Teacher supply: ITT reforms present 'catastrophic risk' say critics A new accreditation process for providers of initial teacher training (ITT) presents a “potentially catastrophic risk” of destabilising teacher supply, it was said this week.
What to teach and when? Confusion over LGBT teaching obligations There is still confusion about what schools are required to teach – and when – in relation to some LGBT+ matters, inspectors have reported.
Roadmap Step 4: Relief and anxiety amid rising Covid absences The end of schools having to manage huge test, track and trace operations has been welcomed, but there is anxiety and caution over the government’s dramatic relaxation of Covid safety measures.
Pupil Premium 'stealth cut' – £92.5m taken away from disadvantaged primary pupils Furious headteachers are demanding the government reverses its “stealth cut” to the Pupil Premium budget – which has saved the Department for Education (DfE) almost £90m it was confirmed this week.
School PTA fundraising hit hard by pandemic The pandemic has cost schools millions of pounds in lost revenue from their parent associations.
Ofsted 'inadequate' threat over online sexual abuse failures Schools will run the risk of being graded “inadequate” by Ofsted if their processes for tackling sexual harassment, online sexual abuse and sexual violence are not effective, the new inspection handbook has made clear.
Shameful: Up to 100,000 pupils fall foul of DfE's Pupil Premium rule change The extent to which the government has “short-changed” schools has finally been revealed after official figures showed that up to 100,000 FSM children will not attract Pupil Premium funding this year.
Air pollution warning: Almost 8,000 schools in high pollution locations More than 3.4 million UK children go to schools in areas where air pollution levels are above World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended limits.
Covid recovery: Schools support use of tuition, but not via the NTP School leaders are shunning the government’s flagship National Tutoring Programme (NTP) in favour of organising and delivering tutoring themselves as part of Covid recovery efforts.
Evidence review outlines three principles of effective teacher feedback Teachers should adopt three principles of effective feedback rather than worrying about whether feedback is delivered verbally or written down, an evidence review has concluded.
Teachers call for long Covid to be recognised as a disability Teachers are asking for long Covid to be legally recognised as a disability under the Equality Act 2010.
Swimming: More and more pupils fail to reach 25m curriculum target The proportion of children who cannot swim 25 metres by the end of primary school – which was already one in four pre-Covid – could rise dramatically in the coming years, MPs have warned.
Education Recovery Plan: Embarrassment at Eat Out to Help Out comparison Last year’s ill-fated month-long Eat Out to Help Out scheme cost about the same as the government’s Education Recovery Plan for the next academic year.
Teachers in plea to ministers: 'Get a grip' on Delta variant spread in schools Teachers are pleading with the government to “get a grip” on the spread of the Delta Covid variant in schools as figures show the extent to which localised outbreaks have affected young people.
Ofsted identifies barriers to effective MFL provision in key stage 2 Languages education continues to suffer from a variable quality of provision at key stage 2 and curtailed study at key stage 3, Ofsted has said.
Education Recovery Plan: Tsar's resignation rounds off nightmare day for DfE The government has been accused of waiting until half-term to “sneak out” the announcement of its Education Recovery Plan to avoid criticism about a significant lack of funding and its “lack of ambition”.
Vulnerable children: Confusion over early help policy is hampering intervention A lack of clear definitions of what constitutes early help and huge variation in thresholds for intervention mean that the huge potential of this policy is not yet being realised.
School libraries hit by PTA fundraising shortages School libraries are being hit due to PTA fundraising shortages caused by the pandemic.
Schools plead for Indian variant data to be made public Concerned teachers and school leaders are pleading with the government to come clean on just how prevalent the Indian Covid-19 variant of concern is in schools.
Pupil Premium: New research estimates £118m wiped off funding There is no sign of a government backtrack over changes to Pupil Premium funding as yet more research shows that schools are to miss out on tens of millions of pounds.
High-quality maths: Ofsted findings undermined by teacher recruitment shortfalls Ofsted’s new advice on the key ingredients of high-quality mathematics education comes amid continued teacher recruitment challenges. Pete Henshaw summarises the recommendations and look at the latest ITT figures for this core subject
Not eligible! Thousands of children in poverty are denied free school meals More than 35,000 children living in poverty in the North East of England are not eligible for free school meals (FSM) under current rules.
SEND: Ofsted report tackles co-production, SENCOs, and EHCP delays The vital role of effective parental co-production, SENCOs under pressure, and the on-going bureaucracy and delays of the EHCP system are three key takeaways from Ofsted’s snapshot report into SEN provision. Pete Henshaw takes a look
MPs call for oracy education to be post-Covid priority The speaking skills of some pupils have been affected by national lockdowns, especially among our Pupil Premium cohort. Campaigners are urging government and schools to put oracy at the heart of recovery. Pete Henshaw reports
Designated mental health leads: Funding finally emerges With fears over the growing impact of the pandemic on mental health, the government has finally announced the first tranche of funding for new designated mental health leads (DMHLs) in schools.
