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19 April 2026

Tag: secondary school

Secondary school applications fall for first time since 2013

Applications for secondary school places have fallen for the first time since 2013, new Department for Education statistics show. Data out today shows 600,352 applications were received for a place at secondary school in 2020, a 0.7 per cent decrease on 2019, when 604,496 applications were received. This is in contrast with a 3.7 per […]

The 6 key points from EPI’s ‘Secondary School Choice in England’ report

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has published new analysis looking at how parents choose which secondary schools to send their children to in England. Each child can list up to six secondary schools they want to apply to, which parents rank in order of preference. These are submitted to the local authority who then allocate […]

Access to the best secondary schools ‘hasn’t improved since 2010’

Access to high-performing secondary schools has not improved since 2010, and has become more geographically unequal, according to a report by the Education Policy Institute. The think-tank compared the availability of places in “high-performing secondary schools” – those with good value-added scores over a four-year period. It found that around a fifth of local authority […]

Passivhaus schools claim to reduce energy costs by 80 per cent

The first secondary school to use energy-saving Passivhaus design principles is set to be built for the Harris Federation in south London. Its design could help to reduce costs by 70 to 90 per cent “post-completion” compared with a normal school, Schools Week has learned. Eleven schools in England are built on the architectural principle […]

Where did the paralympic gold medallists go to school?

Independent schools disproportionately represent Great Britain at elite level sport, but an analysis of this year’s Olympic and Paralympic medal tables shows that state schools are starting to close the gap. Just under 70 per cent of Team GB’s medal-winning athletes at the Olympics were educated at state-maintained schools with a handful of athletes, including […]

Rio Olympics 2016: Where did the Team GB medal winners go to school?

Proud teachers and their schools have heaped praise on former pupils who have contributed to a record medal haul for Team GB at this year’s Rio Olympics. Overall, just under 70 per cent of the medal-winning athletes were educated at state-maintained schools. A handful of athletes, including Tom Daley, the diver, were given scholarships to attend independent schools. […]

Aldi back-to-school advert causes outrage

A national supermarket chain has apologised after provoking social media outrage with an advert that many people felt pandered to negative stereotypes of maths in schools. Aldi’s new back to school advert, part of its ‘amazing’ series, was screened on ITV ahead of a ‘special buy’ promotion for £4 school uniforms on July 14. It […]