Nicky Phillips | Schools Week

Accountability measures for secondary schools are ‘flawed and dangerous’, new analysis suggests

Secondary school’s published performance measures will this year be “very flawed and quite dangerous” due to a series of anomalies, a union policy director has claimed. But the government and schools inspectorate Ofsted have both said the issues will be taken into account and flagged to the public as necessary. Several education professionals contacted Schools […]

Wey Education plans float on stock exchange after purchasing virtual high school

The education group behind one of the UK’s largest virtual fee-paying secondary schools and who advised on a failed online free school application is to float on the London Stock Exchange’s junior market. Led during the Coalition years by former Ofsted chair Zenna Atkins, Wey Education plc told investors in 2011 that reforms such as […]

Ofsted plans survey of future leaders due to large numbers of vacancies

Ofsted is planning to investigate a worrying shortage of future leaders in secondary schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw has announced. When he presented his annual report on Tuesday, Ofsted’s chief inspector highlighted issues with progression to leadership roles and data that pointed to a “large number of vacancies” for headteachers over the next few years. Although […]

School trips and fancy dress days ‘stigmatise’ poorer pupils

Fancy dress days and school trips can stigmatise poorer pupils, charity Children North East (CNE) found as part of its investigations into poverty in schools. Headed by Sara Bryson, CNE policy and research manager, the charity spent a year shadowing pupils in two primary and two secondary schools in the north east. Ms Bryson told […]

Toxic PFI legacy is pushing schools towards financial ruin

Cash-strapped schools are being pushed into financial ruin by soaring debts owed to the private firms that funded their buildings, Schools Week can exclusively reveal. Takeovers of underperforming schools have also stalled due to the hefty costs associated with the contracts. Annual repayments in some schools with private finance initiative (PFI) contracts have soared by […]

Sir Michael Wilshaw writes to George Osborne: ‘Don’t focus on cities – small towns need the most help’

Sir Michael Wilshaw is so worried about schools in towns in the north and the Midlands that he plans to write to George Osborne asking that devolution plans don’t just focus on cities. In Ofsted’s annual report launched on Tuesday, chief inspector Sir Michael described a “divided nation”, with secondary school performance in the north […]

Free school applicants no longer need to prove ‘demand’ for places

The Department for Education has ditched a requirement for free school applicants to prove they have interest from parents. New school applicants will also not have to provide any evidence they have engaged with the local community where the school is planned, Schools Week can reveal. Parental surveys were previously required with an application to […]

Special needs pupils forced to travel “long distances” for school, warns Ofsted

Pupils are having to travel “long distances” to access special needs provision in the north east of England, Ofsted has warned – but critics say it is unfair to single out the area. In his annual report, chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw said there were “large areas” of Co Durham and Northumberland where pupils were […]

IT equipment in schools: to lease or not to lease?

Access to high-quality IT equipment is not equal in schools. If you’re part of an academy chain, you’re likely to be able to get a good deal and buy what you want. Single schools, meanwhile, are often locked into complex and expensive leasing deals. In the third of her series focusing on technology in schools, […]