Pippa Allen-Kinross | Schools Week

Damian Hinds dodges education committee’s questions on MAT inspections

Damian Hinds faced his first interrogation by the parliamentary education committee this morning. He used the opportunity not to answer questions on whether he wants to allow inspections at multi-academy trusts, and made four other revelations we think are noteworthy. 1. No commitment to MAT inspections Faced with repeated questions from former shadow education secretary […]

Education committee wants reform of social mobility commission

MPs have told the government to beef up its social mobility commission and appoint a “minister for social justice” to help tackle inequality in education. The parliamentary education committee has published its report into the commission, which was thrown into chaos last year after all four of its members abruptly resigned. MPs said the commission […]

Ofqual cracks down on exam board reviewers’ marking changes

Ofqual was “especially disappointed” by the extent to which exam boards changed grades last year, and ensuring it doesn’t happen again is a “key priority”, according to a senior figure. Richard Garrett, the regulator’s director of strategic relationships, said Ofqual was considering what action should be taken against boards which failed to crack down on […]

Beef up SATs security to avoid maladministration claims, government tells schools

Headteachers are being urged to have two members of staff check deliveries of SATs papers when they arrive at schools to help them avoid allegations of maladministration. The government has also beefed up its advice for the way key stage 2 SATs are supervised, recommending that schools invite a “trusted” member of the school community to […]

Email bomb threats: How should schools respond?

Hundreds of schools across the country have been evacuated today, after receiving bomb threats by email. The threats, which are being treated by police as a hoax, warn that a bomb has been placed in the school grounds and will be detonated unless money is paid. Humberside police said 400 schools and colleges around the […]

Police investigations continue into Bright Tribe and WCAT

Police officers are continuing their enquiries into whether criminal offences have been committed either by the Bright Tribe Trust or Wakefield City Academy Trust. Bright Tribe and WCAT were both reported to police last year over allegations of financial impropriety, though the latter has been cleared of wrongdoing by government auditors. Enquiries into Bright Tribe […]

Liverpool trusts face losing their only academies after poor performance

Two trusts in Liverpool may be forced to give up their only academies after they were warned over poor performance by the regional schools commissioner. The Emslie Morgan Academy, which is run by the Liverpool City Region Academy Trust, has been served with a termination warning notice. It was placed in special measures after an Ofsted […]

Major Catholic academisation plans held up by doubters

Plans by the Diocese of Westminster to convert over 200 schools into academies have hit a bump in the road after 20 showed “no interest” in making the change. Over the next four years, the diocese is hoping to create 11 Catholic academy trusts, each educating around 6,000 pupils and ranging in size from 15 […]

Ofsted WILL now use predecessor school grades in academy statistics

Ofsted has decided to factor the grades of academies’ predecessor schools into its official data, it has confirmed. The watchdog will now also keep data on university technical colleges (UTCs) and studio schools separate from that of other sponsored academies from this summer. Following a consultation at the end of last year, Ofsted will stop […]