Skip to content
28 April 2026

Author: Nick Linford

MPs call for nursery schools to become academies

Two MPs are calling on the Department for Education (DfE) to consider allowing nursery schools to become academies. In a parliamentary debate last week, they said they believed early years’ providers should be able to seek academy status. Both Shadow Minister for Childcare and Children Lucy Powell and the Conservative chair of the Education Select […]

Late reprieve for Sikh free school plan in Leicester

A Sikh-ethos free school that had its funding pulled five days before opening may yet open in October after being granted a second chance by the Department for Education (DfE). Falcons Primary in Leicester was informed by the DfE that its funding agreement was being withdrawn on August 29, shortly before 70 pupils were due […]

Agnew joins Nash at Future Academies

A non-executive board member at the Department for Education (DfE) has taken a new role with an academy trust founded by education minister Lord Nash, Schools Week can report. Theodore Agnew took up a role as a director of Future Academies in July, documents newly lodged with Companies House show. Mr Agnew is sponsor and […]

Are journal clubs a good use of precious free time?

Rebecca Allen, reader in the economics of education at the Institute of Education, asks whether teacher journal clubs can improve classroom practice A teacher journal club is the professional version of a book club. A group of teachers regularly meets after school to discuss pre-chosen academic articles of direct relevance to pedagogy and classroom practice. […]

Tradition and innovation: finding the balance

Educationist Martin Robinson emphasised the importance of a balance between tradition and innovation. Speaking at Saturday’s conference, Mr Robinson (pictured) gave the audience tales of how research could improve thinking, but should also be treated with caution. He said: “What’s the relationship between undermining authority and research? For me, it’s about tradition. And research belongs […]

Get behind research funding

Tom Sherrington, headteacher at Highbury Grove School, north London, on how research can be absorbed into classroom practice in a meaningful way The aim of my talk was to look at four different kinds of research and get people to consider the extent to which teachers accepted their findings and how they might allow it […]

Top 5 research mistakes

Beware: most people make five common mistakes when they’re talking about research, writes Laura McInerney, deputy editor of Schools Week The problem with being the sort of person who spends their Saturday in an education conference is that you eventually want to communicate what you learned with someone who doesn’t spend their weekends at education […]

Free school decision letters published after two year battle

After a two year battle, the Department for Education (DfE) has published decision letters sent to the first waves of successful free schools. However, the DfE were “unable to find two decision letters, for ARK Bolingbroke Academy (wave 1) and Discovery Free School (wave 2).” All free school applicant groups received a letter stating whether or […]