ASCL | Schools Week

Ditch ideology and ‘knowledge-rich mantras’ to fix education, union leader tells ministers

Ministers must ditch “ideology, politicking and knowledge-rich mantras” and acknowledge a “relatively small number of changes” are needed to make education “world class”, a trade union leader will say this week. Could we now move beyond the ideology, the politicking, the knowledge-rich mantras Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, […]

Government’s £4m catch-up resources could be ‘downloadable, printable’ materials

The government has said its £4 million pledge for catch-up resources may take the form of “printable” documents, prompting concerns the scheme could cost schools millions of pounds. The Department for Education is looking to spend £3.9 million on catch-up materials for the next academic year, possibly including “diagnostic tests” to help teachers find gaps […]

Exams price row: AQA says schools can now pay just half of fees upfront

One of the country’s largest exam boards has said schools can pay half of their fees now and the rest later after coming under pressure for increasing their prices. As Schools Week revealed today, AQA has increased fees for some of its subjects across GCSE and A-level by about five per cent. It meant an […]

£350m National Tutoring Programme faces slipping behind schedule

A £350 million flagship programme offering tuition to help pupils catch up may now fall behind schedule as providers have been told delivery milestones can be “re-forecast”. Plans to provide additional funding to the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) scheme are also being reviewed as a result of school closures. Tuition providers already signed up to […]

Back-to-school plans in chaos as unions launch legal action

The government’s back-to-school plans are in chaos after leadership unions began legal action and the country’s largest teaching union told its members they don’t have to work in unsafe environments. The government announced on Wednesday that most primary schools will reopen next week, while the start of term for secondaries was pushed back to January […]

Pressure grows for uni admissions change as 2 in 3 students back post-qualification applications

Ministers are under growing pressure to introduce post-qualification applications for university after research found most students believe applying after receiving their results would be fairer. A study by the Sutton Trust into reforming university admissions found that 66 per cent of just over 500 students surveyed in September felt a post-qualification approach would be fairer […]

Catch-up funding could be nearly ‘wiped out’ by Covid safety costs, warns ASCL

Funding for pupil catch-up support could be nearly “wiped out” by the costs schools face in making their sites safe, a leaders’ union has warned. The government has so far refused to reimburse schools for the cost of preventative measures, despite insisting on increased cleaning and efforts to keep protective “bubbles” apart. ASCL is urging […]

HSE spot check call handlers are not health and safety experts

Spot checkers calling to review schools’ covid procedures are not health and safety experts. Schools Week understands this has heightened unions’ concerns that the calls are going to put additional strain on school staff during coronavirus. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out spot checks over the phone to review school’s measures taken […]

Ofqual accused of ‘scapegoating’ heads’ union over deflated grades fall-out

Ofqual has been accused of trying to “scapegoat” a headteachers’ union amid the fall-out over deflated grades. The regulator has been facing challenges to offer an appeal route for schools that followed advice to mark down their own teacher grades in line with historical results. Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and […]