Pippa Allen-Kinross | Schools Week

DfE ‘minded’ to rebroker primary school from Inspiration Trust

An academy trust founded by a minister has been warned its flagship school could be rebrokered to another sponsor after it was rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted. The Inspiration Trust, set up by academies minister Lord Agnew, has been informed that the government is “minded to terminate” its funding agreement for the Great Yarmouth Primary Academy […]

Schools need an extra £5.7 billion, says ASCL

School funding must be increased by £5.7 billion if every child is to receive the education they deserve, according to a new report from the Association of School and College Leaders. The report, The true cost of education, warns that primary and secondary schools in England require £40.2 billion funding in 2019-20, but are only […]

Poorer pupils ‘catch up’ by end of primary, but fall behind again at GCSE

The attainment gap between the wealthiest and most disadvantaged pupils almost disappears by the end of primary school before reappearing at age 16, new data suggests. Analysis by data site SchoolDash shows that pupils from poorer areas draw level with their more socially advantaged peers by the end of key stage 2, but that the […]

Cambridge International insists iGCSEs won’t change name amid ‘legal’ threat

An awarding organisation has insisted it will not allow the controversial iGCSEs to be renamed after the chair of Ofqual said “legal routes” were being explored. The international GCSEs no longer count in national league tables and are not regulated by Ofqual, but are still used by private schools – despite concerns they are easier […]

Parkfield’s LGBT lessons cancelled until ‘resolution’ found over parent protests

A primary school has agreed to stop its lessons on LGBT rights and homophobia until a resolution has been reached with protesting parents – just days after getting Ofsted’s backing. Parkfield Community School has received support from Ofsted and education secretary Damian Hinds about the teaching of its ‘No Outsiders’ programme, which teaches pupils about […]

Boss of charity behind the UTC programme to step down

The chief executive of the organisation that is behind the troubled university technical colleges programme is stepping down. Charles Parker, who has headed up the Baker Dearing Trust since 2012, will leave the top position in August. He’ll be replaced by Simon Connell, the trust’s current development director. The trust was set up by former […]

Small rural schools could share headteachers to stay afloat, DfE study suggests

Rural primary schools could share headteachers or consider joining multi-academy trusts to overcome the funding challenges they face, according to new government research. The Running rural primary schools efficiently report, commissioned by Department for Education, specifically selected a sample of schools with fewer than 110 pupils that “appeared” to have good finances and pupil attainment. […]

iGCSEs ‘not conducive to public trust in exams’, Ofqual chair warns

Controversial iGCSEs are a “disturbing issue” and “not conducive to public trust in the examinations systems”, the chair of Ofqual has told MPs. Ofqual’s chief regulator, Sally Collier, and chair, Roger Taylor, appeared before the influential education committee this morning to answer questions about the regulator’s role. Here are five things we learned. 1. […]

Meet the new masters of the curriculum

Academy trusts are leading the way with curriculum development, but it comes at a price. Here, Schools Week looks at what’s being done, whether it’s working and whether the results should be free When Ark announced it was developing Ark Curriculum Plus, a new curriculum to cover “all the major subjects, including music, science and geography”, […]