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‘Fraud’

Government’s £8m academy and free school bail-out

The government has handed out more than £8 million in emergency funding to cash-strapped schools in the past three years. Freedom of information figures show that since 2013-14, the Department for Education (DfE) has paid out a total of £8.2 million in deficit funding to help schools to balance their books. More than half (£4.6 […]

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Postcode lottery in school places allocation and appeals

School place allocations, appeals and investigations processes are subject to a postcode lottery, Schools Week analysis show. Research by The Key, released yesterday, warned of the impending squeeze on secondary school places as schools face a 20 per cent increase in pupil numbers over the next eight years. In October, Schools Week reported how councils […]

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When tech bites back: How hack attacks affect schools

Many schools are unsure of what to do when they discover unauthorised access to their computer systems – which can include students’ Facebook pranks. But all cyber crime should be reported to the right agencies — and often the police — says Jess Staufenberg in the final of her six-part series on computers in schools […]

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Broadband provider apologises after putting ‘unnecessary pressure’ on schools to renew deals

A trust which provides ICT services in schools has apologised for putting “unnecessary pressure” on teachers to renew broadband internet deals amid a row over blocking emails from a competing company. The BBC has reported today that London Grid for Learning (LGfL), a consortium of London councils which negotiates services in 2,500 of the capital’s schools, […]

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Heads need support of local authorities to clamp down on school place fraud

Scores of local education authorities did not record data or had no investigation policy for tackling admission fraud, despite high numbers of parents appealing their child’s offer of a school place. Analysis by Schools Week discovered that authorities more proactive in catching admission cheats tended to have fewer parents appealing and lower rates of places […]

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Councils triple number of investigations into fraudulent school applications

Investigations into cheating parents treble The number of investigations into suspected school admission frauds has nearly trebled in the past three years with almost 700 offers of places withdrawn after cheating parents were caught out. A Schools Week investigation shows that the number of admission investigations launched by local education authorities soared from 470 in […]

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Week of ‘inspirational’ maths launched in 300 UK schools

A visual-based US maths initiative will be rolled out to thousands of UK pupils over the next two weeks in a bid to “revolutionise” their attitudes to the subject. Nearly 300 primary and secondary schools have signed up for the Week of Inspirational Maths programme, developed by educator Professor Jo Boaler of Stanford University. The […]

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Schools facing extra pressures to curb admission cheats

Concerns have been raised about the extra burden falling on headteachers as they try to thwart parents from fiddling the school admissions system. A BBC Panorama investigation due to air this evening will report the lengths gone to by parents attempting to bag a place at their chosen school. It includes lying about where they live, […]

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Fraudsters’ scams cost schools thousands

Schools have been scammed out of thousands of pounds after their phone systems were hacked and calls diverted to pricey premium-rate numbers. Schools Week can reveal that schools in at least two different regions of England called in police to investigate up to five-figure phone bills last year. The scam was among scores of frauds […]

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