Nick Linford | Schools Week

BREAKING: Three suspended as academies trust launches ‘misconduct’ investigation

A North London academies trust has suspended three senior managers and launched an investigation into “gross misconduct”. In a move which Cuckoo Hall Academies Trust (CHAT) chair Andry Efthymiou admitted would come as a shock to parents, executive headteacher Patricia Sowter and Cuckoo Hall headteacher Sharon Ahmet have been suspended along with Phill Sowter, one […]

Banned head takes DfE to High Court for right to appeal

A banned headteacher has taken the Department for Education to High Court in a bid to overturn a decision that prevents her appealing her prohibition order. Joanna Shuter CBE, former head of Quintin Kynaston Community Academy in north London, and Head Teacher of the Year at the 2007 National Teaching Awards, was given a lifetime […]

Ofsted publishes outcomes for 35 no-notice inspections following ‘Trojan Horse’ revelations

Twenty three schools have seen a fall in their inspection rating after being hit with a no-notice inspection from Ofsted – with ten of the schools dropping by more than one grade. The schools were part of a wave of 35 such inspections carried out in September and October following the ‘Trojan Horse’ revelations. Among the […]

The Regional Schools Commissioners and their regions

Over eight weeks we have profiled each of the eight regional schools commissioner (RSC) regions. RSCs are the government’s ‘middle tier’, introduced as a new layer between individual academy schools and trusts in England, and the Department for Education. Announced in December last year, RSCs have a remit of monitoring the performance of the academies in their […]

Teachers’ union to launch Gender Equality Challenge in 2015

The General Secretary of the teaching union NASUWT has announced a ‘national initiative’ to encourage, support and recognise publicly the work of schools on gender inequality. Speaking at their ‘education and gender quality’ conference in London today, Chris Keates, would launch a Gender Equality Challenge next year. She said: “With this conference today, we are inviting all […]

Ofsted director tells governors ‘tough conversations’ needed after Trojan Horse

There will be times when faith schools feel trapped between “the rock of their faith and the hard place of the law” following the Trojan Horse affair, an Ofsted director has said. The requirement to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, and to prepare their pupils for life in modern Britain, meant that some “tough […]

Government launch fairer funding consultation for Special Educational Needs and Disability

The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation in a bid to make the distribution of special educational needs and disability (SEND) funding fairer. It comes after minister for schools David Laws announced in July there would be changes in the current system to address unfairness. The consultation said: “We have no specific funding […]

Academy oversight failings exposed as Hodge’s PAC prepares to hear evidence

The agency in charge of academy funding has been told that it must “get to grips with dubious business relationships” after an investigation into one academy trust’s finances. The National Audit Office (NAO) today released findings into the oversight by the Education Funding Agency (EFA) of the Durand Academy Trust’s (DAT) related-party transactions and conflicts […]

Clegg’s ‘revolutionary’ UCAS-style post-16 service already exists claims UCAS

The deputy prime minister has today announced ‘revolutionary’ plans for a post-16 vocational system ‘similar to UCAS’ – although UCAS has said it is already providing the service. Nick Clegg (pictured) told visitors to the Skills Show, a skills and careers event at Birmingham NEC, the government will set up a “fully-comprehensive national database” of post-16 skills and […]