New FSM figures suggests North East schools will lose up to £7.26 million in funding after Pupil Premium change

An ‘administrative’ change to the way in which pupil premium funding is allocated to schools will leave schools in the region short between £5.16 million and £7.26 million in the coming financial year. The calculation for pupil premium has been changed by the government so that it will now be based on the number of …

Governors urged to use a “collaborative approach” as we move into the future at Governance Conference 2021

Schools North East was joined by over 300 delegates virtually for the fifth annual Governance Conference 2021. The two-day event had a focus on a variety of topics aimed to reach those who were new Governors all the way up to those who are experienced in the role. Once again due to the Coronavirus pandemic …

Youth Mental Health Ambassador tells MPs that ‘we need to listen to young people’

The House of Commons’ education committee focused on mental health on Tuesday during its continued inquiry into the impact of Covid-19 on education and children’s services. Giving evidence were the recently appointed Youth Mental Health Ambassador Dr Alex George, Dr Bernadka Dubicka from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Emma Thomas from YoungMinds, and Catherine Roche …

First Ednorth school research projects funded

Schoolchildren in the North East will benefit from two projects aimed at helping them navigate the daunting move from primary to secondary school. Education charity SHINE has invested more than £130,000 into school-led programmes on Tyneside and Teesside, through a partnership with regional schools’ network Schools North East. The two projects are the first to …

NAO releases report on DfE response to Covid-19

The National Audit Office has released a report which assesses the Department for Education’s  actions in the early response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The report looks at the impact from the initial school closures from March-July 2020. The report covers: the Department’s overall response to the pandemic; the support provided for children’s learning, both in …

Successful return for North East schools

After another challenging lockdown and period of school closures, a successful return this week has seen students in all year groups come back to the classroom in schools across the region.  As with other returns, this week has been carefully planned by school leaders, with the additional challenge of implementing mass testing for the first …

Nick Gibb tells MPs he wants ‘to get back to exams as soon as possible’

Schools Minister Nick Gibb faced questions on exams from MPs this week, in the education select committee’s inquiry into the impact of Covid-19. Chair of the Committee, Robert Halfon, first asked about grade inflation, and if the DfE had a plan for a transition back to ‘normal’.  Nick Gibb made it clear that the Department …

Rethinking schools

Rather than focusing on “catch-up”, should we be taking the opportunity to rethink schools more radically? Professor Michael Jopling and Dr Oliver Harness look at what school leaders in the North East say At the end of the first week of schools reopening and as we approach the anniversary of the initial lockdown, schools and …

Education Recovery Commissioner tells MPs that recovery ‘won’t be over quickly’

The House of Commons’ education select committee continued its inquiry into the impact of covid-19 on education on Tuesday, taking evidence from the recently appointed Education Recovery Commissioner, Sir Kevan Collins. Also answering questions were Professor Becky Francis, Chief Executive of the EEF, and Geoff Barton, General Secretary of ASCL. Robert Halfon MP, chair of …

Department for Education ministers take questions from MPs

Ministers from the Department for Education took questions in the House of Commons on Monday, following on from the announcements the week before on school opening, exams, and catch-up funding. Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green MP asked how DfE planned to narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their peers. The Secretary of State, …