Stories + Views: Free Schools

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Fiona Millar: Stephen Twigg’s speech .More detail needed but the direction is promising.

Stephen Twigg, the Shadow Education Secretary, made an important speech yesterday. Twigg has been on the receiving end of some criticism over the last year, not least from me, for failing to make a clear and robust argument against what the Coalition government is doing. But I have read the speech carefully and think it shows that he has been listening ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by John Mountford: "I am at a loss to know where and how to respond to this post! If any adult in this country cannot understand that the importance of Steven Tewigg's speech yesterday had everything to do with the Labour party winning ......"

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Janet Downs: Maharishi Schools Trust falls foul of the ASA again

The Maharishi Schools Trust has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for using the term “outstanding” in its marketing material. The ASA ruled: “In the context of an ad for an education provider, the claim "outstanding academic results" was likely to be interpreted as referring to a current Ofsted rating; a rating which we understood had not been awarded ... read more and comment →

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Francis Gilbert: Why it’s important to applaud Toby Young for getting a genuine social mix in his school

I suspect some people on the site won't be too pleased with me for actually applauding Toby Young who has, let's face it, been horrible about all of the founders of the Local Schools Network at some time or another. However, I think credit needs to be given where credit is due, and I think it's clear that the school ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rosie Fergusson: "Thank you Janet ..its all very frustrating.I too await judgements from SA but I think I,be seen some past judgements that pulled schools up on failure to publish. In theory the Opposition should be condemning admissions irregularities and sacking of ......"

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Janet Downs: Closing the gap between disadvantaged and advantaged pupils – how far has the Government implemented OECD’s 2011 recommendations? Part 2

This is the second in the series which looks at how far the Government has implemented the OECD's 2011 recommendations (in bold) according to the OECD. The words in brackets are the author’s comments. Increase focus and transparency of funding for disadvantaged students. Schools have to say how they use the pupil premium. Results of disadvantaged pupils are included in Performance Tables. ... read more and comment →

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Janet Downs: Closing the gap between disadvantaged and advantaged pupils – how far has the Government implemented OECD’s 2011 recommendations? Part 1

The difference in educational performance between disadvantaged and advantaged pupils in the UK is wide. In 2011, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) made recommendations (in bold) about how England might close the gap. According to the OECD, how has the Government responded? And how far does this response mesh with reality (author’s words in brackets)? Focus pre-schooling resources ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "Regarding value added indicators, Substantial progress could have been made had this government focused on harnessing the capacity of Web2.0 technology to overcome previously insurmountable problems. More here: http://mathseducationandallthat.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/assessing-students-up-to-age-14-much.html..."

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Francis Gilbert: Where are the dangerous ideas in education? Go to the Dangerous Ideas Festival to find out…

The topics and speakers at the Dangerous Ideas for Dangerous Times festival, taking place this coming Friday and Saturday in London, set me wondering about where the dangerous ideas are in education. The festival's main focus seems to be political issues. Leading political commentators like Tony Benn, Tariq Ali, Owen Jones, Danielle Obono, and Laura Penny are talking about a whole host ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Robin Alexander argues that knowledge of the arts, maths, science and humanities are as relevant today as they were during the last century. BUT this knowledge should not be appropriated by politicians who advocate “a pedagogy from which dialogue ......"

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Ivan Godfrey: A petition everyone can sign

I've been completely out of the educational circuit for over a month and am only just working my way through all the recent LSN postings. Hidden deep within one of the older topics in which I had a particular interest, however, was this link to a petition regarding the setting up of free schools. The key line of the petition is that ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Thanks, Adrian, nice to know that Gove's "surveys" aren't being forgotten. Professor Evans was one of those attacked by named by Gove. Professor Evans effectively skewered Gove's list of historians allegedly supporting Gove's position: Gove named "12 distinguished historians ......"

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Roger Titcombe: The dangers of common sense

It is ‘common sense’ that grouping children of similar ability will result in better teaching and learning. Similarly, that boys will learn better without the distraction of girls, and that girls will also benefit from single sex groups because this will free them from competition for the esteem of boys and allow them to learn without the disruption caused by ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Tubby Isaacs: "Dear O Lord, just read that Oldham Chronicle article. Burkard should not be allowed anywhere near a school. Quote: he is confident that the school promising discipline — all “teachers” will be armed-forces veterans — and grammar-school standards will get the go-ahead ......"

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Fiona Millar: Michael Gove praises LSN and Blue Labour’s Maurice Glasman hints at a return to “stakeholder governance”

Last night I went to an interesting debate at the London School of Economics. The Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove and Labour peer Lord Glasman , author of Blue Labour and involved in the party’s policy review, were discussing who “owns” the concept of One Nation, originated by Benjamin Disraeli and appropriated by Labour leader Ed Miliband in ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Peter Prince: "The FAQ 'What risks did the NAO describe in its report about delivering public services through markets?' exemplifies why the FAQ section here, as currently structured, may not be as useful as it could be. The NAO report describes both the ......"

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Henry Stewart: The Remarkable Research of Janet Downs

The FOI debate between Janet Downs and the Department for Education, over Michael Gove's mis-use of surveys to claim modern teenagers were ignorant, hit the headlines today. So far it has been covered in the Guardian, the Telegraph and the Huffington Post. Regular readers of Local Schools Network will know Janet's work well. She is renowned for digging out obscure facts ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Peter Prince: "It might aid the readership here if genuine FAQs were separated out from what appears to be a series of highly selective P.R. rebuttal briefing guides on various Education orientated reports. For example, the answer to the FAQ ‘What problems do ......"

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