The Algorithm Age

The head of Ofsted has hinted his inspection report overhaul could affect house prices for people living near schools. Sir Martyn Oliver said Ofsted ratings can change local house prices by tens of thousands of pounds, because parents ‘value’ them so much. However, under his new system, the old overall judgements of ‘outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate’ will be scrapped. Instead, from November, schools will get a more ‘nuanced’ report card, with ratings issued on a set of up to 10 different areas. Speaking about the impact, Sir Martyn acknowledged it will stop property websites such as Rightmove selling houses using ‘outstanding ratings’ for local schools. He said: ‘Here's a burning question, what's Rightmove going to do? It’s a serious point.’ Asked if the changes would ‘affect house prices’, he replied: ‘I don't know. However, the former ‘super-head’, who has turned around failing schools, added: ‘I do know, that… I ended up spo...

Primary schools across the country have become reliant on the Deposit Return Scheme to raise money to ‘keep the lights on’. Parents are increasingly being asked to chip in through fundraisers to make up shortfalls in capital grants, which are used for day-to-day running expenses, including heating and insurance. While the grants are set to rise from €200 per child to €224, teaching unions have said they are at 2007 levels. As a result, parents and children have been asked to take part in multiple fundraisers, including collecting bottles and cans, which can be redeemed for up to 25c via the Deposit Return Scheme . Séamus Mulconry of The Catholic Primary School Management Association has said that in many schools, this has now become an ‘integral part of their financial planning. They’re desperate to raise cash and we have a lot of schools now who are dependent on money from collecting plastic bottles to pay for school essentials,’ he told Pat Ke...

Councils are set to pay almost £2 billion in school transport costs for special needs children following a 200 per cent rise in a decade. A new report from the Local Government Association (LGA) reveals the ‘huge pressures’ on council budgets from a rise in special needs diagnoses. It said annual spend on school transport for these children jumped from £645 million in 2015/16 to £1.73 billion in 2023/24. However, it predicted this figure will rise to £1.97 billion in 2025/26. It comes amid fears the system may become even more overwhelmed if Labour’s VAT on private school fees force more special needs pupils into the state sector. The LGA said the rise in costs is partly down to a rise in the number of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) being given Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). These entitle holders to state-funded help, including school transport if needed. There has also been a rise in children being placed in schools ...

Boosting student engagement, improving school attendance and easing pressures on teachers are among topics that will be tackled by a review into non-mainstream education options in South Australia. About 10,000 students participate each year in non-mainstream schooling programs across the state, including home schooling, online learning and at various dedicated sites. According to the state government, such programs are designed for students who are not able to attend mainstream schools for reasons "including disability, behaviour, geographical isolation, mental health concerns, long-term illness, incarceration" and other complexities. Sites include the Bowden Brompton Community School and the Open Access College, as well as the state's six Better Behaviour Centres which "provide a service for students who are showing signs of disengagement from school". Education Minister Blair Boyer said students with complex needs represented a ...

Paige Carter and her son Oaklan were front and centre when the Premier unveiled the state's first Minister for Autism almost three years ago. Ms Carter welcomed the "world leading" appointment of Emily Bourke and the state government promised to deliver nation-leading autism reforms. But the mother-of-two said she now felt "let down" and as though her family and the autism community were "used" by the government. "[Oaklan] was a good look for them, but they haven't come through so, I don't think there's any other way to feel other than used," she said. "... He [the Premier] can announce skyscrapers and LIV Golf and all these really cool exciting things for the state and yes they're amazing, but what about our little kids who can't even access an education?" The government has pushed back against these claims, pointing to the rollout of 400 autism inclusion teache...

A crackdown on childcare centres in South Australia found half were not meeting national quality standards, a parliamentary committee has heard. Giving evidence in the budget estimates committee on Monday, Education Minister Blair Boyer and his department heads said $7.11 million in additional funding had been given to the Education Standards Board over three years. The funding was the result of a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care, and has allowed the board to more than double the number of compliance officers from 18 to 39 full time equivalents. Acting chief executive of the Education Standards Board, Sean Heffernan, told the committee that before the funding increase, some services had gone for up to a decade without being assessed. "There has been such a big gap between assessment and rating visits so where there has been a service that hasn't been assessed or rated potentially between eight or 10 ...