NPD | Schools Week

Investigation: Who should we believe on data?

After months of covering stories on new rules requiring schools to collect information on pupils’ nationality and limits on researcher freedoms, new information came to light last week providing new perspective. Reporters John Dickens and Freddie Whittaker investigate. Two-day research embargo: where are we now? The government justified a new diktat ordering education academics […]

Nationality data was ‘compromise’ on Theresa May’s school immigration check plan

Controversial new government rules ordering schools to collect nationality data of pupils were introduced as a compromise to curb stricter plans for teachers to carry out immigration checks and deprioritise immigrant pupils. Leaked cabinet letters obtained by the BBC, published today, show Theresa May, while home secretary, wrote to the Department for Education last year outlining proposals […]

Government cancels rule forcing academics to show research two days before publication

The government has rowed back on a controversial new rule demanding academics give civil servants two days to look over research they plan to publish from the national pupil database – or be banned from accessing the data. An email sent to academics yesterday, seen by Schools Week, acknowledged there had been “some concern” about […]

Academics petition education secretary over 48-hour research publication rule

Academics and journalists are mobilising to fight a government diktat which means they must now send any research based on the national pupil database to civil servants two days before publication. Several have joined forces with unions and teachers to campaign against the change – including writing to education secretary Justine Greening, Schools Week can […]

Academics must show research to government two days before publishing, say new DfE rules

Academics and journalists have been ordered to give civil servants two days to look over any research they plan to publish from the national pupil database in a move that some fear will shut down rapid scrutiny of government policy. Researchers were informed yesterday that any analysis produced using statistics from the national pupil database […]