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Academy rebrokerage process needs reform, says departing trust boss
The government must reform its academy transfer approval process to allow both sides more time to work out if they fit, the outgoing boss of one of England’s fastest-growing chains has said. Frank Norris, until recently the director of the Co-operative Academies Trust, said chains such as his were being rushed into takeovers that did…
5.00 Sep. 15th, 2019 | News
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Lilac Sky investigation report STILL not published
The Department for Education has failed to meet its own pledge to publish a long-awaited investigation report into a defunct academy trust. The nine-school Lilac Sky Schools Academy Trust (LSSAT) shut in 2017 amid a government investigation into allegations of financial malpractice. Publishing findings is an important part of this and our aim is to…
7.00 Sep. 14th, 2019 | News
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Ministers have U-turned on 33 attempts to force schools to become academies
The government has revoked more than 30 academy orders, some after schools have spent years in limbo and often after they have been at the centre of fierce battles over their futures, a Schools Week investigation has found. Analysis of government data obtained under the freedom of information act found 33 schools have spent more…
15.00 Apr. 5th, 2019 | News
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Holland Park school spent £15k on Farrow & Ball paint and £6k on Jo Malone candles
A state school is facing potential government action after a Schools Week investigation unearthed thousands of pounds have been lavished on designer candles, luxury paint and furnishings from a bespoke interior design store. Holland Park School, dubbed the “socialist Eton” and based in Kensington, west London, spent almost £15,000 on luxury Farrow & Ball paint…
5.00 Mar. 22nd, 2019 | News
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OECD chief: England isn’t making the most of academies
England’s academies are failing to capitalise on the “best ideas”, says the OECD’s head of education, calling for more opportunities for teachers to share knowledge and participate in research. In an exclusive interview with Schools Week, Andreas Schleicher warned that teachers in England “have very little time for other things than teaching”, which harmed retention…
5.00 Mar. 2nd, 2019 | News
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Investigation: The highs (and occasional lows) of academy CEO pay
Nearly half of the academy trusts ordered by the government to justify high salaries paid their chief executives more last year. Three paid their leaders an extra £40,000 or more, with another handing out a £26,000 bonus – despite the trust shedding schools. Just one in seven paid their chief executives less last year, although…
5.00 Mar. 1st, 2019 | News
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Tory peer’s academy trust seeks unpaid workers
An academy trust founded by a Conservative peer is advertising for unpaid volunteers to fill key roles, as plans for another free school bite the dust. Newly published accounts for the Floreat Education Academies Trust, founded in 2014 by Lord James O’Shaughnessy, a former aide to David Cameron, show “very low pupil numbers” forced it…
7.00 Jan. 11th, 2019 | News
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Investigation: The schools that slip through the council finance net
Thousands of council schools have not had their finances independently scrutinised for more than five years – three of which were last audited by their local authority nearly 20 years ago. Schools Week can also reveal that council schools have been breaking rules over tax checks, issuing contracts and unauthorised pay rises for staff. And…
5.00 Dec. 14th, 2018 | News
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Revealed: The 50 academy trusts that cut chief executive pay
The government has named 50 academy trusts that have cut executive pay following pressure from officials. A list, sent to Schools Week under the freedom of information act, reveals the names of the trusts that have stopped paying salaries of either £100,000 to £150,000 or over £150,000. However this does not include any trusts that…
11.06 Dec. 12th, 2018 | News
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Bright Tribe probe ‘will be published’, vows academies minister
An investigation by the Education and Skills Funding Agency into allegations of wrongdoing at the doomed Bright Tribe trust will be made public after all of the chain’s schools have moved to new sponsors, the academies minister has pledged. In an exclusive interview with Schools Week, Lord Agnew said the under-fire trust had been “too…
5.00 Dec. 2nd, 2018 | News
