Alongside our best practice section, Headteacher Update features regular news and news analysis articles to keep school leaders up-to-date with the latest policy and sector developments. Our news pieces attempt to tackle issues of direct relevance to primary school educators and offer something different to the mainstream media.

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Funding latest: Primaries face £74,000 real-terms cut

New research is forecasting a real-terms funding reduction for all schools by 2019/20, with half facing budget cuts of between six and 11 per cent.

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Axing of the £600m Education Services Grant puts key services at risk, councils warn

There have been further warnings from local government this week that the cut to the £600 million a year Education Services Grant (ESG) could see councils failing their child protection duties.

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Student wellbeing: Teachers urged to sign open letter to PM

Teachers, parents and students are being asked to sign an open letter to prime minister Theresa May urging her to “rebalance” the education system and prioritise wellbeing in schools.

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Research project aims to find secrets to teacher retention

A 14-month research project has launched aiming to understand the factors associated with teacher retention, turnover and returning to teaching.

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Research reveals affect of poor education about periods and puberty

Almost half of women did not know what was happening to their bodies when they had their first period, research suggests.

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Ofsted reliability study is welcome – but limited

Ofsted’s first attempt at testing the reliability of inspection outcomes has yielded seemingly positive results. However, with notable limitations to the research, calls for an independent investigation into the reliability and validity of Ofsted judgements have become louder. Pete Henshaw reports

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Challenges ahead as 420,000 school places still needed

The government has made notable progress in meeting the need for new school places, but still has a long way to go and significant challenges ahead. Pete Henshaw reports

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Crucial Pupil Premium guidance – from Ofsted and the students themselves

Delegates at the 7th National Pupil Premium and Ofsted Conference hear crucial inspection advice from Ofsted and receive inspiration and some key guidance from the students themselves. Pete Henshaw reports

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What will the relationships and sex education curriculum look like?

There has been widespread relief and support at the government’s decision to finally make relationships and sex education compulsory in schools. Attention now turns to the proposed new curriculum and what it should contain. Pete Henshaw reports

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Local authorities must consult schools and parents when spending £215m SEND fund

Local authorities are to receive at least £500,000 each to make capital investments to support children with Education, Health and Care Plans in their areas.

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NUT-ATL merger decision due on March 22

Less than two weeks remain for teachers and support staff to cast their vote to decide whether a merger between the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) should go ahead.

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Dramatic rise in children with complex disabilities – and many are not being given proper support

The number of children with complex disabilities and life-limiting conditions has risen dramatically in the past decade, but the services they rely on are struggling to keep up.

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Lift Off initiative supports students with the transition to secondary school

A new programme has been launched to support the transition of pupils from primary to secondary school.

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Funding crisis: Last-ditch bid to influence Spring Budget

‘Schools are running out of things they can cut’ – Chancellor Philip Hammond has this week been warned of a crisis in school funding and urged to take action in his Spring Budget on March 8.

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Asbestos management: Government survey reveals one fifth of schools not compliant with law

A government asbestos survey last year revealed that a fifth of schools were not fully compliant with legislation in managing the potentially deadly material in their buildings.

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Research reveals England’s ‘entrenched literacy problems’

A total of 458 out of 533 Parliamentary constituencies have at least one ward with serious literacy issues, research by the National Literacy Trust has shown.

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Six in 10 teachers have not been given one per cent rise

Thousands of teachers are in the dark on the one per cent public sector pay rise for 2016/17, with Black, minority ethnic, disabled and female staff more likely to have not received the increase. Pete Henshaw reports

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Action urged as report shows poverty’s clear link to poor health outcomes in children

Children in the poorest parts of the UK are much more likely to be in poor health, be overweight or obese, suffer from asthma, have poorly managed diabetes, experience mental health problems, and die early.

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PSHE and SRE 'neglected' in hundreds of inspection reports

The on-going debate about PSHE’s place in schools has taken a new turn with evidence showing that Ofsted inspectors are not focusing enough on the subject.

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Speech and language therapists raise workload alarm

Almost half of speech and language therapists say that they do not have enough time or resources to provide support to students who have communication problems but who do not have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

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Opportunity areas – more details emerge

Six more ‘opportunity areas’ have been unveiled, with the DfE promising action to raise social mobility, but critics have pointed to the elephant in the room – funding. Pete Henshaw reports

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Funding crisis: The number of schools running deficits doubles in just one year

Yet more evidence of the funding crisis facing schools emerged this week with figures suggesting that the number of schools currently in deficit has doubled in the past year.

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Statutory PSHE Bill falls victim to ‘filibustering’ in House of Commons debate

Conservative MPs in the House of Commons were accused this week of “filibustering” in order to prevent a Bill calling for statutory PSHE and SRE from progressing.

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Pressure building over asbestos in schools

The pressure on ministers to act over asbestos in schools continues to build after Freedom of Information requests reveal the huge amounts in compensation being paid by local authorities. Pete Henshaw reports

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Ofsted to speak at 7th National Pupil Premium Conference

Delegates at the Seventh National Pupil Premium and Ofsted Conference will have the chance to hear directly from Ofsted about what inspectors look for when scrutinising Pupil Premium spending and strategy.

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