Pippa Allen-Kinross | Schools Week

Foster families across the country charged for ‘free’ school transport

Foster families around the country are being forced to pay for what should be free school transport – but councils will now be warned against the practice. The local government and social care ombudsman (LGO) recently discovered Warwickshire County Council had told foster carers to pay for transport out of their fostering allowance when children […]

Pension-age teachers can continue working but with added support, concludes review

A second report into the implications of teachers retiring later is expected to find that older teachers are capable of continuing work, but may need extra support. The ‘Teachers working later’ review was set up in October 2014 to ensure pension age-changes do not have a detrimental effect on the teaching workforce. However, it has […]

Nottingham’s charter to cap teacher overtime needs ‘national leader’

Nottingham council’s pioneering approach to capping overtime for teachers has won plaudits across the sector – but the number of schools committing remains low. The city’s education improvement board launched its “Fair Workload Charter” last autumn, urging local schools to cap the work teachers are expected to perform in their own time at two hours […]

DfE tightens grip on curriculum with new policy jobs

The government appears to be tightening its grip on what is taught in schools, and is advertising three senior jobs handling curriculum policy. According to the job advert, the curriculum policy division is “responsible for policy about the knowledge and skills taught in state-funded schools in England, and for policy on improving the teaching of […]

Some multi academy trusts move to synchronise exam boards

Academy trusts across the country are making all of their schools use the same exam board in a move similar to one recently announced for prisons. The Ministry of Justice announced in August that it would appoint a single awarding organisation for exams in prisons to ensure continuity for inmates who moved to another institution […]

Council demands sport facilities from two academies to lift UTC restrictions

A council wants two schools to open their sports facilities up for public use at the end of the school day in return for lifting restrictions that prevent younger pupils from using a new building. The Parker E-Act Academy, which teaches pupils aged between 11 and 18, announced in June it would be taking over […]

Old UTC lease prevents children from using new school building

An academy trust is negotiating with its local council after it discovered the lease it recently acquired for a former UTC building restricts its use for younger pupils. The Parker E-Act Academy in Daventry, which teaches pupils aged 11 to 18, announced it would take over the £9.4 million premises of the now-defunct Daventry UTC […]

UK’s biggest free school bans mixed ability teaching

The biggest free school campus in the country has opened its doors for the first time and is cutting down on mixed-ability teaching. The £45 million Riverside Campus in Barking, run by the Partnership Learning trust, has the capacity for 2,600 pupils between Riverside Secondary School, Riverside Primary School and special educational needs school Riverside […]