Profiles: Gavin MacdonaldMeet Gavin…Gavin Macdonald joined PAG in January 2022 via the Kickstart scheme. He originally provided data technical support to our Growth team and now works as a researcher for Create: Schools. Gavin grew up in Moray, North East Scotland but lives in Glasgow. He graduated from Queen Margaret University, with a BA in Business Management with Finance. What …
Should ChatGPT have a place in schools?“ChatGPT, the large language model developed by OpenAI, has the potential to revolutionise the way we think about education and teaching. In particular, it can have a significant impact on grading in schools. The new Open AI language model likes to think of itself as a groundbreaking tool to make grading easier for teachers …
Unregistered schools and Unregistered APs under OfSTED’s EyeSince 2016, OfSTED’s Unregistered School Taskforce has monitored the activity of unregistered education establishments, commonly referred to as illegal schools. In the last six years, the government organisation has conducted over six hundred inspections throughout England. As a result, it has managed to get ninety-seven institutions to adapt their services according to legal requirements …
PAG Explains: Pre-Opening Project Management The Pre-opening Phase is a vital part of the free school process. Whether you’ve been successful via the central free school waves or via local authority competition, this is the next stage of your journey and far fewer schools emerge from this process than enter it. In many cases, schools do not pass pre-opening for …
PAG Explains: Childcare Sufficiency AssessmentsPAG have undertaken full Childcare Sufficiency Assessments (CSAs) for over 30 Local Authorities in England and Wales. We have experience stretching back to the days of childcare audits in the early days of Sure Start and the Childcare Act 2006. As market leaders in the delivery of full CSAs, PAG’s expertise in assessing childcare markets and …
PAG Explains: Trust Capacity FundingThe DfE recently opened the next round of Trust Capacity Funding, which closes on the 16th of December. The Trust Capacity Fund is a competitive grant that is available for academy trusts with eligible growth projects and maintained schools forming academy trusts. Applicants can be awarded up to £300,000 in funding, depending on their circumstances, to …
Profiles: Helena SeniorMeet Helena…Helena Senior joined PAG in 2021 via the Kickstart scheme and initially supported our Kickstart efforts as a recruitment assistant, before moving to her current role as an associate consultant in the growth team. She has a BA in English Literature from Edge Hill University and an MA in English from the University of York, and, following …
SNP look to raise school starting ageSNP members have backed a motion to raise the school entry age for children to six years old. While advocating for a play-based kindergarten stage for three to six-year-olds, the new Scottish motion aims to implement a compulsory and universal care-centered provision. The UK is one of the few countries in Europe where the …
PAG Explains: Trust MergersFollowing the release of the White Paper back in March, mergers are the talk of the day. The DfE are now not only proposing academy conversions but encouraging smaller MATs to become larger. In response, PAG’s clients are now commonly asking us about how to prepare for a merger discussion.PAG has a proven route to guiding MATs …
PAG Explains: Free School InterviewsA vital part of the free school application process is the interview. Whether you’re applying via the central free school waves or via local authority competition, if your free school bid is successful in the first round (find out more about writing a successful free school bid here) you will be invited to an interview. The …