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18 April 2026

Author: Nicky Phillips

Pitch-side presentation for award winner

A PE teacher has been honoured by the English Schools Rugby Union for his work setting up an academy trust’s rugby squad from scratch. Matt Leek of Bristol Brunel Academy won this years Real Rugby Heroes Award for his work at the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF). Set up with four players just over two years […]

Two academies get £7m to go back to the wall

Two academies have been given millions of pounds to build walls back into their open-plan classrooms after claims they were causing attainment to plunge. Bexhill High Academy, in East Sussex, and St Aldhelm’s Academy, in Dorset, are believed to have been handed about £7 million from the government to redesign their buildings this summer. Both […]

Sikh school places allocated against parents’ wishes

More than 20 children have been given places at Sikh-ethos schools against their wishes – with campaigners claiming their human rights could have been breached. More than two thirds of the intake at Khalsa Science Academy, a Sikh-ethos primary free school in Leeds, were allocated a place despite not selecting it as a preferred school. […]

If you’re poor, you won’t turn up to school

School-Home Support can offer practical help to schools, families and pupils. Pupils like Dana, 7, who was missing 30 per cent of her lessons Department for Education absence statistics show a welcome reduction in the number of children who are persistently absent from school. About 67,000 fewer children missed 15 per cent or more of […]

How schools are becoming ‘mini-welfare states’

– NAHT FAMILY SURVEY SHOWS SCHOOLS STEPPING IN AS MORE CHILDREN TURN UP DIRTY, HUNGRY AND COLD A dozen children at Passmores Academy in Essex use school washing machines to keep their uniforms clean. They register, pick up a clean uniform, put the dirty one in a machine, and pick it up again before leaving […]

Wages stagnate as private schools control fees

Private school teachers’ salaries have risen less than 1 per cent this year, despite record numbers of pupils taking up places. Just over half a million pupils now attend Independent School Council (ISC) schools – an increase of 5,000 on last year. However, the ISC’s annual census – published today – reveals that schools faced […]

Phonics checks could come earlier for ‘advanced’ pupils

Phonics checks could be brought forward for brighter pupils under a future Conservative-led government, Nicky Morgan has said. A spokesperson for the education secretary told Schools Week she was going to “go away and look at” whether the controversial checks for six-year-olds could be sat earlier by more able children. It comes after the question […]

Tribal loses £6.3m as Ofsted withdraws contract

An education support services company contracted to provide inspectors for Ofsted school visits has posted losses of more than £6 million after the watchdog decided to bring inspections back in-house. The Tribal Group posted a pre-tax loss of £6.3 million for 2014, compared with a £13.5 million profit in 2013. The loss follows last year’s […]

Watchdog checks out safety faults in 300 schools

– Investigations include asbestos and dangerous gates – No legal requirement to tell parents of failings The health and safety watchdog has launched nearly 300 investigations at schools in the past three years, Schools Week can exclusively reveal. Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have investigated 293 incidents at schools since April 2011, […]