Nicky Phillips | Schools Week

German painting inspires pupil’s winning poem

A secondary school pupil in Peterborough has won first prize in a poetry competition focusing on German history. Competing in the Dinggedicht poetry competition run by The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), 15-year-old Alanna Gilmartin from Oundle School was awarded first prize in the English secondary school section for her poem “Never Alone”. The competition […]

Edition 15: Damian Knollys, Jackie Bowen

Damian Knollys has taken over as headteacher at Peasedown Primary School in Bath, following David Tilling’s retirement in the post at the end of last year. Mr Knollys was previously head of Midsomer Norton Primary School for nine years. “I will miss the school, the children and the families who I got to know very […]

New scholarship for talented young riders

Pupils at Polwhele House in Cornwall are saddling up this term with the help of a new riding scholarship. The independent prep school in Truro is the only one in the region to have riding facilities on site and is keen to combine education and equestrian activities for budding riders. Jo Lyall, the school’s riding […]

LGBT school is still a ‘couple of years’ away

Plans for a school for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people in Manchester have yet to be opened for consultation. On Friday, national media reports said that the charity LGBT Youth North West planned to open an LGBT-focused school in the city. However, the charity later clarified that the “plans” are in the […]

Campaign group boosts appeals to admissions’ adjudicator

Objections to school admission arrangements have risen by more than 65 per cent in the past year, with almost a quarter coming from one lobby group. In a report published last week, the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) said it had dealt with 351 new cases in 2013/14, compared with 212 the previous year. […]

Copycat fears step up security in Jewish Schools

Security is being stepped up at England’s Jewish schools, following the terrorist attacks in France and elsewhere – with cash coming from a grant of around £2 million a year, promised by former education secretary Michael Gove for the lifetime of this parliament. The increased security comes after warnings of copycat terrorist attacks in Britain. […]

£12.6m ‘emergency’ hand-outs for 22 schools

Keeping school budgets in the black is not always easy – but some schools appear to be treated more leniently than others Reporter Ann McGauran investigates the emergency funds handed to schools in need Twenty two academies have been handed £12.6 million in emergency funding since 2011/12 and the vast majority does not need to […]

No further GCSE delays, says DFE

The Department for Education has ruled out delays to the introduction of any other new GCSEs after it was announced the new design and technology qualification would not be taught until 2017. The GCSE became the fourth new qualification to have its implementation delayed by the DfE, when school reform minister Nick Gibb (pictured) announced […]

Schools copyright uniforms to foil counterfeiters

Schools need to work with families to “bring down uniform bills to an affordable level – not squeezing every penny”, says the UK’s biggest parenting site. The warning from Netmums came as schools and uniform suppliers fight to block the sale of counterfeit uniforms. Sports uniform supplier Falcon took action last month to stop a […]