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18 April 2026

Author: Nicky Phillips

Labour Party Conference preview

Each week during the political conference season we will be inviting a commentator to give their views on what education policies they wish to see announced. The Labour Party is first up and Matt Hood gives his view ahead of Tristram Hunt’s first conference as Shadow Education Secretary. A wise Labour Party stalwart once told me […]

Ark to pilot ‘Professional Pathways’

Schools Reform Minister Nick Gibb (pictured above) attended the launch of three new sixth forms which are to pilot a new course preparing students for work, including in large financial firms. Globe Academy in South London held a special ceremony launching their Professional Pathways programme. The scheme will be piloted at three sixth forms due […]

Governors sacked and eight staff suspended as exam cheating investigation is widened

An academy trust has sacked a school’s entire board of governors and suspended eight staff amid exam cheating allegations. Wakefield City Academies Trust (WCAT) revealed today it had dissolved Goole High School Academy’s governing body and suspended another teacher. Last week seven members of staff, both teachers and support staff, were suspended from the Yorkshire school. […]

Major report into academy trusts finds conflicts of interest and weak oversight

The education select committee has published an independent report highlighting conflicts of interests at academy trusts and concerns about government oversight. The commissioned report, published today, was compiled by Professor Toby Greany and Jean Scott of the Institute of Education at the University of London, and lists a number of recommendations. Examples of conflicts include […]

researchED 2014 souvenir edition

Download your free copy of the Schools Week 16 page souvenir edition of researchED 2014 Click here to download (7mb) Introduction Ahead of the first edition of Schools Week, a newspaper about primary and secondary education in all schools, editor Nick Linford introduces the researchED souvenir edition Fish out of water usually can’t breathe, but […]

Up to 40 schools face ‘wave’ of Ofsted no notice inspections

Ofsted announced today it is to “mount a wave” of no notice inspections this month in light of the Trojan Horse scandal in Birmingham. HM Inspectors are to visit about 40 schools across the country for two day inspections during a two week period this month. Schools are currently given half a day’s notice before […]

Social mobility manifesto puts fairer school admissions at its heart

An education think-tank has published its manifesto and calls for school places to be allocated by ballot or ability banding. The Sutton Trust today released its ten-point Mobility Manifesto ahead of the party conferences, in the run up to next year’s general election. In doing so it supported “greater use of ballots (random allocation) or […]

Settle down — it’s a non-announcement from Nicky Morgan

Last week, as many teachers sweated through their first day back in the classroom, education secretary  Nicky Morgan dropped a bombshell. Or did she? The furore kicked off when the Guardian’s Patrick Wintour released an article beginning with the phrase:“Compulsory setting according to ability in England’s secondary schools is to be proposed by the education secretary, Nick Morgan, in […]