The noise around academy trusts merging with other trusts continues to increase. Comments from academies minister Lord Agnew in November 2017suggested a minimum figure of 12-20 schools for a viable MAT and advised smaller trusts to seriously consider merging. Subsequently, Sir David Carter stated the minimum size for a trust should be 1,200 pupils. He also encouraged mergers to enable …
Demography is the reason northern pupils are behind, not school effectiveness
A report published by the think tank Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) clarified that pupils in the north are one GCSE grade behind pupils in London. In their attainment 8 scores in 2017, disadvantaged northern pupils are 6.5 points behind their London counterparts. Whilst it is widely assumed that school effectiveness is the primary cause of pupils in the north falling …
Government unveil £40,000 bursary available for ex-service personnel to train as teachers
As part of the Armed Forces Covenant (the nation’s promise to those who serve or have served), the government unveiled a £40,000 bursary available to ex-service personnel to retrain as teachers. Anyone who has left full-time employment in the British Army, Royal Navy or Royal Airforce in the last five years will be eligible to access the bursary, which will …
Durand Academy Trust start campaign against takeover by Harris Federation
Following a string of well-publicised governance and financial disputes, it was announced this week that Durand Academy Trust has hired an external consultant to campaign against the forced takeover of the trust by the Harris Federation. No stranger to controversy, the Durand Academy Trust made headline news following an initial judgement in the High Court which quashed an Ofsted report …
On the Business of Education Leadership
The question of whether business leaders with no teaching experience can become successful Headteachers and MAT CEOs has been around for some time, with devotees in both camps offering valid reasons for agreeing or disagreeing. A breakthrough of sorts occurred three years ago when a businesswoman with no teaching experience known as ‘the queen of trucks’ was appointed to one …
The Hidden Charges of 30 Hours Free Childcare
30 Hour Free Childcare has been available from September 2017 to parents who receive any of the following benefits: Tax credits Universal Credit Childcare vouchers or salary sacrifice schemes Childcare grants and bursaries The 30 hours childcare offer gives eligible parents an additional 570 hours of free childcare per year. However, a survey conducted by the Pre-School Alliance in January …
The Benefits of #30Hours Free Childcare
Secretary of State for Education, Damian Hinds has previously expressed his belief that the attainment gap between children begins before they even start school. 30 hours childcare offer was universally implemented in September 2017. The scheme was introduced to help cover the costs of childcare for working families with 3 and 4 year olds – enabling parents to ‘double up’ on …
30 hours free childcare- latest statistics on eligibility codes issued and validated
The Department for Education have released the latest statistics on the number of 30 hours free childcare codes issued and validated for the Spring 2018 term following a pledge to provide transparency around the national roll out of this entitlement. Parents apply and have their eligibility checked for 30 hours free childcare via the Childcare Service. If a parent is …
Nadhim Zahawi’s responsibilities as Under-Secretary of State for Education are announced
The new years’ cabinet reshuffle led to numerous ministerial changes at the Department for Education, including the appointment of Nadhim Zahawi as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families. Earlier this week, the website: GOV.UK stated that the minister’s responsibilities will include: children’s social care including child protection, children in care, adoption, care leavers, social work, local authority performance …
Funding for 30 hours: The Delivery Support Fund
Has your Local Authority been successful? – decisions on applications to be announced this February Local Authorities and providers have invested a significant amount of time and effort to deliver the 30 hours childcare offer, which launched universally in September 2017. Therefore, to further support LAs with the first year of delivery, and to enable them to support their …