Author: Pippa Allen-Kinross

Costs for the academy transfer market have surpassed the £30 million mark as a record number of academies were rebrokered this year. Figures released by the Department for Education today show that 307 academies moved to a new trust in 2018-19, equating 3.6 per cent of all open academies in England. This is an increase […]

“Unclear” links between a charity and an independent school are under investigation amid concerns about the decision to transfer control of the school to a charity trustee. The charity commission has opened a statutory inquiry into education charity Avicenna Global and its relationship with the Avicenna Academy in Sheffield. The commission is “concerned” that the […]

Teachers and school leaders don’t see eye-to-eye on workload, according to a government survey which shows less than half of school staff feel their workloads have become more manageable. The Department for Education surveyed 836 leaders and over 1,000 teachers last winter, to gather views on topics including curriculum, workload and professional development. Although almost […]

The government wants local authority schools to get permission for any related-party transactions from their council under plans to increase spending transparency in the sector. The Department for Education also wants maintained schools to publish their annual finances – details of their income, expenditure and balances under their Consistent Financial Reporting statements – on their […]

Academy trusts will be required to complete an annual finance check-up as part of the government’s push to level up accountability across all school types. The self-assessment tool helps trusts check the strength of their financial and resource management systems. The move to make it mandatory, at the end of this academic year, will ensure […]

Teacher training providers will be responsible for making sure prospective teachers have adequate literacy and numeracy skills from October, as the government confirms it is axing the QTS skills tests. Schools Week exclusively revealed last week that the government plans to ditch the numeracy and literacy skills entry tests, which prospective teachers must pass in […]

The systems of oversight for academies cost 44 per cent more per pupil than those of local authority schools, according to a new report, although the analysis is based largely on estimates of how the government spends its cash. A report into the ‘middle tier’ systems of accountability and support – including the Education and […]

Ofsted has criticised academy trusts for “weak” self-evaluation and called on the government to publish a quality framework to help trusts assess their impact on education. An investigation into the benefits, challenges and functions of academy trusts, published today, revealed concerns from the inspectorate that while trusts are successfully holding their schools to account, they […]

The government has ruled that a single-academy trust that spent thousands on luxury paint and pays its head £260,000 has not broken funding rules. In the past three years Holland Park School in Kensington, west London, spent almost £15,000 on luxury Farrow & Ball paint and £6,000 on top-of-the-range Jo Malone scented candles, which were […]