Pippa Allen-Kinross | Schools Week

Worship in school assemblies is ‘inappropriate’, say half of Britons

Less than a third of people believe acts of worship like prayers are appropriate for school assemblies, prompting calls for a change in the law. The Accord Coalition for Inclusive Education has urged the government to replace the law demanding daily collective worship in state schools with guidance on how to provide “genuinely inclusive” assemblies […]

DfE and ESFA accounts: £3m settled out of court, bigger bonuses and millions in debt written off

The annual accounts for both the Department for Education and the Education and Skills Funding Agency have been published today, in a deluge of information released as parliament heads into the summer recess. The accounts, covering the year to March 2019, reveal the write-off of hundreds of thousands of pounds given to academy trusts, fraud […]

Council drops academy trust support despite turnaround – as conversion stalls

An academy trust that provided more than five years of improvement services to a failing maintained school while negotiations dragged on over its conversion has abruptly had its contract scrapped – and must pull out of the school next month. Swale Academies Trust has been supporting The North School, in Kent, under a school improvement […]

Policy Exchange: New PM must support knowledge-based curriculum

The Policy Exchange think tank has called on the next prime minister to continue support for a knowledge-based curriculum, reduce early years’ class sizes and make new T-levels compatible with A-levels. The think tank’s education manifesto, published today, also said the new leader should focus on improving behaviour in schools, and continue work to bring […]

Pearson: No plans to phase out print textbooks in UK (yet)

Education publisher Pearson has insisted there are currently “no specific plans” to phase out print textbooks in the UK, but stopped short of confirming that it may not do so in the future. News that Pearson planned to become “digital first” caused consternation when it was reported by the BBC this week, with plans to […]

Most memorable school blogs of 2018-2019

We asked our six blog reviewers to tell us about their most memorable blogpost of the school year – and here’s what they said. Hannah Wilson: Ramadan Insights @teachernudge Yusuf Ibrahim wrote a series of 29 blogs to chart his experience of Ramadan this year. From insights on how one prepares to fast, to […]

DfE: Schools may have to change lunch menus under no-deal Brexit

Schools are being urged to contact their food suppliers to make sure they are preparing for a no-deal Brexit and may have to change their lunch menus if we crash out without a deal, according to new guidance. Updated government guidance on a no-deal Brexit, released today, advises schools that source their own food to […]

The negativity over MATs is damaging – trust leaders need to speak up

The academy sector is evolving, but it takes time to lead and build an entire system, writes Tiffany Beck. MATs are for wiping your feet on, chief executive officers (CEOs) are evil, and trustees are their cronies. My worry is that these may too often be the impressions that some people are left with due […]

What to do when an inspector calls

Leaders should keep a cool head and take practical steps to prepare for the phone call from Ofsted, writes Ian Hartwright. School leaders tell us they are relieved that Ofsted has dropped plans to arrive on-site within a couple of hours of notifying a school of an inspection. But, from September, head teachers will be expected […]