Ofsted downgrades more than half of North East schools during section 5 inspections this academic year

Ofsted has downgraded 56.41% of section 5 inspections in North East schools conducted and published in the autumn term. The North East is the only region where the majority of schools inspected - as section 5 visits were downgraded. Over 3 in 4 short inspections in the North East were converted to long inspections by …

The secret art of staying in love with teaching

About 6 months ago I was sat in a conference for Head Teachers about the wonderful world of Ofsted. Now anyone who knows me knows that I am mischievous with language patterns and really enjoy noticing people though their choice of language and metaphor. I was fascinated whilst walking into the venue the impact 6 …

Tougher Ofsted guidance could be drawn up for better careers advice in schools

The Government is to unveil plans for a "comprehensive careers strategy" on Monday, which were initially scheduled for the beginning of 2016. Minister for Skills Robert Halfon told a meeting in Parliament yesterday that incentives for schools to offer better careers advice will be reviewed by officials, as well as a tougher approach by Ofsted. …

Strong start for first schools-led commission into pupils’ mental health

Healthy MindED, the first schools-led commission into pupils' mental health, held its inaugural meeting on Monday. The Commission agreed its vision, scope and terms of reference, and discussed what kind of evidence they would like to ask for when the call for evidence opens later this year. Professor Dame Sue Bailey will be co-chairing the …

SCHOOLS NorthEast submits evidence to the inquiry into children and young people’s mental health – role of education

The House of Commons Health Committee opened an inquiry into the role of education regarding children and young people's mental health. On behalf of schools and Head Teachers in the region, SCHOOLS NorthEast submitted evidence to the inquiry, explaining how the newly launched mental health commission Healthy MindED will help schools address these issues. Below …

North East schools to get greater share of funding – up 0.0058%!

Primary school funding gap narrows, but the average North East school still set to get around half of what the average London primary receives Funding gap for North East secondary schools to widen with the average school receiving nearly 1/5th less money than the average London secondary Affluent schools in the south will receive as much as …

Education Secretary announces 6 new opportunity areas

Education Secretary Justine Greening expanded the 'opportunity areas' programme today by adding Bradford, Doncaster, Fenland & East Cambridgeshire, Hastings, Ipswich and Stoke-on-Trent as areas of focus. The Government will also partly fund a new £3.5m programme that will see the Education Endowment Foundation establish a research school for each of the 12 opportunity areas. These schools will lead …

Region’s school-led mental health commission announces members

Eleven education and health services heavyweights, from the region and beyond, join the Healthy MindED Commission as it sits for the first time on Monday 23 January The North East’s first school-led commission into the mental health of pupils brings together a representative group of school leaders along with influential practitioners working within and alongside the …

Looking to build links with businesses? Sign up to the regional careers conference

SCHOOLS looking to build links with businesses across the region will have the opportunity to meet face to face with 38 local, national and international firms at the SCHOOLS NorthEast FutureReady Conference. For the first time, the conference includes a school-business networking session to give school leaders direct access to employers looking to develop relationships with …

New school term, new calendar year: what will it bring?

We already know what is on the agenda. There’s the whole of the Green Paper, Schools that work for everyone: and there’s a new boss at OFSTED, pledged to working with us to improve schools (well, that’s what she said!). We’re still phasing in new exams at GCSE and A level, and it’s anyone’s guess …