Huge rise in home education sparks ‘off-rolling’ accusations A children's commissioner report sets out strong evidence of off-rolling practices, with stories of schools putting pressure on ‘harassed parents’ to home-educate challenging students or those with SEN. Pete Henshaw takes a look 3 comments
Drug gangs groom young children to run county lines Vulnerable children as young as 11, including those excluded from schools and education, continue to be targeted by “county lines” criminals whose drugs operations remain “highly adaptable”.?
Anger as education secretary demands 2% teacher pay rise cap There has been widespread anger in schools after the education secretary called for teachers’ pay rises this September be capped at two per cent.
Two-year support package to boost retention of new teachers A new Early Career Framework is to offer teachers a two-year induction, with trained mentors, structured support and tax-free retention bursaries from 2020 and 2021. Pete Henshaw takes a look 1 comment
Schools invited to take part in ethical leadership pathfinders A pathfinder project has been launched to help schools embed the new Framework for Ethical Leadership in Education into working practices.
MPs urge DfE to make academy trusts more transparent and accountable to parents Multi-academy trusts (MATs) are “not sufficiently transparent or accountable to parents and communities” and a “succession of high-profile academy failures” has damaged children’s education and been costly to the taxpayer, a cross-party group of MPs has said.
Ofsted ‘calls time’ on teaching to the test and off-rolling pupils Ofsted signals its plans to crackdown on narrow curricula and teaching to the test. However, as the consultation over the new inspection framework opens, concerns remain over how reliable inspectors’ judgements will be. Pete Henshaw reports
Ofsted’s curriculum conversations More details on Ofsted’s plans to place the curriculum at the heart of the new inspection framework are emerging after the latest update from the inspectorate’s on-going curriculum research. Pete Henshaw reports
Schools urged to eliminate single-use plastics by 2022 Schools have been asked by the education secretary to put plans in place to eliminate the use of single-use plastics by 2022.
Training of mental health support team workers begins Young people will begin receiving support later this year from new Mental Health Support Teams set up in 25 “trailblazer” areas.
Funding worth £9m allocated for summer 2019 holiday clubs Charities and community groups are being invited to bid for funding to run holiday clubs for disadvantaged pupils this summer. 1 comment
Concern after STRB is told to ensure pay rises are ‘affordable’ Despite Theresa May’s declaration that ‘austerity is over’, the education secretary's remit to the STRB seems to dash hopes of a significant rise in 2019. Pete Henshaw takes a look
One in eight students have a mental health disorder, official NHS figures confirm The true scale of the mental health crisis among young people has been revealed for the first time by official NHS statistics.
Urgent need to improve our criminal exploitation response We do not yet fully understand the scale or level of risk to children in terms of “county lines” drug-running and other criminal exploitation.
Teachers delivering RSE with inadequate training Contraception, pregnancy options, STIs, accessing sexual health services, and sexually explicit information online – these are among the topics that school staff feel the least confident teaching about.
Schools told to cut down data collection burden for teachers In a bid to crackdown on needless data workload in schools, the Department for Education and Ofsted have told headteachers to have fewer data collection points across the year and to scrap onerous behaviour logging practices. Pete Henshaw takes a look
Off-rolling adding to pressure on local children’s services Cuts to school budgets, the practice of “off-rolling” problem students, along with a decade of huge policy change within education, are among the reasons why local authority children’s services are struggling to cope with demand.
Cut-backs and recruitment problems hit deaf education A “deepening crisis” is facing deaf children’s education as on-going cut-backs hit the provision of specialist teachers.
Charity urges Ofsted to focus on wellbeing An open letter has been delivered to Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman calling for wellbeing and mental health to be given greater priority when the Common Inspection Framework is updated next year.
Unions to consult members over Autumn Budget response Three education unions are to consult their members on the next steps for action after last week’s Autumn Budget.
Workforce study offers tips to boost teacher retention Boosting job satisfaction and promoting part-time working opportunities have been identified as among the most effective teacher retention strategies. Pete Henshaw reports
Schools prepare for January consultation over Ofsted plans The chief inspector has set out plans for a proposed new ‘quality of education’ judgement, marking a shift in focus away from headline data and towards curriculum breadth and quality. A consultation is planned for launch in January. Pete Henshaw reports
A quarter of CAMHS referrals are rejected More than 55,000 children were refused mental health treatment in 2017/18 as providers of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) rejected as many as one in four referrals.
Domestic abuse: Operation Encompass given government funding for school link work A charity supporting children who attend school following domestic abuse incidents has been awarded £163,000 in Home Office funding.
Ofsted chief: ‘We have not placed enough emphasis on the curriculum’ Inspection can play a key role in providing a “more rounded picture of the curriculum” being taught in schools, Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman has said.
