Nicky Phillips | Schools Week

‘Never look where their hands are pointing’: The hidden parts of the white paper

Never look where their hands are pointing. A childhood obsessed with magicians teaches you that, but it’s also true for politicians. Never look where their hands are pointing: it’s always a distraction. With that in mind the Schools Week team pored over the 128-page education white paper unveiled last Thursday pulling out every possible policy. […]

New teachers able to qualify in ‘six months’

New teachers could be fully accredited within a few months if the government follows through its plan to scrap current training qualifications. Under the plans, set out in last week’s white paper, trainee teachers would gain accreditation at their headteacher’s behest, a decision that would be ratified by a teaching school or school-centred initial teacher […]

Parent petitions could lead to firing of academy leaders

Parents could spark a change of academy trust under proposals in the white paper that give them the right to petition regional schools commissioners if they are not satisfied with how their school is run. But there are no details on the percentage of parent signatures needed to trigger a review or the process for […]

Nick Timothy, director, New Schools Network

People who run the New Schools Network (NSN) tend to move on to bigger, brighter, bluer things. Its first director, Rachel Wolf, currently resides at No 10 as David Cameron’s education adviser. Number two – Natalie Evans – is a Conservative whip in the Lords. But director number three, Nick Timothy, has come the other […]

‘The national funding formula: an easy guide’

Few would argue with the merits of a national funding formula and a fairer distribution of the current quantum. There have been historic winners and losers in school funding and, while a move to a national formula will address this inequity, the challenge will be how we transition from one funding system to another in […]

Outwood Grange chief: ‘No takeover of School Partnership Trust expected’

The chief of a high-flying multi-academy trust has insisted his chain is not eyeing up takeovers after forming a “landmark partnership” with a struggling trust. School Partnership Trust Academies (SPTA) announced last week it will work in “close collaboration” with Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT), which has a track record of driving school improvement. The […]

Compulsory longer day for year 11 as school pushes for GCSE results

As schools battle to avoid a “mad dash” of revision and catch-up sessions, one London boys’ school has extended the day for year 11 pupils to provide extra time for revision, coursework and exam preparation. The addition of an extra hour every Monday to Thursday has “worked wonders” for final-year GCSE pupils at Carshalton Boys […]

New Ofqual chief admits needing ‘months’ to grasp qualifications

Ofqual’s new chief regulator has admitted it could take her “months” to understand the qualifications and assessment system. Sally Collier (pictured above), the government’s preferred candidate for the role vacated by Glenys Stacey last month, told members of the education select committee she would “take some time to get up to speed” on Ofqual’s work […]

Small school closures force family to look for FIFTH school

Small schools are closing as they face increasingly harsh financial environments, leaving one Devon family having to move their nine-year-old daughter for the fourth time. Sutcombe Primary, in the borough of Torridge, will close this summer after Devon County Council said that the half-full school’s financial position is so dire governors cannot even afford a […]