News in brief
The chief of Ofsted has described deprived white families as feeling “abandoned” by the school system. Speaking at the Sutton Trust and Education Endowment Foundation summit in London, Michael Wilshaw said that these communities must be served better. He added that some parents must also be more pro-active.
Microsoft has launched a new site for teachers to help them share tips and lesson plans based on Minecraft. Minecraft in Education is a portal to foster a community centred around the game online.
Ofsted inspectors have rated two of the government’s new free schools as inadequate. There was criticism of flaws in teaching and leadership at Robert Owen Academy, a secondary school in Hereford, and St Anthony’s primary school in Gloucestershire. A quarter of the 93 mainstream free schools inspected so far have now been deemed inadequate or requiring improvement.
Secondary schools which fail to ensure 60% of pupils get five good GCSE grades will be defined as “coasting”, according to the education secretary, Nicky Morgan. Government plans mean schools face tougher exam targets. Primary schools will be considered “coasting” if fewer than 85% of 11-year-olds achieve a level 4 in reading, writing and maths – previously the threshold was fewer than 65%.
Research of the week
A study of three London primary schools has found that children are more likely to pal up with kids from different ethnic backgrounds than with children who are in a different social class.
Researchers from University College London’s Institute of Education (IoE) and the University of Surrey interviewed children in year 4, their parents and staff at the schools. Children’s drawings of their friendships were also examined.
The schools involved were in diverse areas to explore whether this meant local populations also had diverse friendships.
When asked who their best friends were, children said there were fewer across different social classes. However, outside of school, this was not the case as parents managed their friendships.
Read more about the research here.
Snapshot of the week
Good to see a school go rainbow-coloured this week for Pride in London.
@GuardianTeach proud to say we're the first school to be respresented at #PrideinLondon pic.twitter.com/TqK5dooHw6
— Miss Critchley (@CritchleySci) June 27, 2015
The week in numbers
Horsforth School in Leeds scrapped plans to take students on a £1,650 trip to Barbados after too few people signed up. The school faced criticism over the proposed cost of the sports tour.
The most deprived boys in England start school with bad language skills, according to new research. Four out of 10 of England’s poorest boys lag behind their peers and researchers warned they may never catch up.
Dates to remember
More than 500,000 people were killed in the Spanish civil war between 1936 and 1939 – Friday 17 July commemorates 79 years since the war began.
Nelson Mandela would have be 97 years old on Saturday 18 July. This year’s Mandela Day theme is “Take action. Inspire change”. Keep Mandela’s legacy alive by simply doing a good deed every day.
Teaching resources
• How did the Spanish civil war harm the republicans and aid the nationals?
• This assembly activity includes discussion points around the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. A primary version can be found here.
• Five ways to improve self control.
• Creative writing – identify badly written stories with these examples.
Latest blogs and comment
- How many promises can a free school forget to keep?
- How would you improve Ofsted?
- Parents evening: time to keep stumm (cartoon)
- Why are teachers busting a move? (video)
