Author: Pippa Allen-Kinross

Ministers are under pressure to draw up stronger rules on how thoroughly schools must consult before becoming academies after a flurry of legal objections from parents. Under the Academies Act 2010, the governors of a maintained school that wants to become an academy must consult formally with “such persons as they think appropriate”. Government guidance […]

A programme to improve mental health training in schools and strengthen partnerships with professional NHS services will be rolled out nationally. Under the £9.3 million scheme, announced by the Department for Education today, every school, college and alternative provision will receive training through a series of workshops as part of the Link Programme alongside mental […]

The head of Outwood Grange Academies Trust has said Ofsted “accepted” its “high” fixed-term exclusions as a valid approach to turning around schools after receiving a glowing summary evaluation. Ofsted heaped praise on OGAT, including its “principled” leadership and “unwavering determination to provide the best quality of education for pupils”, during its summary evaluation in […]

Ministers refused to release the findings of an independent investigation that cleared a collapsed academy trust from allegations of wrongdoing – and revealed the government had been aware of its actions all along. Last August the St Neots Learning Partnership was issued with a financial notice to improve that highlighted “concerns” about ten-year “grant advances” […]

The Department for Education has defended spending more than £500,000 on train tickets that involved first-class travel, claiming it was at times required for staff to avoid unwarranted attention from journalists and the public. Information released in response to a freedom of information request shows the department spent almost £150,000 on first-class tickets in the […]

Union representatives, education experts and school leaders have been appointed to a 26-member expert panel tasked with improving the mental health and wellbeing of teachers. The group, led by Paul Farmer, the chief executive of mental health charity Mind, met for the first time this week to discuss how best to ease classroom pressures. Members […]

Two in five pupils would not know how to access mental health support services in schools, and almost half of those who have accessed the support did not find it helpful. Surveys carried out by mental charity Mind also found that half of teachers did not feel they had enough information to support pupils with […]

Parents and community groups should be allowed to take over failing schools, according to a new report from the New Schools Network that has heavily criticised the government’s approach to free schools. The NSN wants the government to introduce a new arm of the free schools process that would allow applicants – including parents and […]