Author: Nick Linford

A Christian free school has been rated inadequate by Ofsted, less than three weeks after it was issued with a warning over its finances.  Grindon Hall Christian School in Sunderland – previously a private school, now a state-funded free school – has published the damning report on its website, despite the fact the watchdog is yet to […]

The National Audit Office has criticised the Department of Education over its annual financial statement saying it is not a “true reflection” of activity by its groups of bodies. Comptroller and Auditor General Amyas Morse has attacked the DfE’s decision to consolidate the financial statements of academy trusts alongside those of the department itself when […]

The Department for Education has warned that under-performance in schools is “unacceptable” after a Christian free school in Sunderland was labelled “inadequate”. Grindon Hall Christian School announced earlier today that it had been graded as inadequate following a visit by Ofsted in November. The report was uploaded to the internet by the school along with a […]

The Sunday Times Festival of Education has confirmed Schools Week as a 2015 media partner. The annual festival will be taking place on June 18 and 19 at Berkshire-based Wellington College and more than 100 speakers from across the world of education and training and beyond have already been confirmed. After being confirmed as a 2015 media […]

Education secretary, Nicky Morgan, has today outlined a three-part “new deal for teachers” in a message to colleagues. The “new deal”, outlined in an email released from the Department for Education (DfE) outlines her determination to tackle workload, increase development opportunities for teachers, and establish an independent College of Teaching. Ms Morgan also noted that […]

An academy in Gloucestershire is the latest school to be relinquished by struggling chain E-Act, with a nearby FE college due to take on its sponsorship. South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) has announced it will become the new sponsor of Forest Academy, formerly Heywood Community School, in Cinderford in the Forest of Dean. Last […]

The Department for Education (DfE) has published the first three waves of free school application forms, more than two years after they were first requested. Waves one, two and three of application forms submitted by free schools in order to gain approval for opening were supposed to be published before Christmas, but the DfE said last […]

Teaching unions have criticised Ofsted for failing to act more quickly on the reliability of its judgements after it announced it would pilot “double inspections”. Double visits by Ofsted inspectors are to take place on the same day at schools from the spring, following an admission by the inspectorate that not enough has been done […]