Schools


Coronavirus could create a ‘lost generation’ of vulnerable teenagers 07/07/2020 Thousands of vulnerable teenagers are at risk of falling through gaps in the school and social care systems, the Children’s Commissioner for England has warned today.
Johnson launches planning reforms to help 'build, build, build' 30/06/2020 Boris Johnson is expected to bring forward £5bn of investment in hospitals, roads and schools later today.
Leicester locks down after surge in coronavirus 30/06/2020 England’s first local lockdown will begin in Leicester this week in a bid to combat a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Johnson announces £1bn school building programme 29/06/2020 Prime minister Boris Johnson has committed £1bn to build 50 new schools over the next ten years.
Council chiefs welcome £1bn Covid school ‘catch up’ package 19/06/2020 Local authority leaders have welcomed the Government’s announcement of a £1bn Covid ‘catch up’ package to tackle the impact of lost teaching time.
Teachers call for summer holiday offer to support children 19/06/2020 Teachers have urged the Government to fund councils to help them provide summer activities for children in preparation for a return to school in September.
Paediatricians urge PM to make school reopenings ‘a priority’ 18/06/2020 Over 1,500 paediatricians have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister urging him to make the reopening of schools a priority.
Schools using 'professional judgement' on reopening, union finds 04/06/2020 Just over a third of schools (35%) opened on the terms expected by the prime minister on 1 June, a union has found.
Councils urged to create ‘school streets’ 29/05/2020 Councils have been urged to close roads to cars during school pick up and drop off times to make journeys safer and manage social distancing at the school gates by ten NGOs.
Social workers to be placed in schools to spot children at risk 22/05/2020 The Government has committed £6.5m to place social workers in schools to help spot the signs of child abuse and neglect.
More councils join call to delay schools reopening 20/05/2020 The Government is under increasing pressure to rethink its plans to open schools on 1 June after more councils highlighted safety concerns.
Councils decide against re-opening schools 19/05/2020 Hundreds of schools will not re-open next week as councils express concern over the safety of pupils and teachers.
Councils call for power to close schools at higher risk of Covid-19 15/05/2020 Council leaders have called for the power to close schools or nurseries that have new clusters of Covid-19.
MPs tell department to 'get a grip' on SEND 05/05/2020 The Department for Education (DfE) does not have a grip on mounting pressure in the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system, a watchdog has found.
Schools minister outlines funding for school estate 23/04/2020 The Government has confirmed £2.2bn of capital funding will be provided to improve the condition of the school estate and create new school places.
Councils call for suspension of academy conversions during Covid-19 crisis 14/04/2020 Council leaders have warned the time and resources being spent on converting schools into academies is undermining efforts to provide enough school places for children during the Covid-19 crisis.
Study questions impact of closing schools to contain coronavirus 08/04/2020 School closures have not had a ‘significant effect’ on preventing the spread of coronavirus, a new study has revealed.
Report highlights complex nature of safeguarding in residential schools 03/04/2020 New research has revealed the unique challenges staff in residential schools face to protect children from sexual abuse.
Schools shut down to stop spread of Covid-19 19/03/2020 All schools, colleges and early years settings will be closed as of next week as part of the effort to contain the Coronavirus pandemic.
Schools exclude pupils to ‘game’ league table, report reveals 16/03/2020 A new study has uncovered an ‘alarming’ trend of schools excluding pupils to boost their league table standings and warned of a flawed system of incentives in the education sector.
Cost of school uniforms pushing some families into debt 13/03/2020 Councils have urged schools to take a 'common-sense' approach to the cost of uniforms, after parents warned this was affecting their choice of school.
Councils and teachers call for over £5bn of extra school funding 05/03/2020 Local authorities, parents and teachers have joined forces to call on the Government to increase school funding by £5.5bn.
Consultation on dedicated school leaders launched 25/02/2020 The Government today launched a consultation on plans to place a dedicated school leader in every school to help vulnerable children achieve more and ensure they attend lessons.
Financial pressures ‘biggest concern’ of school leaders 24/02/2020 A majority of school leaders who responded to Ofsted inspectors have warned that financial pressures are their ‘biggest concern’.
