Opinion

The private system would still be idealised as something to aspire to

At the heart of the education debate are questions about values, what we mean by a “good” education. I...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Getting maximum pupil opportunity at 14

Sir Michael Wilshaw’s CBI speech wasn’t about academic selection but about a move to high-quality vocational education being an...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

How does being a charity affect a school?

The Education Secretary wants private schools to earn their right be considered a charity. But many state schools are...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Schools Week editorials

Edition 36 editorial Harpenden Free School is changing its name to Harpenden Academy. As a paper that started life...

Laura McInerney
Laura McInerney
Opinion

A desperate hunt for the middle classes

Labour’s threat  to end “generous state subsidies” for private schools may be well meaning, but will end up harming...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

State boarding schools: Finance: ‘Costs have to be split’

All state boarding schools have two sets of accounts: the standard accounts of any state day school and, separately,...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

State boarding schools: Partnerships: ‘Failures are not an option’

Holyport College, the first new free school to offer boarding places, opened in September and will eventually take 500...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

State boarding schools: Governance: ‘A multitude of extra requirements’

Strong governance and leadership are as essential in a state boarding school as they are in any other school....

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

State boarding school special — for: Vulnerable children, quite literally, cost us a fortune

State-funded boarding schools run as a school, not as a care home, are the best solution for children failed...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips