Sophie Scott | Schools Week

Doctors to enter the classroom to inspire primary school pupils

The National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) and the Medical Schools Council (MSC) have joined forces in an attempt to inspire primary school pupils to enter the medical profession. As part of the union’s Primary Futures project, which gets people from the world of work to speak to children, volunteers from the medical profession will visit […]

NAHT launches mentoring programme for new headteachers

New headteachers will be able to take advantage of the wealth of experience from current and former heads in a new mentoring programme to be rolled out by one union. The National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) announced today, on the second day of its annual conference, it plans to offer new headteachers the opportunity to […]

School headteacher writes to parents over “deep and damaging” future budget cuts

A headteacher has written to parents urging them to challenge politicians about their plans to combat “deep and damaging” cuts, warning he faces laying off staff and cutting the curriculum. John Kerr, head of Enfield Grammar School, in north London, raised concerns about looming hikes in national insurance, pension contributions and teacher pay. He said […]

US schools business agreed to repay expenses claimed from academy operator Aurora

The for-profit US parent company of multi-academy trust Aurora agreed to repay expenses it had claimed for overseas based directors of the East Sussex operation to attend conferences in the UK. Aurora Academies Trust runs four primary academies in East Sussex. The trust was set up by Mosaica Education UK, a subsidiary of Mosaica Education […]

Closing the science gender divide in schools

The latest statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that the school science gender divide in the UK is amongst the largest in the world, with boys outperforming girls by up to 13 per cent. However, for some career paths, notably those in health and well being, there has been a […]

Teacher training applicants down on 2014 figures, UCAS figures show

The number of recruits to teacher training programmes are more than 5,000 down in comparison to this time last year, UCAS figures show. And subjects such as business studies, English, geography and maths are facing teacher shortages, according to research by one expert. Professor John Howson, who runs job website TeachVac, said London and surrounding […]

Teacher pay recommendations “arbitrarily discriminate” against school leaders, says ASCL

Proposals to change teachers’ pay will do nothing to address the recruitment crisis facing schools, says the ASCL. They also “arbitrarily discriminate” against members of school leadership teams, according to the Association of School and College Leaders. These views are in a formal response to the consultation on pay recommendations by the School Teachers’ Review […]

Hunt plans School Direct review

Labour has reaffirmed its commitment to reviewing initial teacher training – with an eye towards introducing a more regional model based on medical deaneries. Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt has previously raised “reservations” about the School Direct programme in the House of Commons. However, when pushed on the issue further this week, he outlined plans […]

Protesters gatecrash Pearson’s annual general meeting over education privatisation concerns

The top boss of London-based education firm Pearson was forced to defend his company’s record on investing in “low-cost” private schools in deprived countries after protesters gatecrashed its annual general meeting today. Chief executive John Fallon fielded difficult questions in front of shareholders over accusations the firm has turned its back on public education to […]