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Francis Gilbert: Private schools in crisis: pupils are deserting and they’re desperate to become free schools…

Increasing numbers of students are deserting private schools in favour of comprehensives when opting for Sixth Form courses, the Guardian reports this morning. Meanwhile, quite a few private schools are looking to be bailed out by the taxpayer and get funding as "free schools". At the moment, six private schools are seeking state funding, but clearly a great many more ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "It's worth reminding Mr Gove of what the OECD recently said about the academy/free schools programme. Although supportive of the proposals on the ground that it should increase parental choice, the OECD warns that these schools could increase the ......"

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Janet Downs: Lincolnshire County Council says proposal for academy conversion has support of councillors but it doesn’t seem to have been debated

Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) has responded  to my FoI request about lack of transparency surrounding proposals for Lincolnshire primary schools to become academies under the aegis of CfBT Educational Trust. The Council confirms that it has a confidential paper from CfBT but has not made it public because it might “prejudice the commercial interests of CfBT”. CfBT is a ... read more and comment →

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Tracy Hannigan: Hammersmith and Fulham Council paper fails to print ad praising community schools

Our local parent group worked with in good faith with the  H&F News, a local council freesheet which is about to be closed down,  to place an advertisement in the 05 April 2011 edition. Meant to print on the day of primary admissions announcements, the advertisement was intended to thank the parents and children who chose local Hammersmith and Fulham primary ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Jane Eades: "Wandsworth Council's magazine "Brightside" also verges on the edge of being a political campaigning publication, paid for by tax payers and delivered to nearly every home. I have asked for a right of reply to correct facts and been ......"

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Fiona Millar: Why profit making free schools may not be what parents want

This story in yesterday's Observer gives us a useful insight into why profit making schools may not be as popular or successful as some people might suggest.  It concerns the management of  the fee-paying Southbank International School in London, which is run by Cognita, a for profit chain run by former Ofsted Chief Inspector Chris Woodhead. Southbank has a number ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Karen Page: "Our school is having a problem with Cognita (the company that owns our school) we have started an online forum/protest to protect our school / children / teachers / parents from Cognita who came in recently and dismissed out Head ......"

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debbie: Excluded Students and the E Bacc.

Hi I work with students in KS4, who either face or have been excluded from school. At present my aim is to get these students as many GCSEs as possible by way of BTECs. We use the BTEC route because the students I work with find core subjects and classroom learning a no-go area of study. However, what concerns me now ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Exclusions stats: http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000942/index.shtml Latest guidelines for behaviour (up for consultation) http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/behaviourpolicies DfE guidance re exclusions http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/exclusion Also try the Times Educational Supplement website and search for exclusions and EBacc...."

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Tracy Hannigan: A ‘Middle Way’ between the old FS process and the new

I'm wondering if anyone has information on what I'm calling the 'middle way' for free schools. Most of us know there is a new process for free a school proposer which requires much stronger evidence in order to move forward and be awarded funding in the first instance. However, I was told this week by the DfE that schools such ... read more and comment →

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Fiona Millar: James Review – the million dollar question remains “How will the limited pot of cash be divided up?”

The James Review into school capital spending  was slipped out to very little fanfare yesterday, on the last day of term. I wonder why? It could be that the whole matter of school buildings is of little real interest to the media, but given the furore over the cancellation of BSF, you would have thought there would be more interest ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Laura McInerney: "Bob- I completely agree that teaching is more complicated than purchasing. But that's why James has reported on purchasing only, and not teaching. It could seem a bit daft - having someone with no experience of teaching in ......"

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Francis Gilbert: UK schools are not failing — Gove misrepresents OECD report

This is a post by Janet Downs, who had trouble logging in. How fair was reporting about the recent OECD on British education? FullFact.org analysed articles in the Daily Mail and The Spectator and discovered that although both papers had been accurate in the items they had chosen to highlight there were omissions. Both had used the report to paint a negative ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "I’ve just re-read the Mail’s article re school leavers http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1374636/School-leavers-unfit-work-Firms-spend-billions-remedial-training.html#ixzz1JDx3g22y and would like to offer a correction. I had said that the remarks made by David Frost, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, did not ......"

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H&F parent: Attacks on state education are getting me down

I was fed up to find yet another diatribe against state education online this morning. I'll allow you to guess the source of the following quotations: "I noticed that several schools are not academically rigorous, and that their emphasis is on skill rather than real subjects." "If kids are poor, or come from a chaotic background, they are not considered deserving of ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "What Happi has missed is the mis-match between the alleged comprehensive make-up of the West London Free School and its stated curriculum which is not suitable for all. A school cannot be fully-comprehensive if it is not providing a ......"

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Francis Gilbert: The state school Maths teacher who gives up his Saturday mornings to teach

I am excited about my son going to his secondary school in September. We had the first of a few transfer meetings this Thursday and met an inspiring young maths teacher who told us that he gives up his Saturday mornings to work with GCSE students who are scoring E and F grades in order to bring them up to ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Finland is one of the highest scoring countries in the OECD PISA education league tables. Yet their pupils spend less time in the classroom than children in other countries. When teachers are not teaching they are assessing, evaluating and ......"

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