education policy | Schools Week

Why does Labour now see independent schools as the saviour of the rest

When I hear politicians championing their latest plan to improve state education I turn my mind back a year to when I worked at a challenging London state school and ask myself: “would this policy have helped me become a better classroom teacher? Would it have reduced the piles of books to mark or solved […]

The private system would still be idealised as something to aspire to

At the heart of the education debate are questions about values, what we mean by a “good” education. I was educated in the private sector, but I have chosen a community education for my own children. Why? Education should be inclusive and equip everyone to participate fully in society and lead a fulfilled life. We should […]

Schools Week editorials

Edition 36 editorial Harpenden Free School is changing its name to Harpenden Academy. As a paper that started life with the moniker Academies Week, we empathise. It’s not that free schools are bad. Or good. They are just schools, like any other. But the political associations of free schools with Michael Gove, free market zealotry, […]

State boarding schools: Governance: ‘A multitude of extra requirements’

Strong governance and leadership are as essential in a state boarding school as they are in any other school. Our systems of governance need to include all the functions that are typically associated with day schools and academies – school standards, finance, curriculum, personnel, premises, finance and so on. However the boarding dimension creates additional […]

State boarding schools: What are they? How do they work?

State boarding schools are an unusual hybrid. They sound a bit like private schools (they’re not), they sound as if they’re free (also wrong), and they sound like something we don’t have in England. But we do. In fact, we have 38 of them. Unfortunately, most people only understand schools as local places that children […]

Is that apple for teacher an old custom or a bribe?

Schools must not ignore the Bribery Act but a few simple steps should make it easy to avoid running the risk of breaking the law There is a tradition that on the first day of term a bright-eyed and keen pupil will bring their teacher an apple. It’s a cute and harmless custom, isn’t it? […]

School Funding Changes: Made Simple

The way in which the Dedicated Schools Grant, one of the main components of school funding, is calculated is changing. The Department for Education says that, for the first time in a decade, funding will be based on pupil characteristics rather than historic levels of spending. With additional guidance recently brought out on this, Schools […]

Schools Week editorials

Edition eight editorial New DfE building to include gym and art collection When Nicky Morgan said spare money should be spent in schools, she was right. Given we have reported on schools with malfunctioning generators and temporary premises there are plenty of places that need it. Though the government may save money with the move, it […]

A-level decoupling: who’s going to benefit?

A-level reform will leave sixth-form students facing increasingly difficult curriculum decisions and decreased attainment. Change is an inevitability that all teachers have become accustomed to in recent years. Adapting to survive and remain competitive is a necessity. A-level reform, in particular A-level decoupling, is the latest in a raft of government-led changes intended to increase […]