have been tasked with creating a new framework and new standards for initial teacher training (ITT) following a call from headteacher Sir Andrew Carter. The Department for Education (DfE) has responded to the Carter Review of ITT by appointing Comberton Academy Trust chief executive Stephen Munday to lead an independent “expert group” […]

Carter Review response: Munday and Beer to the rescue on initial teacher training

Meet Munday and Beer, the Department for Education’s answer to initial teacher training (ITT) concerns raised in the Carter Review. The DfE has appointed Comberton Academy Trust chief executive Stephen Munday to lead an independent expert group formed to develop a new ITT framework. It has also asked the Teaching Schools Council, led by Ashton on Mersey […]