The Schools' News Service

I mentioned the report Making more of music from Ofsted at the time in came out a couple of months back, but since then have had a few emails asking for more details. Apologies if you know all about this, but I think there is need to mention it again. Ofsted found that music provision [...]

The benefits of learning how to learn for pupils in both primary and secondary school can be overwhelming, for the natural way in which most pupils learn their work is stunningly inefficient. Where pupils can be given an awareness and experience of a range of effective methods of learning that are available to them it can make all the difference – [...]

There are a number of different initiatives encouraging alternative transport to schools (including Bike It, Bikes4Schools and Walk to School) and we want to understand what impact they are having in schools.  We would really appreciate it if you could spare a couple of minutes to complete our questionnaire at this link www.schools.co.uk/surveys/schooltransport2.html  Thank you very much  Laura

As far as the Health and Safety Executive is concerned, the school is just another work place – and as such it is subject to the controls and regulations that are part of everyday life for any business.   The problem is however that in most schools compliance with government regulations falls on that small [...]

In addition to the money already given for this year’s education budget an extra £250 million has been given in the budget – equating to 54,000 places for students.   The money more than makes up for the shortfall caused by calculations by the Learning and Skills Council. Also there’s £400m for schools and colleges, to fund sixth form [...]

When I saw the suggestion that anything to do with new buildings could be anything other than a headache I must say I was rather sceptical. But there is a free report out called “How to commission new school buildings that don’t cost the earth and have fun doing it” and, since I am always interested in [...]

Changes in Scotland’s education system These articles are read by heads and deputies across the UK.  Occasionally I include updates on changes in the education in the constituent parts of the UK, not because I believe that educationalists don’t know what’s going on in their own backyard, but rather because it is clear that many [...]

The Secretary of State for Education has accepted all the recommendations of the report on behaviour. Sir Alan Steer has made his final report (link at the end of this piece) and Ed Balls, Children Schools and Families Secretary, welcomed all of his recommendations at a union conference. The Government then committed itself to ”ensuring schools are supported [...]

Teachers at one union conference have threatened to strike if ministers end national tests for 11-year-olds, days after a rival teachers’ union voted for a boycott to force their abolition.One teachers union (NUT) has demanded the end of SATS and the government says teachers will be in breach of their contract if they carry out [...]

Sometimes I read an article, and it seems to me the best thing to do is simply to pass it on, in case you missed it. This is the case with an article in the Guardian on the relationship between the governors and the PTA, and the fund raising situation of the PTA. I was [...]

Scotland’s biggest reform of its education system in 30 years – Curriculum for Excellence - has moved on with the formal launch of guidance for teachers. The central themes are     * Successful learners with the motivation for learning * Confident individuals with physical mental and emotional wellbeing and self respect * Responsible citizens with respect for [...]

We’ve started a new news service on www.senco.me.uk which will carry news and information selected from the SENCO news group.  The opening discussion is about scotopic sensitivity – but we will be covering many other subjects as time goes by. You can read about all our news services, and indeed sign up up free of [...]

Over the years a number of schools have restricted continuous professional development programmes to teaching and management staff.  However the changes that are now happening within schools – and those that will continue to happen in the next 18 months – mean that it is more important than ever that administrators should receive continuous professional [...]

According to the teaching unions many pupils are now arriving at school without the social skills they would have expected, including being unable to dress themselves, unable to use the toilet properly and unable to eat at a table.  However when this issue is pointed out, many parents expect teachers to control their children’s behaviour [...]

Everyone in school must have full insurance   It a remarkable and frightening court case a judge has ruled that an accident caused by a pupil who is not technically breaking a school rule, but which causes injuries to an adult, cannot then result in a claim by the adult.   What this means is [...]

The evidence from the visits to primary schools suggests a picture of improvement with rising achievement and standards, particularly at Key Stage 1. The pupils observed generally used ICT effectively to communicate their ideas and to present their work, but they were less skilled in collecting and handling data and in controlling events using ICT. [...]

Camelot, the theme park in Chorley, Preston, has written to me to let me know that they are currently running a special discounted admission price of just £9.75 per pupil which includes unlimited rides, shows and entry to the farm. They also offer one free teacher place for every 8 paying pupils. The text that [...]

Is it possible to make commissioning new school buildings fun?   When I saw the suggestion that anything to do with new buildings could be anything other than a headache I must say I was rather sceptical. But there is a free report out called “How to commission new school buildings that don’t cost the [...]

Since I wrote a piece about a teacher who came up with the idea for a TV soap (for the English edition of Education Management News – details below) and now seems to have a company worth mega millions, I have been sent a number of pieces about creative writing courses and the like.Most of [...]