Nicky Phillips | Schools Week

Parents bankrupt after chase for fees end up in court

At least 68 parents are bankrupt after being chased for unpaid fees by a private education firm in charge of several leading independent schools, Schools Week can exclusively reveal. Cognita – a private company that runs 66 independent schools across the world, including more than 30 in the UK – has taken scores of parents […]

Ofsted tells CfBT it grew too quickly

An academy trust previously barred from taking on any more schools has been told by Ofsted that its improvement is variable. CfBT multi-academy trust received a focused inspection in May, but the report was only released today. Of the four schools inspected: two were outstanding, one good and another went into special measures. The trust, […]

RSC quits to join minister’s academy chain

A regional schools commissioner (RSC) has been “poached” to join an academy chain set up by a government minister. Paul Smith, RSC for Lancashire and West Yorkshire, resigned less than a year into the new role, established by the government to oversee its growing academy programme. His departure was revealed earlier this year during a […]

Online A level courses grow as sixth form cuts start to bite

More pupils are signing up to study A levels from their bedrooms as sixth form curriculum cuts begin to bite, an online course provider has claimed. InterHigh Sixth Form College – part of InterHigh which is the country’s only online independent secondary school – is expanding its A level intake next year, with French, Spanish […]

Neil Carmichael, Conservative MP for Stroud

It is the day after the new education select committee members have been confirmed. It is now an almost all-women line-up (eight out eleven) with only two members remaining from the last parliamentary session’s committee. Carmichael is one of them, and this time he’s the chair. And he has big plans for the committee, including […]

Free resources to fight radicalisation

Free teaching resources to help schools prevent pupils from being radicalised online have been released by a London charity. “Counter-Extremism – narratives and conversations” from the London Grid for Learning comprises a series of bite-size videos featuring Sara Khan (pictured), director of Inspire, a counter-extremism and women’s rights organisation. In each video, Ms Khan explains […]

Dan Roberts, Jenni Elliott and Bart Shaw

Dan Roberts, deputy head of Devonport High School for Boys in Plymouth, becomes the school’s tenth headteacher when he takes over from Kieran Earley in September. Mr Roberts says he will balance “the rich history and tradition steeped in the school” with introducing new dimensions to teaching and learning. “I want to balance that tradition […]

Ceremony marks pilot’s success

The success of a pilot work experience programme connecting young people with the insurance industry has been celebrated with an awards ceremony. American International Group (AIG) led the programme last month to give 16 to 17-year-olds from five inner-city London schools first-hand exposure to the daily tasks that insurance employees face. Helen Brown, head of […]

Day out for STEM students

The Institute of Education (IOE) this week held an interactive event to help schools give pupils good advice on the range of opportunities in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects. In two interactive workshops, 12 to 14-year-olds programmed electronic devices from dishwashers to drones, phones to satellites, before investigating how water gets from a […]