Author: Pippa Allen-Kinross

A leading curriculum expert has joined the David Ross Education Trust as it steps up its focus on developing a knowledge-rich curriculum. Christine Counsell, who sits on Ofsted’s curriculum advisory panel and was formerly director of education at Inspiration Trust, joined the trustee board earlier this month to advise on implementing a knowledge-based approach to […]

The Education and Skills Funding Agency spent more than £500,000 on cash awards for civil servants last year. A total of 828 employees got awards worth £511,115 in 2017-18, an average of £617 each. This includes £22,000 for the pilot chief executive awards, set up by Eileen Milner, the agency’s head, to reward employees who […]

Schools are shedding staff, relying on parent donations and eyeing curriculum savings to meet capital funding cuts – as a new survey shows two in five schools have buckets to catch the drips from leaking roofs. School leaders are increasingly vocal about tight funding, with more schools proposing to close early on Fridays. But they […]

There are “insufficient” educational psychologists currently working and in the training pipeline to meet demand, a new report has warned. More than 90 per cent of local authority principal educational psychologists warned they are experiencing more demand for their services than they are currently able to meet, with two thirds of councils reported as struggling […]

Two in five teachers work in schools that have buckets set up to catch drips when it rains, it has been revealed. A survey of almost 3,500 teachers by Teacher Tapp also found that over a quarter do not believe their schools are in a good state of repair. Forty-one per cent of teachers had […]

Confusion over Ofsted’s off-rolling focus may push more schools to permanently exclude pupils, a leading group of headteachers has said. The Headteachers’ Roundtable think tank will publish its response to the Ofsted inspection framework consultation this weekend. The group is particularly concerned with the “tone” of sections of the leadership section, something it is believed […]

A teacher development charity is in talks to deliver new apprenticeships for teachers and leaders, including chief executives, in a bid to open up over £200 million in untapped funding. The Ambition Institute, launched this week after the merger of Ambition School Leadership and the Institute for Teaching, confirmed it is in discussions with the […]

An academy trust broke funding rules over £1,900 expenses on alcoholic drinks and a £450 Christmas meal for trustees, a government investigation has found. Leading Learners Multi-Academy Trust also spent over £50,000 on education consultants without going through any tendering process. Allegations about poor financial management at the Leading Learners prompted an investigation by the […]