Education News in the Autumn Term: A Round Up
As the year comes to a close, we take a look back at the main headlines we’ve reported on since September:
BRIGHT TRIBE ACCUSED OF MISUSING GOVERNMENT FUNDS
A recent investigation has found the Bright Tribe Trust received public money for building work, lighting upgrades and fire safety improvements that were either not finished or never done. New trustees, appointed at Bright Tribe two months ago, have now commissioned independent investigations.
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TEACHER PAY GRANT METHODOLOGY RELEASED
The Department for Education (DfE) has released the methodology for the ‘Teacher Pay Grant’, designed to help schools cover the pay rise announced in July. Schools North East has created an interactive table to estimate your school’s Teacher Pay Grant allocation for the next two years, based on the figures provided by the DfE.
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END TO ACADEMISATION UNDER LABOUR
This week the Labour Party convened in Liverpool for its annual conference. Here SCHOOLS NorthEast looks at the big education policy announcements from Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner on academies and Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn on early years
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CONSERVATIVES ANNOUNCE £10 MILLION BEHAVIOUR TRAINING FUND
Education Secretary Damian Hinds made the announcement in his speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham on Tuesday. Here we round up the key statements he made on the day.
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AMANDA SPIELMAN ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO INSPECTIONS AT SCHOOLS NORTH EAST SUMMIT
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools, Amanda Spielman, set out her vision for the new Education Inspection Framework in her keynote address to the Schools North East Summit yesterday. Ms Spielman said that outcomes will no longer be a separate judgement in a school’s overall grading, instead it would form part of a wider education grade.
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EDUCATION SECRETARY THREATENS ACTION ON SCHOOL EXCLUSIONS
The Department for Education has published research into Alternative Provision (AP) following concerns about poor levels of attainment in AP and rising exclusions in some areas.
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#FUNDOURFUTURE CAMPAIGN: TELL US ABOUT FUNDING IN YOUR SCHOOL
Schools North East will shortly be launching the #FundOurFuture campaign which will fight on behalf of schools for greater funding. The campaign aims to mobilise schools, parents and relatives of pupils to take the Government to task over funding shortfalls which have seen an 8% real terms cut in per-pupil funding. Your feedback will help us to shape the campaign and provide vital information on what is happening in your school today.
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LORD AGNEW ANNOUNCED AS ACADEMIES CONFERENCE KEY NOTE SPEAKER
It has been announced this week that the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System, Lord Theodore Agnew, will be the key note speaker at this year’s annual Schools North East Academies Conference in January.
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DFE ‘CONSIDERING’ CHANGE TO OUTSTANDING SCHOOLS INSPECTION EXEMPTION
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Schools Minister Nick Gibb MP said the Department was ‘considering’ a change to the outstanding schools inspection exemption. The Schools Minister was questioned by MPs over the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendation that the exemption be reviewed.
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TEACHERS MOST COMMONLY CITED AS PROFESSIONAL SOURCE OF SUPPORT FOR THOSE WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS
The first Government child and adolescent mental health statistics for 14 years have this week been released by NHS Digital. Data from the findings show that teachers were the most commonly cited professional source of support among those with mental health conditions.
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“THERE’S NO FUNDING CRISIS,” SAYS INTERIM NATIONAL SCHOOLS COMMISSIONER
Dominic Herrington’s comments, in his first major interview since becoming interim National Schools Commissioner in September, come despite warnings from teachers, MPs, ex-ministers and funding experts of growing funding problems in schools.
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OPPORTUNITY NORTH EAST BOARD ANNOUNCED
It has been announced this week by the Department for Education that Schools North East Director, Mike Parker, is one of the 12 representatives from the region who will sit on the Board of Opportunity North East.
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NORTH EAST PRIMARIES IMPROVE PERFORMANCE IN LEAGUE TABLES
The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics rose from 65% last year to 67% this year in the North East. This is higher than the English average, which rose from 61% to 64%
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