Nicky Phillips | Schools Week

Ofsted rarely flag schools’ poor mental health provision

Ofsted inspectors are identifying good mental health provision in schools more often than poor, according to exclusive analysis by Watchsted and Schools Week, calling into question Ofsted’s claims that it is identifying both equally. Additional mental health criteria were added to the Ofsted framework in September last year, but a recent report by think tank […]

4 school intervention evaluations published by EEF

Last week, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) published evaluations of four pieces of research. As part of an ongoing series, Schools Week will analyse that research and its potential impact in schools. The four projects were independently evaluated and a report published by the EEF last Friday. The projects received a combined total of about […]

Grim Reaper comes second

Plucky Arthur Terry school pupils have reaped the rewards of a gruelling physical challenge to raise funds for a trip to help children in South Africa. During a “reaper run” at a local paintballing park in Coventry, the secondary students battled against obstacles, lots of mud, and even the Grim Reaper himself, who jumped out […]

Ofqual seeks views on exam adjustments for disabled pupils

Ofqual are seeking views on the way exams are adjusted to take account of disabled students’ needs. Possible changes up for consultation are the way human scribes or voice recognition software are used if an exam includes a score for spelling, and whether exam certificates should indicate if pupils were exempted from some part of […]

Academy wins inclusivity award

The Chestnut Grove academy has won this year’s Accord Inclusivity Award for the range of religious and social issues taught in RE. The south London secondary was praised by the judges for providing RE that “covered a range of religious beliefs and humanism, and which simultaneously dealt with many controversial issues, such as sexual diversity, […]

Create a new Mr Men character

Primary pupils could soon make their own contribution to the iconic Mr Men series while also raising money for charity. Children with Cancer UK wants them to design a new character and write a new story for the series. Younger students aged three to six can also take part in a colouring-in challenge. The sponsored […]

Andrew Jordon, Sarah Harty and Katrina Handford-Smith

Andrew Jordon has been appointed executive principal of Thorp academy in Gateshead in addition to his current role as head of Dyke House school in Hartlepool. He will start his dual role in January and says that leading the two schools, both part of the Northern Education Trust (NET), will be a “significant challenge” but […]

Lift-off for horticulture experiment

Hopeful horticulturalists in Wiltshire have launched their own space-related mission by growing seeds that have travelled beyond Earth and back. Pupils at Bulford St Leonard’s primary school are one of up to 10,000 schools to receive a packet of 100 seeds from space. The children will plant the “out of this world” seeds alongside seeds […]

Heads demand clarity on excluded pupils plan

A plan to make schools responsible for excluded pupils must not be delayed any further, school leaders have warned. A pledge for additional responsibilities for schools placing pupils in alternative provision (AP) was first set out in a government white paper, The Importance of Teaching, in 2010. It described a trial giving schools responsibility for […]