DFE

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Janet Downs: Bring us Heads who support free schools and academies, Gove’s advisers told civil servants

Michael Gove’s advisers asked civil servants at the Department for Education (DfE) to create a database containing names of head teachers who supported Government policies, the Guardian reports. The Stakeholder Advocacy Group (SAG) was set up last year but later disbanded when civil servants became worried that they could be breaking the Civil Servants’ Code which requires political impartiality. There ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "In 'normal' times, heads tend to be promoted because they can command the personal respect of the colleagues in a way which will ensure they are able to lead when it is necessary for them to lead. There are certain personal ......"

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Janet Downs: Majority of the 24 free schools that opened in 2011 have a lower proportion of children eligible for free school meals than local average, DfE figures reveal.

The Guardian broke the story in April although it didn’t receive much publicity in other papers: “At least three-quarters of the coalition's flagship free schools have admitted a lower proportion of deprived pupils than is average for their wider neighbourhood.” Only one of six secondary free schools, Kings Science Academy, Bradford, had the same proportion of pupils (23.5%) eligible for free ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Ben Taylor: "How far could a proposed curriculum in a school dissuade applications from certain types of pupil? Probably many children and parents who applied to WLFS wanted something different than what was on offer elsewhere. So for some the curriculum in ......"

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Janet Downs: How much more misleading data will Gove and the DfE publish?

Time and again the Local Schools Network has exposed misrepresentation by Secretary of State, Michael Gove, and the Department for Education. Here are ten examples: 1 Academies perform better than other schools – not true. 2 Converter academies drive up standards – evidence doesn’t exist. 3 Maths standards have fallen over 30 years – Gove misled Commons. 4 Standard of food in academies is ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "I wonder if the West London Free School will link to the Spectator article on their website. There are usually links to Young's articles, blogs and so on and the website's doing a splendid job in promoting his book ......"

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Henry Stewart: On DfE Criteria, Academies GCSE Results are “Artificially Inflated”

The DfE Question: Which Schools "Artificially Inflate" Their Results? The DfE responded this week to the analysis on this web site on the GCSE results in academies and other maintained schools. My post in response pointed out that any greater growth in GCSE results could probably be explained by GCSE equivalents, the use of which is heavily criticised by the Education Minister. (What ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Oumou: "Totally agree with your post. I expect you know John O'Farrell's book May Contain Nuts, which was about a woman who coduln't rely on her child to pass entrance exams, so sat them for her. It's only a mild exaggeration ......"

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Janet Downs: What did the Education Select Committee say about Ofsted?

The Education Select Committee published a report about Ofsted in March 2011. Here is a summary of its recommendations: 1. Ofsted should be split into two: the Inspectorate for Education and the Inspectorate for Children’s Care. 2. Ofsted’s remit should be clearer – there is confusion as to whether it is a regulatory and inspection body, or an improvement agency. 3. The new ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "if she exists. I suspect she's a figment of your fantasies Ricky...."

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Emma Bishton: Money, Money Money

The DfE, it turns out, must have lots of money after all. As it has apparently approved the opening of two Seckford free schools in Suffolk - in Beccles and in Saxmundham. As has been shown many times on this site before, there is overwhelming opposition for these schools in the area - in Beccles in particular, proving ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Simon Keswick: "Well all this really a direct consequence of the inactivity and total lack of interest shown by parents when suffolk first proposed the change to two tier. It is fine bleating about it now but concerted action at the time ......"

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Huw Humphreys: Learning to be a local church school for all

Last year I moved to be head of a large maintained primary school in Milton Keynes, where there is huge mobility and growth - especially on the west flank of the city where we work. Our school - Christ the Sower Ecumenical Primary - has a fantastic, fully comprehensive and locally-rooted admissions policy, which we are really proud of, and ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "Talking at length with heads of faith based schools, one challenge they regularly face is dealing with the pressure groups within their own faith communities. So for example you'll quite regularly get someone with a bit voice in the Catholic ......"

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Janet Downs: Gove blames media for not praising English school leaders

Secretary of State, Michael Gove, praised English head teachers at the annual conference of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) on Saturday. His admiration of NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby and his colleague Kathy James was so fulsome that Mr Hobby joked later that he thought it was a ruse to make NAHT members distrust him. Mr Gove quoted a ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "I'm not confident that all the very able and dedicated heads who've had ignorant and bullying Ofsted teams turn up to label them and everything about their schools as being failing while systematically ignoring all the incredible things they have ......"

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Tracy Hannigan: Rivendale Academy Trust

The leads of the former Rivendale Free School have long been quiet but have recently revised their  website. They have a main navigation that covers what appears to be a bid for a new school - looking for a location for a Rivendale Primary School. The rest of the site seems dedicated to the new vein of being an academy sponsor ... read more and comment →

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Henry Stewart: Fullfact Confirms LSN Analysis on Academies

Over the last two months there has been a lively discussion between Local Schools Network and the Department for Education over the performance of academies. Our analysis of the DfE's own data found that schools across the country showed remarkable improvements, especially those with previous low results. And non-academies performed at least as well as similar academies. The DfE acknowledged the ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Henry, congratulations on being recognised as being "even-handed". I hope the DfE takes this on board and doesn't keep regurgitating pro-academy spin. It's acceptable to praise an academy, indeed any school, which does well, although it should always ......"

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