DfE | Schools Week

Ofsted downgrades hundreds more ‘outstanding’ schools

Almost a third of previously ‘outstanding’ schools inspected since last September have dropped to ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’, Ofsted has revealed. Data covering the period from September to the end of March shows that just 16 per cent of ‘outstanding’ schools inspected during that time kept their top grade. Twenty-five per cent dropped to ‘requires […]

Paralympic swimmer to chair new edtech expert group

Paralympic swimmer Chris Holmes will chair a new expert group to help improve the use of technology in schools. The EdTech Leadership Group, which met for the first time today, consists of 27 members – 16 of whom are from education sector. The remaining 11 are ‘industry’ members and include companies such as Apple, Microsoft, […]

Don’t ‘hide’ periods in schools, urges charity at head of government taskforce

Schools must change the way they teach and talk about periods if they are to tackle the stigma that contributes to two in three girls missing lessons, a charity leading a government taskforce has said. Plan International UK will work with Penny Mordaunt, the women and equalities minister, and Procter and Gamble over the next […]

Timpson exclusions review: the 7 things you need to know

The Department for Education is set to finally publish the Timpson review into exclusions today. The government has released its executive summary of the report, which includes the 30 recommendations ministers have agreed to implement “in principle”. We’ve been through and picked out the key things you need to know. 1. No proposals yet […]

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 […]

DfE shells out £27m to prop up struggling academies

The government handed out nearly £4.5 million to prop up cash-strapped academies run by the failed Schools Company Trust during the year it announced closure. A Schools Week investigation has also uncovered that the new trusts brought in to take over the Schools Company academies will now be saddled with repaying most of the debt. […]

Schools shut out from DfE music curriculum panel

The government has come under fire for choosing just three serving school leaders for its 14-strong panel that will develop its new “model” music curriculum. Nick Gibb, the schools minister, announced the panel members on Friday, saying that they would develop a non-compulsory “sequenced and structured template” in music for key stages 1, 2 and […]

Ofsted and DfE staff nabbed for Brexit planning

Civil servants from Ofsted have been redeployed to help prepare for a no-deal Brexit, with more staff set to follow, Schools Week understands. It follows concerns that civil servants from the Department for Education could be transferred from as early as next week. Schools Week understands the department has been looking at what schools will do if […]

DfE plans new funding ‘centre of excellence’ team

The government is preparing to launch a funding “centre of excellence” that will be led by its first overall director of funding. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is expected to announce who has been given the coveted position soon. The successful candidate will be responsible for the “development, implementation and maintenance of a […]