The UCL Academy in Swiss Cottage, London, had an Ofsted report saying it requires improvement. The academy was defended by Michael Gove - and a report in the Camden New Journal also notes differing views between head and sponsor, UCL.
Showing posts with label michael gove. Show all posts
Showing posts with label michael gove. Show all posts
Thursday, 17 July 2014
Friday, 4 July 2014
Cambridgeshire heads meet Gove to discuss low funding
Cambridgeshire newspapers Ely Standard and Cambridge News both reported that Cambridgeshire headteachers had met with Michael Gove saying that: 'According to recent figures, Cambridgeshire has been receiving the lowest school block funding per pupil out of all of the 151 local authorities, which has resulted in larger class sizes and fewer qualifications among teachers.'
Monday, 19 May 2014
Rift over alleged diversion of £400m to free schools
From the Guardian/Observer: '...Lib Dems confirmed highly damaging leaked information from a senior government source, who said that Gove had secretly taken the money from the Basic Need fund for local authorities last December, in the face of stiff opposition from the Lib Dem schools minister David Laws...According to the coalition insider, the £400m would be enough to fund 30,000 new school places...
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Gove appeals council's decision on Sikh free school site
From Get Bucks:'Michael Gove submitted an application... rejected unanimously at the South Bucks District Council planning committee in January. Now Mr Gove has re-applied...
Sunday, 30 March 2014
£45m Harris Westminster Academy - The Independent
The Independent: '...Michael Gove, has approved a plan to spend £45m on a free school (Harris Westminster Sixth Form), making it almost certainly the most expensive in the country even though it has just 500 students, The Independent has learnt' - The paper reports internal criticism and lists areas of underfunding.
Sunday, 23 March 2014
Gove confirms Harperbury will not open til Sept 2015
From the Watford Observer: 'Mr Gove has now confirmed the school (Harperbury Free School) will open in September 2015... the school is now considering taking year 8 pupils into the school in 2015, alongside the year 7s. This would allow families let down by this recent deferment to attend the school, albeit a year later.'
Friday, 14 March 2014
Another later-stages free school opening delayed by site problems
From the Richmond and Twickenham Times: 'Hundreds of parents and children are desperately scrambling for secondary school places... Uncertainty over a permanent site for the Turing House (free) School meant the minister for schools and Department for Education (DfE) deferred the opening until September next year, despite giving it the thumbs up last spring.'
Friday, 7 March 2014
Merger, MAT and possible new build for Somerset schools
From the Western Gazette: 'A NEW primary school could be built outside Somerton town centre - Monteclefe Academy and Somerton Infant School are set to merge into one primary school split across two sites later this year.
Monday, 3 March 2014
Gove to intervene personally over free school delay
From Borehamwood and Elstree and (Watford Observer): 'James Clappison (MP) said: “Michael Gove said Lord Nash was a junior minister with no experience in education. He has agreed to take this on himself and take a look at whether the school can go ahead at the Harperbury site in September. Mr Gove has also promised to meet a delegation from the school.'
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Griffin Trust's missing head remains a mystery despite Mr Gove's promises
From the Worcester News
The paper said Mr Gove: 'admitted his shock over the situation at Perry Wood... When asked if he could get answers he replied: “Yes, absolutely we will. I didn’t know this had been going on at all and I am very grateful to you for bringing it to my attention...
The paper said Mr Gove: 'admitted his shock over the situation at Perry Wood... When asked if he could get answers he replied: “Yes, absolutely we will. I didn’t know this had been going on at all and I am very grateful to you for bringing it to my attention...
Monday, 17 February 2014
Free school founder given civil service post
From the TES:
Tom Shinner, co-founder and vice chair of governors at the Greenwich Free School (alongside Jonathan Simons, head of education at Policy Exchange), has been made director of strategy and performance, as well as continuing as the education secretary’s senior policy adviser.
Tom Shinner, co-founder and vice chair of governors at the Greenwich Free School (alongside Jonathan Simons, head of education at Policy Exchange), has been made director of strategy and performance, as well as continuing as the education secretary’s senior policy adviser.
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
MP demands Barnfield reports must be transparent
From Gavin Shuker - MP for Luton South: http://gavinshuker.org/2014/02/10/barnfield/
Mr Shuker wrote: 'Neither of these investigations (DfE and Skills Funding Agency) have yet presented their findings in a published report. But I understand that draft reports have already been circulated to people who have an interest in their findings.
