local authorities

Page 1 of 512345
Avatar Image

Fiona Millar: Labour and schools

The Observer newspaper carried a couple of  articles at the weekend about an alleged mid-term wobble  for Labour. This seemed to be largely based on a slight drop in the opinion polls, a few attacks from  ageing Blairites and George Osborne's intervention in the welfare debate using the horrific story of the Derby benefit claimant who set fire to his ... read more and comment →

38 comments

Latest comment by Tubby Isaacs: "Indeed. Some of us might think the £300k Liddington paid himself was a bit like profit making...."

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Fiona Millar: Life after Gove

Life after Gove. Is there such thing? The current education secretary’s ceaseless and frenetic activity sometimes makes this hard to believe. But one day he will be gone and the chances are that a Labour government will have to pick up the pieces. The stand-out issues that must be faced are becoming clearer. How do we get excellent local schools, given ... read more and comment →

29 comments

Latest comment by FJM: "Excellent, but LSN won't like this...."

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Henry Stewart: Do Local Authorities Still Have a Role?

While the government seeks to reduce the role of local government in education to the minimum, Ofsted Chief Inspector Michael Wilshaw continues to argue for a key role for them. His plans to have Ofsted inspect school improvement services for the first time have been described as giving local authorities "responsibility without power". The Local Government Association had argued such inspections ... read more and comment →

6 comments

Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Henry - the Academies Commission found that some heads of academies in chains complained that they experienced more control from the chain's head office than they ever did when they were local authority maintained schools. No local authority insists of corporate ......"

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Fiona Millar: In praise of Camden – proof that excellence isn’t the preserve of any one ‘type’ of school

I have written a piece today in the Guardian about my local schools in the London Borough of Camden, and about our local primary school in particular. Here is a slightly longer version of the article. It is coming up to Christmas so I am going to allow myself a touch of sentimentality. A few weeks ago I felt a stab ... read more and comment →

9 comments

Latest comment by Tubby Isaacs: "So those LEAs who were supposed to get out of the headteacher's way are now in trouble for not doing more? Utter farce...."

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Jess: The future of primary education

Those of you in the primary sector may well be aware that there is now a growing crisis in primary education. There is a need for 500,000 extra primary places to be created by 2015 (90,000 of which will be needed in London by 2014). Gove's solution is free schools and academies instead of democratically accountable Local Authorities that can ... read more and comment →

6 comments

Latest comment by Alan Bowles: "The Autumn statement has provided more money for education so it says. No!. It has provided more money for the building of Academies and Free schools. One version I read added 'and well run' schools which lets in local ......"

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Henry Stewart: Stephen Twigg sees a role for Local Authorities … but is it enough?

Tonight Stephen Twigg, Labour Education spokesperson, gave the annual Caroline Benn memorial lecture at the House of Commons (full speech here). He restated his commitment to comprehensive schools and to a "one nation education system". I came keen to know his plans for the new secondary school terrain. With any future Labour government inheriting a mixture of maintained schools,  independent academies, ... read more and comment →

25 comments

Latest comment by Tony Chuan: "Thank you. There seem to be two unrelated points in the reference. 1. Evidence linking user choice with educational outcomes is mixed 2. The World Bank and the OECD both recognise that education systems which are more equitable perform ......"

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Janet Downs: Co-operation, not fragmentation – Birmingham throws out enforcement

“I am proposing to you today, the beginning of what I hope you will agree is an added value approach, and will welcome ideas on how this should work for the success of all. To build on the schools as an excellent community service with social responsibility at the centre… a cooperative model going forward, allowing real partnership between the ... read more and comment →

No comments

Be the first to comment!

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Fiona Millar: Accountable for some, responsible for all

I have got an article in today's Guardian about how schools, including academies, are forging new relationships with their local authorities and with each other. My piece also poses the question of why we need to re-invent a 'middle tier'  when, as the Leader of Lambeth Council Steve Reed points out "We don't need to create a new middle tier. We ... read more and comment →

7 comments

Latest comment by Bob Wolfson: "The interesting development that LSN doesn't seem to have picked up on is who will sponsor the Academies that DfE has placed on the naughty step? There is a broad choice - will it be other local schools that ......"

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Janet Downs: Gove blows trumpet for his model of school improvement but sounds duff notes

The best model for school improvement is based on teachers supporting each other, Michael Gove tells the Education Committee. And he is right. However, his efforts to show that his policies, especially academy conversion, are “more powerful than the levers available to previous Governments” fail to realise that most of the initiatives he praises began before 2010. Mr Gove’s first duff ... read more and comment →

22 comments

Latest comment by tim bidie: "Substantial overheads will have that effect. 'Let all who are without sin cast the first stone.' 'Its central London offices in Millbank Tower were reported to have cost the organisations £1.4m a year. At its height of success, the network also employed ......"

Comment + Debate
Avatar Image

Janet Downs: Centralisation of education funding is inconsistent with localism and accountable government, says academic.

The Government allegedly promotes decentralisation and localism but seems to be moving towards greater centralisation, warns Joan Costa Font of the London School of Economics. Government education policies weaken a key element of democracy - power sharing between central and local governments – while at the same time providing favourable conditions for private sector expansion. Concerns about this threat to local ... read more and comment →

64 comments

Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "This community has some deeper and wider views: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Education-Online-Communities-Practice-Managers-3847644?goback=%2Egmp_3847644%2Egde_3847644_member_113067214..."

Comment + Debate
Page 1 of 512345