#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. You have a role …

‘No clear north-south divide’ says new social mobility report

A new social mobility report from the Learning and Work Institute suggests there is no clear north-south divide, with differences within regions being at least as big as those between regions. This report creates a 'Youth Opportunity Index', a relative measure of education and employment outcomes for young people across England’s local authorities. Two North East …

Schools refer nearly 5,000 more pupils to social services

Latest Government data has revealed that schools are referring more vulnerable children to social care services, with more than 119,000 cases last year. In 2017-18, schools were responsible for referring 119,030 children in need to social care services, an increase of nearly 4,500 compared with the previous year. This was 18.2% of of the total referrals …

Financial pressures “a strong incentive” to exclude pupils with SEND, MPs hear

Schools under financial pressure have a strong incentive to exclude or off-roll pupils with SEND, the Education Select Committee heard this week. Ambitious about Autism’s policy and public affairs manager Justin Cooke told MPs “There is sadly a financial incentive for schools to off-roll or exclude SEN children, particularly when they reach the point of needing …

SEND funding petition – North East reaction

This week parents and carers of children with SEN handed in a petition with 34,000 signatures to Education Secretary Damian Hinds. Lynn Watson, a trustee of Schools North East said: "Over 2,000 of the most vulnerable children in our society are being euphemistically 'home educated' due to significant gaps in school provision able to meet …

North East MP pledges to take action on funding

A North East MP has pledged to take action on school issues including funding, special needs and mental health support. Speaking to primary and secondary Heads at the Schools North East 'Partner Lunch', Dr Paul Williams MP addressed concerns over mental health support in schools, the cumulative impact of the additional unfunded responsibilities placed on teachers …

Philip Hammond ‘forced to abandon’ private school VAT plans

Reports suggest that opposition from Tory backbenchers has forced Chancellor Philip Hammond to scrap plans to charge VAT on private school fees. Conservative MPs are said to have reacted with "outrage" to the Chancellor's plans, which were due to be announced in the Autumn Budget on 29th October, according to reports in the Sun. The plans, first proposed …

Education Links w/c 22nd October 2018

Replacement revealed after shock departure of Excelsior Academy head - who will be gone by half term, Chronicle Live, https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/excelsior-academy-resign-new-head-15320490 Council WON'T be allowed to close under-threat Northumberland middle school - so what happens now? Chronicle Live, https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/bellingham-middle-school-closure-refused-15315992 Young people in the North East missing out on work and education, Chronicle Live, https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/young-people-north-east-missing-15323995 New safeguarding …

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. The key findings of the report were: Parents Many parents felt their school could have done more to keep the pupil in mainstream education, and before the referral to …

North East Colleges march on Westminster for ‘Love Our Colleges’ campaign

Heads have marched alongside their students this week as North East's colleges rise up in protest over cuts they say are "short-changing students". Representatives of post-16 schools and colleges from across the country rallied at Parliament Square, Westminster, on Wednesday. The march, described as "unprecedented" by the education unions who jointly organised it, saw heads and CEOs …