Mr Shuker wrote: 'Neither of these investigations (DfE and Skills Funding Agency) have yet presented their findings in a published report. But I understand that draft reports have already been circulated to people who have an interest in their findings.
Tuesday, 11 February 2014
80 primary school applications for academy status have been declined by the DfE
From They Work for You: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2014-02-10a.552.8&s=academies#g553.1
In an exchange between Andy Slaughter and Michael Gove it was revealed that 80 primary school applications for academy status have been turned down by the Department for Education.
The conversation then moved onto Sulivan Primary and then deteriorated...
In an exchange between Andy Slaughter and Michael Gove it was revealed that 80 primary school applications for academy status have been turned down by the Department for Education.
The conversation then moved onto Sulivan Primary and then deteriorated...
Monday, 10 February 2014
Further Concerns over DfE and Freedom of Information
From the TES:
After the DfE turned down a recent FOI request from the TES relating to the Kings Science Academy, Maurice Frankel, director of the UK Campaign for Freedom of Information, told the paper: 'FOI has become very contentious in the Department for Education over the use of private email accounts and over the defensive use of exemptions to avoid disclosing names of bodies that have proposed free school... There are question marks over exactly how accurately they are applying the FOI rules.'
After the DfE turned down a recent FOI request from the TES relating to the Kings Science Academy, Maurice Frankel, director of the UK Campaign for Freedom of Information, told the paper: 'FOI has become very contentious in the Department for Education over the use of private email accounts and over the defensive use of exemptions to avoid disclosing names of bodies that have proposed free school... There are question marks over exactly how accurately they are applying the FOI rules.'
Monday, 3 February 2014
Michael Gove's decision to replace Sally Morgan as Chair of Ofsted
From the Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/exclusive-michael-gove-sacks-ofsted-chief-baroness-sally-morgan-9100273.html
'The outgoing chair of Ofsted Baroness Sally Morgan has accused David Cameron of trying to purge non-Conservatives from public bodies after The Independent revealed that Michael Gove would not be renewing the Labour peer's term as head of the schools inspectorate.'
The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/01/michael-gove-ofsted-chair-baroness-morgan
From the Daily Telegraph: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/iainmartin1/100257672/michael-gove-sacks-baroness-sally-morgan-who-is-she-who-cares/
From the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-26004358
'The outgoing chair of Ofsted Baroness Sally Morgan has accused David Cameron of trying to purge non-Conservatives from public bodies after The Independent revealed that Michael Gove would not be renewing the Labour peer's term as head of the schools inspectorate.'
The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/01/michael-gove-ofsted-chair-baroness-morgan
From the Daily Telegraph: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/iainmartin1/100257672/michael-gove-sacks-baroness-sally-morgan-who-is-she-who-cares/
From the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-26004358
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Speaker acknowledges Galloway claim that Gove misled MPs
From They Work For You: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2014-01-27a.657.0&s=academies#g657.1
George Galloway (Bradford West, Respect): On a point of order, Mr Speaker... On 6 January, here in the House, in answer to oral questions, in successive sentences, the Secretary of State—inadvertently, no doubt—misled the House in two important respects.
George Galloway (Bradford West, Respect): On a point of order, Mr Speaker... On 6 January, here in the House, in answer to oral questions, in successive sentences, the Secretary of State—inadvertently, no doubt—misled the House in two important respects.
Sunday, 26 January 2014
Wilshaw vs DfE spat over inspection of academy chains
The BBC reports on Sir Michael Wilshaw interview in the Sunday Times - responding to allegations in the Times that two think tanks aim to disparage its work: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25900547
In it Wilshaw said: 'If I see things going wrong in an academy chain I will say so... If people tied to the free-school movement think I will not do that, they have another think coming.'
In it Wilshaw said: 'If I see things going wrong in an academy chain I will say so... If people tied to the free-school movement think I will not do that, they have another think coming.'
Friday, 17 January 2014
More detail on Romford High Court intervention
From the Evening Standard: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/education/high-court-puts-brakes-on-east-london-schools-academy-bid-9062335.html
The judge said: "The secretary of state is entitled to take the view that an academy is preferable and it is clearly a matter for him as he is the decision-maker in that regard.
"But it seems to me he has to have regard to the facts of individual cases, and this is an unusual case.
