ASCL | Schools Week

Coronavirus: Leadership unions say school closures ‘likely’ after DfE crunch talks

The general secretaries of England’s two school leadership unions have said it is “likely that a number of schools will have to close”, following a meeting with ministers. Geoff Barton, the leader of ASCL and Paul Whiteman, who heads up the NAHT, said they had had a “very productive meeting” with education secretary Gavin Williamson […]

Coronavirus: Heads summoned to DfE meeting to discuss potential school closures

Leadership unions and academy representatives have been summoned to the Department for Education to discuss schools’ response to coronavirus. Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the ASCL union, said today that his organisation, along with the National Association of Headteachers and Confederation of School Trusts, have been asked to attend a meeting on Monday about […]

Do what’s best for pupils, even if government doesn’t like it, Barton tells heads

Schools leaders should defy the government and snub GCSE English to help the “forgotten third” of pupils destined to fail, the leader of the ASCL union has said. Geoff Barton, once a maverick headteacher who railed against Ofsted and said he would have to be dragged “kicking and screaming” into running an academy, has been […]

Barred: Teachers in challenging schools shut out of DfE schemes over EBacc rates

Teachers in the most challenging schools are being barred from shaping policy or sharing their expertise as government limits access to its schemes based on EBacc entry rates. Analysis by Schools Week has found at least five Department for Education initiatives where a quota of pupils entered into the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) was part of […]

‘We are not convinced’ – leaders’ union ASCL won’t back #PauseOfsted campaign

The Association of School and College Leaders will not back calls for school staff to stop working as Ofsted inspectors because its leaders are “not convinced” it’s the best way forward. The #PauseOfsted campaign, launched by Headteachers’ Roundtable chair Stephen Tierney at the think tank’s annual conference last week, calls for those working part-time as […]

Ofqual’s new price guide will show ‘real cost’ of the exam system

Ofqual has promised to publish an exams price guide that will include increased qualification costs. The exams regulator announced in its corporate plan published last month that it will release a qualifications price index next year, “measuring changes over time in the published price of a representative sample of qualifications”. It will track the prices […]

DfE won’t issue guidance on ‘exceptional circumstances’ for sex education withdrawal

Headteachers will be left in the “invidious position” of deciding whether they have grounds to refuse parents’ requests to withdraw their children from new sex education lessons. School leaders’ unions have called for clarity after the new guidance confirmed that schools will be allowed to turn down such requests in “exceptional circumstances”. But the Department […]

A lack of sponsors? Simple, ditch compulsory academisation

Today’s annual report by HMCI Amanda Spielman covers a lot of ground, but let’s pick up here on one important section that shows starkly the flaw in the government’s policy of compulsory academisation. The report points out that the turnaround rates for underperforming schools remain too slow and that a lack of sponsor capacity means […]

Heads told school pension contributions to rise by over 40% from 2019

Headteachers have been told contributions schools pay towards teachers’ pensions are set to rise by more than 40 per cent. An email sent to headteachers states the estimated contribution rate for schools under the Teachers’ Pension Scheme will rise to 23.6 per cent from September next year. The current employer contribution rate is 16.48 per […]