Nicky Phillips | Schools Week

Sponsors step away from troubled Liverpool academy

The number of sponsors of the troubled Enterprise South Liverpool Academy (ESLA) in Garston is to be cut back. Amey, the lead sponsor of the failing academy, and the University of Liverpool and Liverpool City Council will step away from their joint sponsorship, leaving two faith sponsors, the Diocese of Liverpool and the Archdiocese of […]

Ofsted refuses to release conference slides

A teacher has questioned why Ofsted refuses to release presentation materials about maths teaching that he claims should be publicly available. The inspectorate’s national lead for mathematics, Jane Jones, presented a session at Cheshire East Council’s “Better Mathematics” conference in December. But when Andrew Smith, a teacher in Birmingham, used the Freedom of Information Act […]

Ofsted changes ruling on Derby school

The headteacher of a free school pulled out of special measures by Ofsted says the school has the “drive and capacity” to make more progress. Ofsted judged Al-Madinah School in Derby as “requires improvement” last week, after last year ruling that it was inadequate. The secondary school at the site was ordered to close and […]

Turning the league tables: How a focus on disadvantage shows new winners

Results released today show that 330 state schools are now falling below the 40 per cent ‘floor target’ of students achieving five A*-Cs in GCSEs, including English and maths. This means 330,475 children are being taught in underperforming schools in England; compared to 117,000 last year. However, changes to the data mean this year’s results […]

Teachers sent home face long wait for Ofsted pass

More than 240 teachers banned from the classroom because they live with someone who has been convicted of a violent or sexual offence are facing a long wait to see if they can return to teaching, following a rise in applications. Just 17 of the 259 applications to Ofsted for a disqualification by association waiver […]

Jo-Anne Baird, director, Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment

If you can’t find Jo-Anne Baird in one of the University of Oxford’s historic buildings, you will probably find her taking a stroll with her husband and dog through the nearby rolling countryside. We meet in the university’s department of education on one of Oxford’s beautiful city streets – Norham Gardens, a stone’s throw from […]

It’s time to find out what we agree on, says Morris

In 2002 when she admitted that she wasn’t up to the job, former education secretary Estelle Morris did what politicians rarely do. She spoke her mind. More than 12 years later, and now a Labour peer, she was as candid as ever when she joined an education panel at the Fabian Society’s new year conference […]

STEM career contest launched

A new competition has been launched to encourage more young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) industries. The Formula 100 competition, set up by Your Life, a three-year campaign aimed to encourage STEM careers in the UK, will invite pupils aged 11-18 to submit a 30-second video answering “what would […]

Academy roots for Cambodian trip

Students and teachers at Hanham Woods Academy in Bristol were happy to have their hair pulled out recently. It may sound extreme, but it was all in a good cause as they were taking part in a leg waxing event to raise funds for an expedition to Cambodia. The event was organised by Stanley Hill, […]