Nicky Phillips | Schools Week

Careers fairs urged in schools to give colleges ‘equal’ pupil access

Schools will be forced to let colleges and apprenticeship providers advertise directly to pupils under new legislation announced this week. The plans mean schools could be required to hold independent “careers fairs” and let companies of all sizes speak with pupils. The proposed laws would require schools to let pupils hear from apprenticeship providers and […]

Morgan visited 40 academies but only 22 maintained schools

Nicky Morgan visited more than double the number of academies as council-maintained schools during her first 14 months in office, it has been revealed. Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act and analysed by Matthew Wheeler, a school business management expert, offer an insight into the visiting habits of the education secretary. Since her […]

Trust helps language learning

Primary school teachers can now monitor pupils’ progress in meeting the spoken language expectations of the national curriculum by using a new resource. Communicating the Curriculum was launched last week by The Communication Trust and is written by specialist teachers and speech and language therapists. The resource shows how the 12 statements that make up […]

Getting PhDs into the classroom: how one programme is changing the pattern

As the lack of teachers shows no sign of ending, increasing numbers of bespoke salaried routes are opening up. Schools Week examines the researchers in schools initiative and the benefit it can bring to schools Academics are being paid up to £32,000 a year to train as teachers under a new scheme aimed at boosting […]

GCSE RESULTS 2015 LEAGUE TABLE SPECIAL: The schools where low ability pupils are not disadvantaged

Continuing Schools Week’s focus on disadvantaged pupils, we were asked by readers to highlight schools where low ability pupils are not being left behind. Here are the 10 best that we’ve found A handful of schools are beating the odds and making sure pupils arriving with low ability are leaving year 11 on a par […]

‘How you can make teachers stop worrying about research – and learn to love it instead’

Teachers who use research to inform their teaching can often be evangelical about its benefits, but not all staff will be so easily persuaded. These tips might just help get them on side. If you are having a conversation with a teacher who is really reluctant to engage with research, keep in mind they probably […]

Swimming lessons for pupils axed as councils slash budgets to meet PFI funding black holes

Swimming lessons, a school sports co-ordinator and emergency budgets for special educational needs (SEN) have been axed by councils in order to afford the spiralling cost of private finance initiative (PFI) contracts, at the same time as profits are soaring at the private firms the deals have been made with. A Schools Week investigation has […]

Bosses of failed IT firm that owed schools £171k start new company

Two directors of a computer finance firm that went into liquidation owing schools thousands of pounds have set up a new company, it emerged this week. Instar Digital Ltd, based in Stafford, ran IT schemes for schools, including student 1:1, salary sacrifice and staff purchase schemes. It was put into voluntary liquidation last May with […]

Early years teacher shortage as courses face closure

Early years settings are facing a looming teacher shortage, experts have warned, at the same time as the government plans to extend childcare into schools. Universities, unions and specialists have all spoken to Schools Week about the difficulties in recruiting early years teacher trainees. In October 2014, childcare minister Sam Gyimah (pictured above) advocated school-led […]