Sophie Scott | Schools Week

Former Kings Science Academy trio set for trial next year

The founder of one the country’s first free schools and two of its senior members of staff are set to go on trial for fraud offences. Sajid Hussain Raza, the founder and former principal of Kings Science Academy in Bradford, appeared at Leeds Crown Court today, charged with nine offences. Mr Raza, 42, of Spring Gardens, Bradford, […]

New paper lays out what governors and school leaders should expect from each other

Governing boards should work together with school leadership to “determine and articulate” a clear three to five year vision, says a new paper. It says this process should lead to the identification of the key strategic priorities to drive the agenda of governing board meetings, with headteachers responsible for ensuring the strategy is delivered. Four […]

Pearson chairman and two board members to stand down

Pearson has announced today that its chairman Glen Moreno intends to stand down in the next twelve months, with another two board members to leave the education and media company. Mr Moreno will step away from the company after more than nine years as chairman. A committee of the board, headed by senior independent director […]

Unions and NGOs lobby Pearson to end support of low-fee private schools in Africa

Teaching unions and global justice NGOs have come together today to lobby the world’s largest education company Pearson to stop “turning its back on free public education for all”. Heads of the organisations, including the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and Global Justice Now, are calling for the company […]

School leaders in Trojan Horse region less likely to support promoting British values

School leaders in the region at the centre of the Trojan Horse scandal are less in favour of having to promote British values than their counterparts across the country, a new survey has revealed. The State of Education report, published today by school leadership providers The Key, found only 58.7 per cent of school leaders in […]

SNP likely to “steer clear” of interfering in education south of border should it form coalition

An academic has said the Scottish National Party is likely to steer clear of interfering with education south of the border should it form a coalition government, despite its former leader refusing to rule out voting on English-only issues. SNP MPs have tended to abstain from voting on English-only legislation in the past. That includes […]

Royal School for the Deaf Derby placed in special measures over safeguarding

The Royal School for the Deaf Derby has now been placed in special measures by Ofsted after it failed to put adequate safeguarding procedures in place following an earlier inspection. A previous Ofsted social care inspection carried out in December 2014 judged the school inadequate overall. It said the principal’s failure to respond to staff […]

Conservatives will ‘guarantee the future’ of exams in minority languages, says education secretary

The future of GCSEs and A levels in minority languages such as Polish and Turkish would be guaranteed under a newly-elected Conservative government, says the education secretary. In a letter to the heads of exam boards, Nicky Morgan said she is “very concerned” about their alleged intentions to “stop awarding qualifications in some community colleges”. […]

Free school trust to give pupils an extra week off in half-term so they will be “more refreshed”

Pupils at three free schools in Suffolk will get an extra week off in the Autumn half-term as a trust “aligns its terms with independent schools”. The Seckford Foundation Free Schools Trust wrote to the parents of its schools last month to explain an additional week will be added to the October half-term this year. […]