Tom Belger | Schools Week

DfE still short of 1.3 million laptop target despite Gibb promise

The Department for Education had still not fulfilled its pledge to deliver 1.3 million free laptops to disadvantaged pupils a month after schools fully re-opened, figures show. The latest official data on the provision of devices shows the DfE fell just short of schools minister Nick Gibb’s pledge that all laptops and tablets would be […]

UCAS teacher training applications data: 7 things we learned

Applications for teacher training have surged as the pandemic fuels interest in the profession, with new figures showing applicant numbers have reached their highest in at least six years. UCAS data shows a 16.7 per cent annual increase in applicants during the 2020 recruitment cycle for courses in England and Wales. Experts said the figures […]

Muhammad cartoon teacher fundraiser under scrutiny

A fundraising campaign for the teacher at the centre of the Muhammad cartoon row is being led by an activist accused of stirring up local ethnic tensions. It comes as a petition demanding the teacher’s reinstatement reached almost 70,000 signatures. The staff member’s use of caricatures of the prophet in class sparked protests outside Batley […]

‘Use pupil premium cash to boost teaching’, says recovery commissioner

The government’s recovery commissioner has said schools should be spending half their pupil premium cash to improve teaching. It comes after the Department for Education told school leaders this week that how they use the funding must be “informed by research evidence”. Schools must also start using DfE templates for the pupil premium strategies they […]

Plymouth academy trust outsources staff and services

A multi-academy trust is set to outsource most of its central staff and services, with experts saying the move suggests business skills gaps in education. Contract documents seen by Schools Week show that the Plymouth-based Transforming Futures Trust (TFT) signed a £1 million deal this week after putting its “central services and operational support” out […]

Schools face new checks to ensure pupil premium spending ‘backed by evidence’

Schools will have to show their pupil premium spending is “backed by evidence” under new requirements announced by the Department for Education. The DfE confirmed schools face new conditions attached to the £2.5bn expected in funding to support disadvantaged pupils for the next academic year. Grants now depend on pupil premium spending strategies being published […]

Free school meals: 300k more pupils became eligible in first 7 months of Covid

The number of children eligible for free school meals surged in the first seven months of the Covid-19 pandemic, official figures show. Census data published by the Department for Education shows an additional 302,397 pupils became eligible for free school meals between the first nationwide lockdown in March and the October school census. During the […]

Muhammad cartoon row school launches independent probe into RSE lessons

The trust in charge of Batley Grammar School has announced an independent investigation of its curriculum after its teacher’s use of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class sparked a fierce backlash. The West Yorkshire trust said the probe would help it “learn the lessons” by examining the “context” in which the cartoons were used, […]

How the big academy trusts managed to ride out Covid finance hit

Some of the biggest multi-academy trusts have managed to ride out Covid’s toll on their finances – using savings, donations and reserves to pump millions into catch-up schemes and laptops. Analysis by Schools Week revealed trusts with cleaning bills of £1m, IT costs doubled and falling catering income as the pandemic rocked school finances. But […]