Eleven Plus Education News Service
Eleven Plus News - We trawl through numerous news websites so that you don't have to! Please find a selection of interesting news articles on Independent, Private, Grammar, Secondary schools and Universities. Contributions welcome, please write to
11plus-news@ElevenPlusExams.co.uk.
Heckmondwike school in academies first wave
Yorkshire Evening Post - 2nd Sep 10
As of yesterday Heckmondwike Grammar School became Heckmondwike Grammar School Academy Trust, one of 32 academies to open this week
Two Watford schools become academies
Watford Observer - 2nd Sep 10
Two Watford schools officially became academies yesterday.
Watford Grammar School for Boys and Watford Grammar School for Girls have both taken advantage of the government’s new Academies Act to cut their links with Hertfordshire County Council, the organisation responsible for most schools in the county.
Academy schools will retain state funding but will be outside of local authority control, allowing them to greater freedom on admissions rules, curriculum, staff pay and pupil discipline.
Schools break away from councils to become academies
Manchester Evening News - 1st Sep 10
Two leading state schools have taken up a government offer to break free from council control.
Audenshaw School in Tameside, and Urmston Grammar School in Trafford will go it alone after being given academy status. They are among 32 schools in England which have been given immediate leave to set their own lessons, decide staff pay, and buy in extra services – without having to ask local education bosses first.
142 schools to convert to academies this school year
Guardian - 1st Sep 10
Over 140 schools are expected to convert to academy status in the coming school year after the government passed a new law to allow every school in England to opt out of local authority control.
A total of 32 are expected to open as academies this month. It is understood that the majority of those opening are "outstanding" schools, or involved in federations with such schools.
Schools converting to academies in September 2010
Guardian - 1st Sep 10
Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet
Kemnal Technology College (part of the Kemnal Trust), Bromley
Brine Leas High School, Cheshire East
Fallibroome High School, Cheshire East
St Buryan Primary School, Cornwall
Seaton Infant School, Cumbria
Broadclyst Community Primary School, Devon
Uffculme School, Devon
Cuckoo Hall Primary School, Enfield
The Cotswold School, Gloucestershire
Watford Grammar School for Boys, Hertfordshire
Watford Grammar School for Girls, Hertfordshire
First wave of 32 new-style academies open this week
BBC - 1st Sep 10
The number was labelled a "failure" by teachers' unions - while the Education Secretary Michael Gove said he was "quite encouraged".
These were outstanding schools which have taken up the government's offer to opt out of local authority control and become independent academies.
Among the 32 schools, seven are primary schools, the first academies for this age group.
My thoughts on the education system. What do you think?
Tiverton People - 30th Aug 10
As for plans to bring back grammar schools........
At the age of eleven, a child sent to a secondary school is chucked on the scrapheap and left to be a dunce, yet could have the potential to do as well as somebody who goes grammar school, but can’t because all the best teachers and equipment, they just will not have the support and recognition they deserve.
Teacher fired for imposing discipline wins employment tribunal
Telegraph - 29th Aug 10
It must rate as one of the more vulgar and indecorous moments of misconduct witnessed in a British classroom.
Girls with star quality go to top of the class
Manchester Evening News - 28th Aug 10
A leading girls’ school is one of the best in the country, according to new league tables.
Manchester High School for Girls came out as one of England’s top fee-paying schools in a national review of last week’s A-level results.
A-levels crush creativity, says top headmistress
Telegraph - 28th Aug 10
Pupils now have access to online model answers, marking schemes and other information that has taken the “mystique” out of what markers are looking for, according to Cynthia Hall, the headmistress of Wycombe Abbey.
The girls’ boarding school in Buckinghamshire has topped an A-level league table of private schools for the third year in a row.
