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15 April 2026

Tag: school improvement

Kyle: Labour won’t ‘meddle’ with successful schools

A Labour government will not “meddle” in successful schools or launch a “revolution” in school improvement mechanisms, says the new shadow schools minister. But the schools community faces a long wait to see a “fully formed” set of education policies from the party. We want a virtuous circle, and where that exists, we will not […]

Children’s commissioner to warn of over-focus on school improvement in critical last speech

Ministers should commit to making children “better-off” rather than talking about increasing numbers attending ‘good’ or better schools, the outgoing children’s commissioner will say tomorrow. Anne Longfield will use her last speech in the role to launch a broadside against government, claiming she has often had to “force officials and ministers to the table” to […]

Schools miss out as £2.2m cut from overhauled support scheme

The government has cut funding promised to schools for improvement support after the scheme was repurposed to help leaders struggling with educational issues or remote learning during the pandemic. Under a new recovery scheme, schools can request an “experienced system leader” for up to five days to “help them overcome the challenges faced or exacerbated” […]

MATs to take charge in ‘left-behind’ areas

The government will shift its focus to expanding “good” multi-academy trusts over the next 12 months to raise standards in left-behind areas. The Department for Education has advertised for two senior officers, one to lead its multi-academy trust capacity and school improvement unit, the second to head its mainstream free schools policy unit. MATs are […]

Ignore the ‘fibbers’ over London’s school successes, says Hinds

Anyone who says they know why London’s schools have improved over the past two decades is a “fibber”, the education secretary has said. Damian Hinds told a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference that the reasons behind the transformation of educational performance in the capital are “much more complicated” than just one public policy programme. […]

Doomed school improvement fund ignored ‘big black hole’ in the north of England

England’s two northernmost counties were overlooked for government school improvement cash because ministers are too focused on the region’s large towns and cities, it has been claimed. Michael Merrick, a deputy headteacher from Carlisle, said Cumbria and Northumberland should in future be treated as their own “bespoke region” so they do not lose out to […]

Northants council plunders £9m from school improvement fund

A bankrupt county council siphoned off £9 million meant for school improvements in a desperate bid to prop up its depleted reserves, it has been revealed. Northamptonshire county council hit the headlines in February after its bank balance plummeted so low that it was forced to bring in what’s called a Section 114 notice, banning […]

Let’s put teacher CPD at the heart of school improvement

In an increasingly fragmented system, here’s how one part of the country has taken a joint approach to school improvement, explain Simon Faull and Simon Burgess In England we have a reasonably functional system of school accountability, using school performance tables and Ofsted inspections, which provide outcome and process oversight. While this system is often […]