Pippa Allen-Kinross | Schools Week

DfE seeks views on use of cladding and sprinklers in schools in wake of Grenfell

The government is inviting views on how best to update guidance on fire safety design in schools as part of a review of building regulations prompted by the Grenfell Tower fire. The Department for Education wants to know if combustible cladding should be banned from use in all new school buildings over 18 metres high, […]

Academy trust raids £7.7m reserves to resist cuts

An academy trust has set aside half of its reserves to prop up its budget rather than make cuts to balance its books. Trustees at Southfields MAT used £1 million from its reserves last year as a “contribution” to the budget of Southfields Academy, and plan to use another £3 million until 2020-21. Reserves will […]

Banned: Headteacher who let London Bridge attacker teach children unsupervised

A headteacher who allowed one of the London Bridge attackers to teach primary school children unattended has been banned from being involved in running schools. Sophie Rahman, the former headteacher of Eton Community School in Ilford, can no longer hold a management position in a private school or be a state school governor. A Teaching […]

Should RSCs have a ‘cooling off’ period before taking new jobs?

Regional school commissioners should have a “cooling-off period” before joining academy trusts to avoid any conflict of interests between the roles, says a former government adviser. It was announced on Monday that Lisa Mannall will be the fifth RSC to jump ship to join a trust. She will stop overseeing academies in the southwest in […]

New £33k awards scheme for DfE finance staff

The government has been criticised for setting aside £33,000 for a new awards scheme for civil servants just as it warns teachers’ pay rises should be capped at 2 per cent. The “chief executive awards”, which have been introduced by Eileen Milner, the head of the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), rewards winning employees […]

Steiner school handed finance warning after failing to submit accounts on time

A Steiner academy has received a financial notice to improve after failing to submit its audited accounts on time. Steiner Academy Frome has been formally warned to improve financial management, control and governance by the Department for Education after it missed the December 31 deadline to submit its accounts. Issuing a finance warning for solely […]

Crack down on staff who do too much colour printing, says new DfE guidance

Schools should monitor printer logs to crack down on staff who are “exceptionally high users of colour printing”, the government has said. New financial guidance for schools from the DfE calls for “high-level monthly line-by-line examination” of unexpected overspends by schools seeking to balance their books. This is not the first time the government has suggested […]

School accused of off-rolling by Ofsted could have funding axed

An academy that Ofsted identified as potentially off-rolling pupils could have its funding axed and be handed to a new trust unless improvements are made. E-Act has insisted it is conducting a “thorough investigation” into the inspectorate’s findings that eight year 11 pupils were removed from Shenley Academy – a school it runs in Birmingham […]

Inspiration Trust slams Ofsted inspectors after primary school put in special measures

Inspiration Trust has slammed Ofsted inspectors that it claims “don’t understand the data” after one of its primary schools was placed in special measures. The damning Ofsted report of Great Yarmouth Primary Academy, published today, criticised behaviour, leadership, teaching, attainment and the “high” frequency of fixed-term exclusions at the school. The school was the first […]