"There are these alternatives in place which may well produce necessary improvements."
The judge said Ofsted was due to carry out a further inspection....
"It would in these circumstances arguably be premature for the secretary of state to impose an academy order immediately."
The judge said: "The secretary of state is entitled to take the view that an academy is preferable and it is clearly a matter for him as he is the decision-maker in that regard.
"But it seems to me he has to have regard to the facts of individual cases, and this is an unusual case.
"There are these alternatives in place which may well produce necessary improvements."
The judge said Ofsted was due to carry out a further inspection....
"It would in these circumstances arguably be premature for the secretary of state to impose an academy order immediately."
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
Gove pledges to solve mystery of missing academy head
From Worcester News:
http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/10930428.Education_Secretary_Michael_Gove_vows_to_get_to_bottom_of_missing_Perry_Wood_head_mystery/?ref=mr
'Education Secretary Michael Gove vowed to help parents who are demanding answers over the absence of Ange Beddow from Perry Wood Primary School.
'The school is run by the Griffin Schools Trust, which has not commented on the situation, saying only that Mrs Beddow remains in her role.
'Worcestershire County Council has also refused to get involved, saying that because it is an academy the school runs its own affairs.'
http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/10930428.Education_Secretary_Michael_Gove_vows_to_get_to_bottom_of_missing_Perry_Wood_head_mystery/?ref=mr
'Education Secretary Michael Gove vowed to help parents who are demanding answers over the absence of Ange Beddow from Perry Wood Primary School.
'The school is run by the Griffin Schools Trust, which has not commented on the situation, saying only that Mrs Beddow remains in her role.
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
Michael Gove vs FOI
From Laura Mcinerney who submitted the original FOI, writing in the Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jan/07/why-is-government-secretive-about-free-schools
"....rather than release it, Michael Gove, the education secretary, has told MPs he will do "everything possible" to stop me getting it. In the coming months, his department is taking the Information Commissioner – and me – to a tribunal in an attempt to block its release under the Freedom of Information Act."
What Michael Gove said: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/EdC181213.pdf
Q108 Pat Glass: Can I ask very quickly about the Information Commissioner? Why are you refusing to publish free school applications and acceptance and rejection letters in line with the ruling of the Information Commissioner? What do you have to hide? 29
Michael Gove: I have nothing to hide, but I believe that it is important that we protect those people who put forward applications that may have been rejected because we know that free school promoters and others have endured vilification and attacks. I do not think that people who made applications on the basis that those applications would be treated in confidence, and who may, if they have been unsuccessful, expose themselves to the risk of intimidation, should be exposed to that risk by my actions.
Q109 Pat Glass: You talked earlier about the need to conform to the law. Why does that not apply to you? The Information Commissioner has said you should publish these things.
Michael Gove: We are appealing.
Q110 Pat Glass: If the tribunal says you must publish them, will you then publish them?
Michael Gove: I will do everything possible to protect the confidentiality of those people, and I hope that we will prevail. If at the end of the process I have no option but to publish, then I will have no option but to publish.
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jan/07/why-is-government-secretive-about-free-schools
"....rather than release it, Michael Gove, the education secretary, has told MPs he will do "everything possible" to stop me getting it. In the coming months, his department is taking the Information Commissioner – and me – to a tribunal in an attempt to block its release under the Freedom of Information Act."
What Michael Gove said: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/EdC181213.pdf
Q108 Pat Glass: Can I ask very quickly about the Information Commissioner? Why are you refusing to publish free school applications and acceptance and rejection letters in line with the ruling of the Information Commissioner? What do you have to hide? 29
Michael Gove: I have nothing to hide, but I believe that it is important that we protect those people who put forward applications that may have been rejected because we know that free school promoters and others have endured vilification and attacks. I do not think that people who made applications on the basis that those applications would be treated in confidence, and who may, if they have been unsuccessful, expose themselves to the risk of intimidation, should be exposed to that risk by my actions.
Q109 Pat Glass: You talked earlier about the need to conform to the law. Why does that not apply to you? The Information Commissioner has said you should publish these things.
Michael Gove: We are appealing.
Q110 Pat Glass: If the tribunal says you must publish them, will you then publish them?
Michael Gove: I will do everything possible to protect the confidentiality of those people, and I hope that we will prevail. If at the end of the process I have no option but to publish, then I will have no option but to publish.
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