Number of schools commissioning mental health support ‘doubles’ 03/02/2020 The number of schools commissioning professional help for children’s mental health issues has almost doubled in the last four years, a survey has revealed.
Funding per pupil to ‘increase’, PM says 30/01/2020 Councils will be required by law to make sure every school receives the full amount of the minimum levels of funding pledged for each pupil, PM announces.
Councils sent back to drawing board on SEND 28/01/2020 Councils have been sent back to the drawing board after a quango ripped apart their plans to recover massive special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) deficits.
Government announces £2.4m ‘boost’ to improve sports teaching 27/01/2020 Schools are set to receive a £1.6m funding boost that will help them provide more sports activities to pupils after school and during the holidays.
Councils warned to cover foster carers’ school transport costs 17/01/2020 Councils have been reminded by the local government ombudsman that they should be providing financial support to foster parents to pay for school transport.
Medway caves after Ombudsman rap 16/01/2020 Medway Council has finally accepted the recommendations in a Local Government Ombudsman public interest report after a two-year stand-off.
Plans for ‘universal’ school inspections launched 10/01/2020 Ofsted will visit all schools judged to be outstanding within the next five academic years, the Government has announced.
‘Stuck’ schools need more tailored support, inspectors say 08/01/2020 Hundreds of schools in England are ‘stuck’ in a cycle of low performance and need more tailored support to improve, a new Ofsted report has found.
New hubs to support struggling schools 07/01/2020 Struggling schools are set to receive extra support from some of the country’s top schools.
Cash boost for breakfast clubs 06/01/2020 The Government has announced an investment of nearly £12m to deliver free meals and summer holiday activities for children in disadvantaged areas.
Whitehall promises £85m ‘culture boost’ after decade of school cuts 03/01/2020 The Government has committed to investing millions of pounds into film, dance, theatre and design lessons and facilities for secondary school children.
Government announces £14bn funding boost for schools 20/12/2019 The Government has announced that every school is set to receive £5,000 per pupil in funding for secondary schools next year after a decade of austerity.
Nearly one third of maintained schools ‘in the red’ 19/12/2019 A think tank has warned that the Government’s plans to ‘level up’ school funding will not close the gap between struggling schools and those in the black.
Council criticised for ‘Trans Inclusion Toolkit' 16/12/2019 Oxfordshire County Council has defended its guidance to schools looking to support young people who feel they are not the gender they were assigned at birth.
Hygiene and cleanliness standards 29/11/2019 Daniel Tannenbaum explains what hygiene standards must be followed for educational washroom facilities.
Council wins battle to ban anti LGBT protests 26/11/2019 Birmingham City Council has won a court battle to permanently ban anti-LGBT protests outside a local primary school.
Children’s personal data ‘secretly’ passed to Home Office 13/11/2019 A data watchdog has criticised the Department for Education (DfE) for secretly passing children’s personal data to the Home Office for immigration enforcement.
Index shows large variation in England's incusive schools 12/11/2019 Schools in London are the most inclusive in England, new analysis has revealed today.
Councils chiefs call for more powers to ‘restrict’ takeaways 12/11/2019 Local authorities have called for more planning powers to help them prevent takeaways from ‘clustering’ as part of the fight against health inequalities and obesity.
Exclusion process suffers ‘serious weaknesses’ 11/11/2019 The current system for excluding pupils from school suffers from ‘serious weaknesses’ and needs overhauling, a new report has found.
Councils warn about spiralling cost of free school transport 04/11/2019 Councils will be spending £1.2bn on providing free school transport by 2024, new research has found.
School league tables ‘misrepresent’ performance, northern leaders say 30/10/2019 Secondary school league tables misrepresent performance by failing to show the difference when pupil background is taken into account, northern leaders say.
Whitehall launches £400m improvement fund for academies 28/10/2019 Academies and sixth form colleges can now bid for a share of a multi-million pound fund to help improve facilities, the Government has announced.
Special educational needs reforms ‘poorly implemented’, MPs say 23/10/2019 A generation of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities is being failed by the Government’s SEND reforms, MPs warn.
Children with special educational needs home schooled ‘as last resort’ 15/10/2019 Parents of SEN children often home school their kids as a last resort rather than a preferred choice, a new Ofsted report has revealed.
