private schools | Schools Week

A-level results 2021: Private schools see bigger jump in top grades

Private schools have seen a bigger jump in the number of top grades than state schools in this year’s A-level results, according to Ofqual. Labour said the figures showed the Conservatives had “opened the door to unfairness”, noting private schools appear more likely to give prior access to questions and face parental pressure over grades. […]

£4m Latin excellence programme: What you need to know

Education secretary Gavin Williamson has vowed to tackle Latin’s “reputation as an elitist subject” with a new scheme to boost take-up of the subject among disadvantaged pupils. He unveiled the £4 million “Latin excellence programme” over the weekend, in a move welcomed by classics professor Mary Beard but panned by others. Here is what you […]

Private schools group branded ‘insensitive’ over partnership with debt collection agency

A new “partnership” between an organisation representing more than 500 private schools and a debt collection agency could result in hard-up parents being “hounded” for unpaid fees during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Independent Schools Association (ISA) announced this week that Frontline Collections has become a “gold preferred supplier” to its members. It will seek to […]

A-level results 2020: Private schools see biggest boost in top grades

Top A-level grades have increased more at private schools than any other type of school and college this year. Analysis from exams regulator Ofqual found 48.6 per cent of private school pupils attained an A* or A this year – an increase of 4.7 percentage points. In comparison, secondary comprehensive schools saw an increase of […]

Coronavirus: Private school closures will put pressure on state

The closure of private schools unable to weather the economic hit from Covid-19 will put more pressure on state schools as they welcome back additional pupils while social distancing. Two long-standing prep schools announced this week they would close permanently. One, the 180-year-old Ashdown House Preparatory School in Sussex, is an alma mater of prime […]

Profile: Professor James Tooley

James Tooley’s vision of no-frills private schools is now a reality in England. How afraid should the state sector be? John Dickens finds out “If I were a highly qualified teacher working in a publicly funded school… I would be afraid of him. Very afraid.” So concluded a 2013 interview with Professor James Tooley. That […]

The 4 schools policies in Angela Rayner’s Labour conference speech

Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, has addressed the Labour Party conference in Brighton. In a short speech, Rayner announced a number of policies that her party will enact if it wins power in a forthcoming general election. Here are the schools policies she announced. 1. Integration of private schools – but no commitment […]

Private school caps value of Christmas gifts for teachers

A prestigious private girls’ school has written to parents urging them to cap the value of Christmas gifts for teachers to avoid “awkward” situations. St Helen and St Katharine school in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, which charges £16,470 a year, has warned parents that its policy on giving and receiving gifts sets out a “number of restrictions” […]

Independent Schools Inspectorate raises fees after two-year loss

The main inspectorate for private schools has hiked its fees by 12 per cent after operating at a loss for the past two years. The Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI), which inspects about 1,000 larger private schools, posted an operating loss of £441,000 last year, following a £498,000 loss in 2016. The losses have contributed to […]