Nicky Phillips | Schools Week

Nominations open for VQ awards

It’s nomination time again for this year’s VQ awards, which recognise talented vocational learners, teachers and employers. There are three categories: schools, colleges and learning providers can nominate outstanding students who have gained or are working towards a vocational qualification for the Learner of the Year Award, vocational education teachers can be nominated for Teacher […]

Comparing Manifestos – Part 4

In the run up to this May’s general election, Schools Week will analyse the manifestos of various education organisations, typically from opposite ends of the political spectrum. This fourth pre-election comparison looks at the National Association of Headteachers and Headteachers’ Roundtable. Click here to view the spread.

“If I were education secretary I would…”

I would publish more data and set fewer targets. I would make it easier for research organisations to access the treasure trove of information on the national pupil database. And I would fund education statisticians to run workshops around the country for interested teachers and parents who want to understand how they can use this […]

ASCL: leave us to get on with it, whitehall

The curriculum is the business of politicians, not teachers, said Nicky Morgan, while Labour’s Tristram Hunt plumped for help from overseas. And as for David Laws? Well, he wouldn’t have missed the past three years for the world . . . Schools Week reports from the annual conference of the Association of School and College […]

Special needs reforms: laudable or laughable?

Parents of children with special needs last year told a website survey that they were unhappy with September’s changes to provision. But do their concerns indicate widespread problems, or has the coalition secured genuine longer-term improvements? The coalition says that reforms to special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision brought in last September are the […]

Reception assessments ‘harmful’, say unions and academics

An open letter expressing deep concern about the intended introduction of reception baseline assessments from September has been signed by 17 associations and unions. The signatories argue that the assessments, to be completed by pupils within their first six weeks, are “unreliable, disruptive, statistically invalid and harmful to child wellbeing”. They say they will “detract […]

Inspiration Trust denies ‘baseless allegations’ it will sell failing Norwich schools’ land

Education secretary Nicky Morgan has taken the controversial decision to sign an academy order for the Hewett school in Norwich, with Inspiration Academy Trust poised to take over as its sponsor. The school is in the highly marginal Norwich South seat, at present held by the Liberal Democrats, and the decision ignores hundreds of parents […]

DfE scores academy chains and local authorities on same measures for first time

The Department for Education has proposed measures for rating the performance of academy chains and local authorities, which would be published on an ongoing basis. Under the proposals, out for consultation, chains and councils would be given a score for the value they add to pupil attainment between key stages 2 and 4. The length […]

£1.8m to ‘eradicate’ homophobic bullying

The government has released £1.8 million to train teachers to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic (HBT) bullying. Eight groups, including Barnado’s, Show Racism the Red Card and the National Children’s Bureau, will share the money. Diversity Role Models, in collaboration with sexual health charity Brook, will receive £277,000 to provide training to 10,000 teachers and […]