Unexplained exits from schools at ‘very high rates’ 11/10/2019 A new study has warned of ‘very high rates’ of unexplained pupil exits from schools among several local authorities and multi-academy trusts in England.
Developers offered loans to build new schools 10/10/2019 Housing developers will be given loans from the Government to build new schools before new properties are finished.
Six councils conned into spending thousands of pounds on illegal school 03/10/2019 Six local authorities were duped into paying thousands of pounds to educate vulnerable children in an unsafe illegal school.
Four in five schools will be worse off next year, research finds 30/09/2019 Funding for schools is dwindling in real terms despite the recent announcement of extra cash, according to campaigners.
Labour pledges to scrap ‘unfit for purpose’ Ofsted 23/09/2019 Labour has vowed to scrap Ofsted and replace it with regular ‘health checks’ led by local government.
DfE drive to check council readiness for Brexit 19/09/2019 The Department for Education (DfE) is attempting to gain a better understanding of school sector and council readiness just weeks before the Government’s Brexit deadline.
Two-thirds of English schools rated ‘poor’ for fire protection 18/09/2019 Over 60% of English schools are rated ‘poor’ for fire protection systems, with only one in 20 rated ‘excellent’, new research has revealed.
Quarter of teachers work more than 60 hours a week, study reveals 18/09/2019 One in four teachers work more than 60 hours a week and many work in the evenings, a new study has revealed.
PM announces new wave of free school applications 10/09/2019 The Government has announced the latest round of applications for the controversial free schools programme in an effort to ‘drive up education standards’.
Tower Hamlets appoints Sustrans for first wave of new school streets 06/09/2019 East London borough Tower Hamlets has launched a scheme to create 50 streets where traffic is diverted away from school gates.
Spending Round 2019: Chancellor pledges £1.5bn 'down payment' for social care 04/09/2019 Councils will have access to £1.5bn of new funding for social care next year, the chancellor has announced.
Spending Round 19: Schools receive £7.1bn funding boost 04/09/2019 School spending will increase by £7.1bn by 2022-23, the chancellor confirmed today.
New measures to improve underperforming schools 02/09/2019 A new specialist academy trust to take on and turn around the most challenging schools will be launched by the Government.
Johnson outlines £14bn for schools over three years 02/09/2019 Schools across England are set to receive a £14bn cash boost over the next three years, including £700m for children with special educational needs.
Councils call for incentives to help schools support children with special needs 29/08/2019 Mainstream schools should be incentivised to accept more children with special needs, council leaders have said today.
Council chiefs warn of ‘looming’ school places crisis 27/08/2019 Council leaders have called on the Government to give them more powers to open maintained schools to help avoid an impending secondary school place shortage.
Glasgow council launches car-free zones around schools 16/08/2019 Glasgow City Council is trialling car free zones to improve road safety and reduce harmful emissions outside of six of the city’s primary schools.
Newham Council installs nearly 100 air quality monitors in schools 30/07/2019 The London Borough of Newham has announced it will be installing 96 air quality monitoring tubes in schools across its area in an effort to tackle air pollution.
Council chiefs defend record of transparency in maintained schools 17/07/2019 Local authority leaders have hit back at a Government suggestion that academies are more transparent and accountable than council schools.
Hinds launches £9m mental health training scheme 12/07/2019 Pupils struggling with mental health are to benefit from more 'joined up care and support', education secretary Damien Hinds has announced.
Kent CC warns of ‘dire’ £14m SEND deficit 11/07/2019 Kent County Council has warned it is facing a 'dire' £14m financial deficit for the cost of special needs education provision.
Birmingham CC to pilot ‘car free’ areas outside schools 10/07/2019 A scheme to ban vehicles from roads near schools at the start and end of the day is to be tried in Birmingham from September.
Free HPV vaccination to be offered to boys 09/07/2019 Local authority leaders have welcomed an announcement that from boys will be offered the free Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine for the first time.
Our school places challenge 05/07/2019 A new report has warned the UK needs more than 600 new schools by 2022 to meet demand. Mark Robinson explores how local authorities can address the school place shortfall.
Majority of young people experience mental health issues, poll reveals 02/07/2019 Three in five young people have experienced a mental health problem or are close to someone who has, according to a new survey.
