Tony Halpin Times
January 23 2013
Thousands of head teachers defied Michael Gove and closed their schools yesterday despite a warning from the Education Secretary that they

A former investment banker is spearheading a controversial plan to open the UK’s first free school dedicated to mixed-ability teaching,

ALISON KERSHAW INDEPENDENT
Poorer parents are being let down by some “short-sighted” schools that are encouraging them to sign up for free dinners to gain extra Government funding, campaigners suggested today.
The School Food Trust (SFT) is raising concerns that some schools in England are asking eligible parents to sign up for dinners they do not intend to take in order to boost the amount of money they can get under the new pupil premium. SFT chief executive Judy Hargadon warned that schools are being “short-sighted” and said the Government was …

By Steven Swinford, and Peter Hutchison Telegraph 25 Feb 2011
Schools in more than a third of council areas are selecting low-ability students or using lotteries in an attempt to break the middle-class hold on the most sought-after places.
On Tuesday parents of almost 540,000 children in England will find out which secondary school their son or daughter will go to in September
The number of authorities where such admission policies are used has increased sharply as competition for the best schools has intensified, a survey by The Daily Telegraph has found.
The …

Do parents understand the EYFS profile and the assessment descriptors level 1 to 9. I have the feeling that in some schools these assessments might not be explained sufficiently to parents e.g. what does level 9 mean- is the average child supposed to be working between levels 4 to 6.? Do you have any evidence from parents to support this view. I would be grateful for any information. Barbara Johnstone

By Daniel Boffey Mail
18th September 2010
Thousands of children are missing the beginning of the new term because of changes to school admissions forced through by the last Labour Government.Under the new rules, parents moving home must now ask their Local Education Authority (LEA) to provide a school place for their child, rather than organise it themselves.But an investigation by this newspaper has found that up to 15,000 children could be missing school because of the bureaucratic chaos caused by the change. The Mail on Sunday contacted 150 LEAs. The 44 …

The Mail on Sunday has been made aware of a change to the system for school admissions for children moving at an unusual time in their school careers, either mid term or during the summer holidays but at an age when they would not normally be expected to move schools.
The new system means that parents who have moved to a new home in a new area have to apply to the LEA for a place in a school rather than simply asking the school closest to their new home if …

Primary schools will have to find an extra 350,000 places over the next four years despite cuts in education spending, ministers have been warned

Press Release
Date: 26 July 2010
First Schools Group to Offer Nationally Accredited Gifted & Talented Courses in England
The Dorchester Area Schools Partnership (DASP) is breaking new ground in the provision for Gifted and Talented students.
The partnership, led by the Thomas Hardye School and Sunninghill Prep School, have been working together with the National Association for Gifted Children to offer fully accredited Gifted and Talented courses, which is a national first. The courses begin next week at 10.00am on Monday 26th July.
The DASP pupils have been offered the courses to give them …

By Katie Clark Dorset Echo 3rd July
DORSET head teachers have enjoyed a two-day stay at a luxury Christchurch hotel paid for out of their school budgets.
Secondary school head teachers from across Dorset attended the conference at the Christchurch Harbour Hotel in Mudeford near Christchurch last week, with more than half of the heads staying overnight despite most either living in Dorset or nearby.
The annual conference was organised by the Dorset Association of Secondary Heads (Dash) and paid for out of their annual subscription costing £250.
Chairman Andy Puttock, head of Queen …