Tom Belger | Schools Week

Campaigners fear another ‘hostile environment’ over EU pupils’ status

Schools will face “inappropriate” pressure to snoop on EU pupils’ immigration status from next month, say heads and campaigners afraid of a “hostile environment” damaging relationships with parents. EU nationals who have not applied for settled status by June 30 will become undocumented and could risk losing the right to work or their children’s right […]

England’s largest academy trust gives up struggling school

England’s biggest multi-academy trust is set to hand a struggling Leeds school to another chain, ending a seven-year effort to turn around its fortunes. United Learning will transfer John Smeaton Academy to The Gorse Academies Trust (TGAT) in September. Sir John Townsley, TGAT’s chief executive, told parents in a letter that pupils would benefit from […]

School Covid outbreaks near six-month high as Indian variant spreads

Covid outbreaks in schools have reached their highest level since December as the Indian variant continues to spread, official figures show. School leaders called new data on the spread of the Delta variant first discovered in India “concerning”, and said it raised “serious questions” over the decision to drop face covering requirements in schools last […]

Senior mental health lead training: 5 things you need to know

Up to two-thirds of schools will have to wait until at least next spring to hear if they will receive grant funding for senior staff mental health training, the government has confirmed. The Department for Education published brief new guidance on Wednesday setting out further details of its pledge to offer every school training for […]

Two trusts face spending controls after accounts reveal joint CEO’s double salary

Two academy trusts face strict government spending controls after accounts revealed their joint chief executive earning a double salary for working the equivalent of 8.3 days a week. Experts said trusts considering similar controversial arrangements should consult regulators first, but defended the value of sharing staff. Newton Academy Trust received a financial notice to improve […]

DfE report delays let academy trust bosses ‘get away with it’

The government has admitted that reports on financial scandals in three academy trusts have been gathering dust for more than 18 months – while refusing to confirm when they will be published. School finance experts and campaigners say the delays mean those responsible have not been held to account. The lack of deterrents or lessons […]

Pupils missed 33 million days of in-person education due to Covid last autumn

Pupils missed 33 million days of in-person education because of Covid during the autumn term last year, as schools grappled with the second wave of the pandemic after re-opening. Official figures show the majority – 60 per cent – of pupils saw their schooling affected by the need to self-isolate or shield, often in classes […]

DfE’s ‘Falcon’ turnaround trust tells staff there’s no such thing as a free lunch

The government’s turnaround “Falcon” trust has made cutbacks at a struggling academy that even the Department for Education’s cost-cutting consultants previously left untouched – telling some staff there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The Falcon Education Academies Trust took on its first school, Thornaby Academy in Stockton-on-Tees, last September. The trust was launched […]

Illegal schools: Government accused of ‘unacceptable’ delays to crackdown

The government has been accused of “unacceptable” delays to its crackdown on illegal schools, as new figures show tip-offs to Ofsted now average 12 a month. The inspectorate wants ministers to act “swiftly” on promised reforms, while safeguarding chiefs and campaigners say agencies will still have inadequate powers to inspect and close sites. A Schools […]