Nicky Phillips | Schools Week

Catholic schools to shun Islam in new GCSE courses

Catholic schools will no longer teach Islam as part of GCSE religious studies, but will be directed to teach Christianity and Judaism. Changes to the new religious studies GCSE specification mean schools must teach two religions as part of the course, with each weighted equally in the exam. The Bishops Conference has decreed that all […]

BTEC completion rates fall, new Pearson figures reveal

The proportion of BTEC First level 2 certificate students not completing their courses has jumped by 73 per cent in a year, new figures released by Pearson have revealed. The latest results for the qualifications show the proportion of non-completions on BTEC First level 2 certificate courses rose from 20.8 per cent in 2013/14 to […]

Majority of schools will go into deficit in next 4 years, headteacher survey reveals

Two thirds of school leaders claim they will not be able to balance their books in four years’ time, suggests a survey by the National Association of Head Teachers. The NAHT questioned more than 1,000 headteachers and found that 64 per cent are making “significant” cuts or dipping into reserves to stave off deficits. The […]

Gibb scraps ICT GCSE and A-level after final discussions with competitors

The government announced its intention to scrap GCSE and A-level IT qualifications on the 11th page of a consultation document this week – with concerns raised that final discussions only included bodies running competing vocational qualifications. The cancellation of the qualifications is estimated to affect up to 14,000 teachers and has been described as “totally […]

Louise Haigh, shadow digital minister

Most Labour MPs don’t go out of their way to draw attention to their private education, but Louise Haigh isn’t like most Labour MPs. As we sit down in a Portcullis House meeting room, the new MP and shadow digital minister admits that she feels “quite uncomfortable” about her schooling, but she’s assumed that she […]

‘It’s essential that governors are paid for their work’

Education is simply too important to be left in the hands of volunteers as their commitment is sanctioned purely by the extent of their own goodwill Of all the proposals to reform school governance the one that attracts the most ire is the idea that governors should be paid. It undermines the principle of volunteering […]

How to boost flagging teacher recruitment

School leaders and policymakers can do simple, practical things to ensure schools have the quality workforces they need Why Teach?, our recent report published with Pearson, uncovered the top job attractions for teachers across the country. Forty per cent of those we spoke to told us that they first considered the commute from their home […]

Education without heart (and human rights) is no education at all

Children are taught numeracy and literacy at the expense of an all-important holistic education. As Aristotle said centuries ago: “Education of the head without education of the heart, is no education at all” In 2013, I embarked on a journey that took me right into the heart of darkness. I was impelled by the impassioned […]

Dora’s sympathetic ear

The reading confidence of pupils from Wayland Academy Norfolk has risen with the help of a four-year old cocker spaniel. Year 7 and 8 students, who struggle to read out loud around others, sit down with Dora every week as part of the Read2Dogs programme run by the charity Pets As Therapy. Relaxing on beanbags […]