Sophie Scott | Schools Week

Social media gaffe reveals low College of Teaching donations

The proposed College of Teaching came under fire today after a social media intern told donors their money would be taken even if pre-agreed conditions were not met. Last October, the College of Teaching (CoT) launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise a £250,000 kick-starting fund by the end of next month. As of today, it […]

Prince George will attend a Montessori nursery in Norfolk

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have announced that Prince George will attend a Montessori nursery. Prince George will begin at the Westacre Montessori School Nursery in Norfolk before the end of January, near their family home. Montessori schools are “child-led” and say teachers are “there to guide rather than teach, so the child becomes […]

Summer school funding for poorer pupils withdrawn by the government

Schools will no longer receive additional funding from the government for summer schools, it has been confirmed. The Education Funding Agency (EFA) today announced it would not continue the funding programme, which is aimed at helping disadvantaged children transition from primary to secondary school. In June, 900 schools received a share of £9.7 million for […]

Primary league tables 2015: schools ‘rise to the challenge’ in key stage 2 tests

The Department for Education (DfE) has today released this year’s performance tables for primary schools, based on this summer’s SATs results. The government said schools were “rising to the challenges” after it brought in a raft of changes in key stage 2 (KS2) tests – such as introducing higher floor standards, banning calculators for maths […]

Ofsted annual report 2015: North-south divide extends to pupils with special educational needs

The “divided nation” between schools in the north and south outlined by Sir Michael Wilshaw this morning extends to the outcomes of pupils with special educational needs, Ofsted’s annual report shows. Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael has launched the inspectorate’s fourth annual review which shows that 13 of 16 local authorities with low performance on […]

Ofsted annual report 2014/15: A ‘nation divided at 11’

Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has this morning warned that England is a “nation divided” over the quality of its secondary school. Today, Sir Michael launched the watchdog’s fourth annual review of schools. He pointed to a contrast in the performance between primary and secondary schools, stating that the gap between the two has […]

Sugar tax: Make all schools sign up to food standards to cut childhood obesity

All schools should be bound by food standards in a bid to cut childhood obesity – even those academies and free schools exempt by regulations, MPs have said. As part of its report calling for a “sugar tax”, the House of Commons health committee has recommended a change in Department for Education policy for academies and […]

Gibb consults on forcing pupils to take National Reference Tests

A consultation has been launched into whether or not year 11 pupils will be forced to sit the National Reference Tests (NRTs). From March 2017 the NRT will be taken by pupils in 300 schools each year to monitor the expected performance of the cohort about to sit their GCSEs. Results of the NRT will […]

Government extends new ‘75% rule’ to English and primary PGCE routes

The government has now extended its new “75 per cent rule” to English and primary courses after making a u-turn yesterday for history university routes. As reported by Schools Week, the government changed its policy, overnight, to allow higher education institutions (HEIs) to recruit trainee history teachers up to a new target – 75 per […]