A scheme to recruit good teachers to work in deprived areas has been dropped, the government has confirmed. The National Teaching Service was announced by England's then Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, in 2015. The plan was for 1,500 outstanding teachers and leaders to be deployed by 2020 "to the schools that need them most", with a pilot in the North West. But following the pilot "we can confirm that we will not be progressing", said a Department for Education spokesman. The original plan ...

Children from the poorest backgrounds who live in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country leave secondary school having made almost two years’ less progress than their wealthier peers living elsewhere, according to a new report. The findings are based on a comparison of student progress in six regions of the country – recently highlighted by the government as areas of particularly low social mobility – with pupil progress elsewhere in England. And while the problem is long-standing, ...

Schools are being urged to focus improvement efforts on struggling white working-class pupils who get the worst GCSE results of all the main ethnic groups, amid growing concern about stark disparities in attainment. A study by the Sutton Trust education charity found that disadvantaged pupils from Chinese backgrounds were almost three times as likely to get the benchmark five good GCSEs as their white working-class peers. While poverty continues to play a major role in educational outcomes...

The Institute for Public Policy Research wants lower level apprenticeships replaced by a pre-apprenticeship programme addressing 16- to 18-year-olds' "distinct needs". Its report comes as universities are awarded £4.5m to develop 5,200 degree level apprenticeships from September. Apprenticeships Minister Robert Halfon said apprenticeship programmes and traineeships were part of the government's strategy to ensure that people of all backgrounds and all ages "can get on the ladder of opportunit...

Providing free breakfast clubs for primary schools in disadvantaged areas boosted maths and literacy results even among those pupils who didn’t attend, according to new research. The findings suggest that government funding of universal free lunches for school children in infant school in England may be more productive – and more cost-effective – if spent on breakfasts clubs instead. Kevan Collins, chief executive of the Educational Endowment Foundation which supported the work, said: “The...

You're 18 and leaving education, the world of work is at your feet. Or is it? Not so, according to the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). A survey by the business group has found eight out of 10 British school-leavers "lack essential business skills" such as numeracy.More than 80% of young people require "significant training" before being put to work, according to the 4,000 finance professionals questioned. The figure is worse than last year, when 75% of school-leavers were ...

Loughborough University’s School and College Liaison Team are holding their annual Teacher and Careers Advisor Conference on 3rd November 2016. The conference will give teachers and advisors the opportunity to develop the necessary knowledge to support students through the UCAS application process. The day will include talks as well as the option to attend a workshop that is most beneficial to your role. For more information including details of how to book click here

Just 3,100 of the 117,000 pupils who currently attend grammar schools come from families poor enough to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of students (2.6%) is lower than previously reported, and was last night seized upon by critics of the government’s plans for more selection in the state system. The average proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals in areas that currently select on academic ability is thought to be around 18%. Read more

Schools are being urged to focus improvement efforts on struggling white working-class pupils who get the worst GCSE results of all the main ethnic groups, amid growing concern about stark disparities in attainment. A study by the Sutton Trust education charity found that disadvantaged pupils from Chinese backgrounds were almost three times as likely to get the benchmark five good GCSEs as their white working-class peers. Among poorer white children, meanwhile, just a quarter of boys (24%) and a...

Universities should make greater efforts to spot talent among disadvantaged students and place special emphasis on encouraging white working-class men in order to widen access to higher education, according to a new report backed by British universities. The report – produced by the sector at the request of the government – found that “socio-economic disadvantage has more persistent and far-reaching impact on access to and outcomes from higher education” than any other single cause. But the stud...