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Pupil data corrupted after bug hits Capita SIMS

A bug affecting school information management systems may have corrupted pupil data at thousands of schools around the country. The error has hit Capita’s Schools Information Management System (SIMS), which supplies information management to 23,000 schools. An email from Hampshire council’s children’s services department, seen by Schools Week, was sent to every headteacher in the […]

Ofsted says schools can’t fix childhood obesity, but advisory panel members disagree

Schools cannot solve the childhood obesity epidemic and should focus on education instead, according to a new report from Ofsted. Last year the inspectorate carried out research in 60 primary schools across England to ascertain whether schools are having a demonstrable impact on levels of childhood obesity. Although it found that many schools had a […]

Embattled Bright Tribe academy trust to close

Bright Tribe, the academy chain at the centre of a row over the running of schools in the north of England, is to close, Schools Week understands. The under-fire trust, which had already announced plans to walk away from four of its northern schools following a row over performance, will now give up all ten […]

Former Montessori charity boss jailed for stealing £180,000

The former head of the UK’s largest Montessori network defrauded the charity of more than £180,000 over the course of seven years. Philip Bujak, the former CEO of the Montessori St Nicholas charity, was sentenced to six years in prison on Friday for misusing a company credit card, filing false invoices and secretly taking a cut […]

Careers charity Future First wins almost £120,000 to create ex-pupil network

Nineteen secondary schools will get support to bring in ex-pupils to offer careers advice after a charity won almost £120,000 in funding from the Careers and Enterprise Company. Future First has been given £119,940 to deliver its services in half of the areas identified by the government as social mobility “cold spots”. The charity will […]

Ofsted: Schools are ‘responsible’ for challenging health and care aspects of EHCPs

School leaders have a responsibility to check on the quality of health and care services prescribed to their pupils outside school, but few do so, according to a senior Ofsted inspector. Jonathan Jones, a special educational needs adviser at Ofsted, said the watchdog expected schools to look beyond the “education” elements of education, health and […]

Is one exam board per T-level the ‘testing ground’ for A-levels?

The new T-levels will be delivered by just one exam board to “protect the standard” of the qualification. But assessment experts believe the change could be a dry-run for reintroducing single exam boards for A-levels and GCSEs. Each of the 15 new Technical levels, intended as alternatives to A-levels, which will be taught in schools […]

‘Show more respect for religious schools’, Jewish faith leaders tell Ofsted

Jewish faith leaders have urged the schools inspectorate to show more “respect” for faith schools. Members of the Orthodox Jewish community raised concerns after inspectors placed a girls’ school that censored teaching materials into special measures. But chief inspector of schools Amanda Spielman denied that Ofsted has a “secular agenda”. Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls’ School […]