-
1 week ago | 
schoolsweek.co.uk | Lydia Chantler-Hicks |Jack Dyson
Former MAT boss cleared of historic child sex offence allegations The ex-'orphan school' trust boss found not guilty on all seven counts he faced, following a trial at Leeds Crown Court The ex-'orphan school' trust boss found not guilty on all seven counts he faced, following a trial at Leeds Crown Court More from this theme Recent articles The former boss of the government’s ‘orphan’ school academy trust has been found not guilty of historic child sex offences. Gareth Mason, 54, was formerly...
-
1 week ago | 
schoolsweek.co.uk | Lydia Chantler-Hicks |Jack Dyson |Rosa Furneaux |John Dickens
More from this theme Recent articles Families of children with SEND have lost a High Court legal challenge in which they alleged cash-strapped councils had broken the law over controversial “safety valve agreements”.
-
2 weeks ago | 
schoolsweek.co.uk | Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Almost all schools restrict phones as mandated by government, but online safety remains a top issue cited by leaders, a major new survey by the Children’s Commissioner has found. Yet the study found just 3.5% of secondary schools are imposing total mobile phone bans. The Children’s Commissioner’s School and College Survey, published on Thursday, gathered results from nearly 19,000 schools and colleges in England.
-
2 weeks ago | 
schoolsweek.co.uk | Jack Dyson |Rosa Furneaux |John Dickens |Lydia Chantler-Hicks
More from this theme Recent articles England’s biggest council has shelved proposals as part of a new inclusion strategy to overhaul what it called “restrictive” special schools after legal threats from leaders. The revamp was planned by Kent council as part of widespread reforms to provision for pupils with special needs following damning Ofsted inspections.
-
2 weeks ago | 
schoolsweek.co.uk | Lydia Chantler-Hicks
More from this theme Recent articles Oli de Botton has been appointed as prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s “expert adviser on education and skills”. Downing Street has confirmed he will “advise ministers and drive forward the government’s vision for education and skills”. So who is de Botton, and what might we expect from him? Here are seven key things to know about the former headteacher and chief executive of the Careers and Enterprise Company…1.
-
2 weeks ago | 
schoolsweek.co.uk | Lydia Chantler-Hicks
More from this theme Recent articles The former head of a private alternative provision where Ofsted found pupils could access nearby train tracks and industrial units has been banned from running schools. Victoria Poole-Birrell was proprietor and headteacher of Colours Academy in Ivybridge, Devon, which closed on the government’s orders in January 2022, two years after opening.
-
2 weeks ago | 
schoolsweek.co.uk | Lydia Chantler-Hicks
More from this theme Recent articles Ofsted is considering renaming the ‘secure’ grade in proposed new report cards, amid concerns it won’t be clear to families where it sits on the new scale, Schools Week understands. The inspectorate proposes replacing its current four-point grading system with five grades across up to 11 judgment areas.
-
3 weeks ago | 
schoolsweek.co.uk | Lydia Chantler-Hicks |Jack Dyson
More from this theme Recent articles Handing a peerage to former Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman would be “inappropriate and insensitive”, a group of school leaders has said. Spielman led Ofsted from 2017 to 2023 and was the architect of its current inspection framework in 2019. She was chief inspector when Ruth Perry, the headteacher of a school in Reading, died in 2023. A coroner ruled later that year an Ofsted inspection had contributed to her suicide.
-
3 weeks ago | 
schoolsweek.co.uk | Rosa Furneaux |Lydia Chantler-Hicks |Jack Dyson
More from this theme Recent articles In a rare interview, the Ofsted team tasked with tackling illegal schools speaks about the horrors they have witnessed, the risks they face and how they’ve found taxpayers’ money funding some of the worst cases. A visit from Ofsted is enough to get any school leader’s heart pounding. But inspectors arriving at schools usually don’t wear body cameras, nor are they considering the phrase “establishing reasonable cause” as they shake your hand.
-
3 weeks ago | 
schoolsweek.co.uk | Rhi Storer |Rosa Furneaux |Lydia Chantler-Hicks
More from this theme Recent articles Eye-tracking software to test children’s reading ability has been trialled in schools to identify pupils needing extra support – and even eye tests. Two academy trusts have piloted the software, developed by Swedish company Tobii. It uses sensors to measure eye movement using cameras mounted on laptop screens. But privacy campaigners have raised concerns about how children’s data may be used if passed on to third-party companies.
