The problem: The Government want all schools to follow the national curriculum, but it is currently being reviewed. It is not clear what the final product of the new national curriculum will look like or when it will be fully rolled out to schools. The Government’s impact assessment suggests that schools may need to hire… Continue reading Curriculum
The problem: The Government’s impact assessment suggests that these changes could mean that a good school are told they have fewer school places to keep a bad school open. The changes will also mean that popular and oversubscribed schools may be unable to expand, reducing the number of good school places available. The Government’s impact… Continue reading School places
The problem: Free schools and academies currently have the ability to determine their own employment contract. Some schools have longer school days or Saturday school as they deem this necessary to best support their disadvantaged students to close the attainment gap. NSN recommendation: The clause on conditions should be removed from the Bill so… Continue reading Teachers pay and conditions
The problem: Some free schools or academies hire teachers who are not qualified and train them up. This would be banned under the Bill. The Government’s own impact assessment says this could affect around 700-1,250 potential entrants a year. There is a teacher shortage in the education system, so creating another barrier to entry at… Continue reading Teaching Qualifications
The problem: This approach will lead to fewer free schools. Free schools have been a mechanism for the injection of new ideas, new energy and new models of education into the state system. Free schools can respond to parent demand, provide parents with choice over their child’s education and have driven up standards. Increasingly free… Continue reading New schools
