Nicky Phillips | Schools Week

EXCLUSIVE: Swedish-inspired Learning Schools Trust can’t keep up

An academy trust at the forefront of the Swedish free school model much admired by Michael Gove will wind up later this year, Schools Week can reveal. The Learning Schools Trust was set up in 2010 as the UK charitable arm of Kunskapsskolan, a private firm that runs schools in Sweden. One of the first […]

EXCLUSIVE: How the brightest are slipping down the tables

The buzz phrase within education policy and schools over the past six years is to close the gap — between disadvantaged children and their better-off peers; between boys and girls; between white working-class boys and everyone else. But what impact have policy decisions had on pupils at the top and bottom end of the attainment […]

INVESTIGATION: Ofsted saves over £3m by delaying inspections

School leaders blame the struggle to recruit inspectors Ofsted has saved more than £3 million this year by delaying inspections, amid concerns about the lack of available inspectors. Schools Week can reveal that board minutes published by the education watchdog this week show it is forecasting an underspend of £3.1 million. The document states this […]

School business managers with £5m budgets earn less than £40,000

Two-fifths of school business managers are managing budgets of more than £5 million, despite more than half earning less than £40,000 a year. A survey of 1,158 business managers, bursars and finance directors by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has revealed those in charge of schools’ finances are often paid less than […]

When reading stops being cool

Pupils enjoy reading less once they reach secondary school, according to latest research from the National Literacy Trust. In a survey of more than 32,500 children, just 40 per cent of those aged 14 to 16 said they enjoyed reading either very much or quite a lot, compared with 72 per cent of pupils aged […]

Toolkit for migrant parents

A toolkit designed to support newly arrived migrant parents put their children through the UK school system has been launched by academics at Middlesex University. The resource is aimed at schools, local authorities and organisations working with migrant families, and highlights the “many differences” that migrant parents will have to adapt to. This includes earlier […]

Time travel tops the bill in Harrogate

One of the country’s largest children’s literacy sessions was put on at Harrogate’s Royal Hall with the help of children’s author Jason Beresford. More than 500 pupils from 20 schools took part in The Big Write, organised by Pobble, a global literacy initiative for sharing primary students’ writing, and Harrogate International Festivals. The 8 to […]

Rugby award for 100 schools

One hundred schools from across the country have been handed a personalised plaque by England rugby player Jonny May at Twickenham to celebrate their engagement with the sport. Representatives from the schools were presented with their awards during an England v Wales match at the end of last month. The ceremony marked the “positive impact” […]

Schools can close early for Euro 2016

Schools can choose to end their day early for major sporting events, despite parent pressure prompting one head to U-turn on his decision to allow pupils to watch a Euro 2016 match. Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill, in Southampton, last week abandoned plans for pupils to leave school at lunchtime on June 16 so they could watch […]