Regional Schools Commissioners no longer judged by number of academies in their area

Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) will no longer be judged on the percentage of academies in their areas, as the key performance indicators used to judge the quality of RSCs will be amended following a review. Natalie Evans, former Head of the New Schools Network and a leading government peer, told the House of Lords that …

Term round-up: biggest education announcements

It has been an incredibly busy term in the education policy field and even though we are certain you have been kept up to date by the press, the myriad of GOV.uk updates and - of course - our Weekly Update, below is a summary of the biggest announcement since September 2015. More free schools …

Ko Kapa O Pango e ngunguru nei! Au, au, aue ha!

Excuse me? Pardon? What is this random arrangement of letters you type?  Well I’m sure most of you have heard this before. And if you did not watch the rugby world cup then maybe you recognise the chant. It’s the middle section of The All Blacks rugby haka. The terrifying warrior dance performed traditionally by …

Lords defeated on Education Bill changes

Attempts to require consultation of parents, teachers and governors over academy orders were defeated 191-205 yesterday in the second sitting of the Education and Adoption Bill at report stage in the House of Lords. This comes after Nicky Morgan publicly called on members of the House of Lords to back Government moves to intervene in underperforming …

End of term note from SCHOOLS NorthEast

With the autumn term all but put to bed and a much earned festive break on the near horizon, I wanted to take a brief moment to thank you for your support this year and to give a brief glimpse of what is to come in 2016. More than 600 of you have engaged with …

New school recruitment portal to launch in the New Year

A new jobs board created by North East schools for North East schools will be launched in January 2016. The project is endorsed by SCHOOLS NorthEast's Head Teacher Board and SBM Council and will deliver fresh talent attraction opportunities for schools that will: Act as a one-stop-shop for all recruitment opportunities within schools - teaching and support …

Blyth pupils take part in first ever careers fair

Young people have been given a helping hand on their journey to university or a career at a showcase of the routes open to them. Bede Academy, in Blyth, has held its first careers and higher education fair aimed at students taking GCSEs and A levels next summer. Representatives from 12 universities from across the North …

Sunderland schools mental health pilot essential for tackling worsening problem

THE regional education network, SCHOOLS NorthEast, has backed Government plans to pilot better mental health provision for schoolchildren in Sunderland. The Wearside city is one of 22 areas nationwide that will benefit from £3m investment by the Department for Education and NHS England to support the wellbeing of schoolchildren. The decision follows an announcement in …

Are we missing a trick with homework?

Perceived wisdom regarding homework has always seemed to run along the lines of ‘if the pupils think they have too much and the parents think that there isn’t enough then we’ve probably got it about right’.  However, a number of recent conversations with parents and revisiting an old piece of action research has made me …

Redcar & Cleveland fifth in top performing LAs

A great majority of pupils in Redcar & Cleveland primary schools (87%) achieved level 4 or above in reading, writing and mathematics, at the same level with Greenwich and Sutton. Redcar & Cleveland and Trafford are the only Local Authority areas in the top 10 highest-attaining that are outside of London. The national average of …