Policy

Durham County Council approves new teaching contracts

18/05/2016 - 12:24

Durham County Council has approved plans to terminate the 2,700 teaching assistant contracts and employ the teaching staff on new agreements with different terms and conditions.

Unions call for Education Bill to be dropped from Queen’s Speech

17/05/2016 - 11:15

Unions have come together to call on the government to drop the new Education Bill from the Queen’s speech and instead ‘engage in meaningful discussions with groups representing the education profession’.

Ofsted finds more than 100 illegal schools in England

16/05/2016 - 12:51

Michael Wilshaw, chief inspector of Ofsted, has warned that investigations have found over 100 illegal schools operating in England, more than previously thought.

Term-time holiday court ruling set to cause confusion, officials warn

16/05/2016 - 10:51

Neil Carmichael, Education select committee chairman, has said that parents are likely to be confused after a recent ruling concluded that a parent who had taken his child out of school for a holiday was not liable to pay a fine, due to the child having a good record of attendance otherwise.

Scotland school exams creating ‘unsustainable’ workload, report finds

16/05/2016 - 10:47

According to a review carried out by the Scottish government, new qualifications in the country have resulted in a significant amount of pressure on teachers and pupils.

Schools should be given £500m of NHS funding, IPPR says

16/05/2016 - 10:45

New research published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has recommended that £500 million of NHS funding should be earmarked to provide mental health professionals for every school in England.

Schools need to build capacity to cope with mental health problems, says charity

13/05/2016 - 10:36

Schools are on the front line when it comes to dealing with mental health problems and need more support to tackle the issue, according to the Anna Freud Centre.

Wales ChildLine reports rise in calls as exams approach

12/05/2016 - 12:41

According to ChildLine’s Welsh branch, the number of crisis calls from teenagers has risen as GCSE and A-Level exams are nearing.

SATs tests undermine children’s pleasure in writing, Authors warn

11/05/2016 - 11:33

The Society of Authors has issued a statement to the government warning that the current testing regime is undermining children’s ‘pleasure in writing’ and their powers of ‘creativity and self-expression’.

Second Sats paper mistakenly published online

10/05/2016 - 10:49

A grammar, punctuation and spelling test which was set to be taken by 600,000 children in Year 6, has been accidentally published online.

Morgan to define ‘underperforming’ councils with consultation and vote

10/05/2016 - 10:46

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has said the decision as to whether a council should be deemed as underperforming or no longer financially able to support schools will be set out in a consultation and put to a vote of MPs.

Students distraught over arduous Sats test

10/05/2016 - 10:44

Primary teachers have raised concerns after school children were left upset after taking ‘one of hardest’ tests yet to be seen in the Key Stage 2 qualification.

Government backtracks over academy plans

06/05/2016 - 15:39

The government’s plans to compel all schools in England to become academies are being abandoned, in a government climbdown.

Tougher tests needed to encourage better command of English, Gibb says

06/05/2016 - 10:48

Schools Minister Nick Gibb has said that tougher tests for primary school children are needed to encourage pupils to utilise a ‘beautiful command of English’.

Supply teachers could lose out on £200 per month, research warns

06/05/2016 - 10:44

According to research conducted by the FCSA, a trade association for professional employment services, changes to tax relief rules mean thousands of supply teachers could lose out on over £200 per month.