Fifth of local government leaders ‘privately educated’ 25/06/2019 Around 20% of local government leaders and 29% of MPs are privately educated compared to 7% of the population, a report into social mobility has revealed.
Whitehall announces measures to support ‘vulnerable’ children in school 18/06/2019 The Department for Education has announced that it will ‘take forward’ changes to make it easier for vulnerable children to access school places.
Children exposed to toxic air inside schools, report warns 18/06/2019 The quality of air inside and outside primary schools must be improved to protect children's health, campaigners have demanded.
A first-class learning environment 06/06/2019 Dr Owen Connick explains how, by employing hybrid ventilation, schools can maximise health, comfort and sustainability without big building works.
Calls for sugar-free schools by 2022 05/06/2019 All schools in London should be sugar-free by 2022, according to health experts.
Birmingham council granted interim injunction to protect school from protests 03/06/2019 A court order banning protests over sex education outside a Birmingham school is set to be reviewed next week.
Council schools get better Ofsted ratings than academies, report finds 23/05/2019 Council-maintained schools are more likely to remain ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ than their academy counterparts, new research suggests.
Whitehall announces £200m ‘rural broadband' programme 20/05/2019 The Government yesterday announced that it has started to rollout gigabit-capable full fibre broadband to rural areas across the country.
Hackney publishes guide to banning traffic outside schools 17/05/2019 Hackney Council has launched a new toolkit designed to help local authorities ban traffic outside of schools at opening and closing times.
New school inspections framework to discourage ‘teaching to the test’ 14/05/2019 Teachers have welcomed Ofsted's new inspection framework which pledges to focus on curriculum, behaviour and development rather than on test results.
Schools ‘fear-monger’ to remove pupils, survey finds 10/05/2019 Teachers have told Ofsted that they want to see more support for parents to help them push back against the practice of ‘off-rolling’.
Ofsted to retain grading system in new inspection framework 30/04/2019 Ofsted has decided to retain its current 4-point grading system when it launches its new inspection framework in September.
Teachers ‘burnt out’ by assessments, union says 23/04/2019 Teachers and pupils are being ‘burnt out’ by the demands of assessments, the national teachers union warns.
Primary schools to be provided with free sanitary products 16/04/2019 Free sanitary products will be offered to girls in all primary schools in England from early next year, the Government has announced.
Over 50,000 pupils stuck in ‘zombie schools’ 15/04/2019 Tens of thousands of pupils are stuck ‘in limbo’ as their academies wait to be transferred between trusts.
Thousands of children being taught in illegal schools 12/04/2019 Up to 6,000 children are being educated in illegal schools across England putting their safety and education at risk, a watchdog has warned.
Developers encouraged to fund school places 11/04/2019 The Government has published new guidance which sets out how councils can encourage housing developers to fund the school places their developments create.
Review of school appeals system ‘imperative’, think tank says 11/04/2019 Poorer families and those from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to secure their top choice of school through the appeals and waiting list system than other groups, new research reveals.
Nearly 13,000 new classrooms needed by 2022 in England 10/04/2019 England will require an additional 12,835 school classrooms by 2021/22 to meet demand, new research has revealed.
Whitehall publishes consultation on home school register 02/04/2019 Local authority leaders have welcomed proposals from the Government to launch a new register of all children not attending mainstream schools.
School children in referral units doubles within a decade 01/04/2019 The number of primary school children in Pupil Referral Units has more than doubled since 2011. according to the Labour Party.
Councils play ‘unique role’ in school place creation, LGA says 29/03/2019 Local authorities should be recognised for their role in creating school places and should be given more powers to continue this task, council chiefs say.
Council consults on £20m school investment 27/03/2019 Wiltshire County Council has launched a consultation on how to invest at least £20m in special school education.
In perfect partnership: how councils can get the most out of a tech provider 26/03/2019 Cassandra Phillip lists the key steps to creating a successful partnership with a technology provider.
Councils should do more to cut emissions outside of schools, charity says 25/03/2019 Sustainable transport campaigners have called on local authorities to close the streets outside of schools during the school run to cut dangerous emissions.
Poll reveals ‘rising tide’ of pupil poverty 15/03/2019 A shocking new survey of headteachers has revealed that schools have become an ‘unofficial fourth emergency service’ for poor and vulnerable children.

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