News

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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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.

Schools urged to adopt Education Staff Wellbeing Charter

Schools are being urged to adopt the new Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which includes 11 commitments to supporting the wellbeing of their staff.

National PTA Week to celebrate pandemic innovations amid fundraising shortfall fears

The innovative and inspirational work of PTAs during the pandemic is to be celebrated during the inaugural National PTA Week in June.

Wellbeing alert: Half of teachers reporting symptoms of burn-out

Schools are on red alert for signs of burn-out among their teaching staff after alarming new research findings.

Expensive, branded, compulsory: MPs pass law targeting excessive school uniform costs

Expensive branded and compulsory items of school uniform and PE kit are set to be outlawed when new statutory guidance is published.

Traumatic bereavement & Covid: New CPD resources to support children

An understanding of childhood traumatic bereavement must be among schools’ CPD priorities for staff in the coming months, it has been urged.

Pupil Premium stealth cuts: Williamson accuses Labour of ‘moaning’ over £133m loss

As anger remains over the Pupil Premium stealth cuts, Gavin Williamson has been challenged to “come clean" and publish a “full financial analysis” of the estimated £133m that schools have lost out on.

A 35-hour a year CPD entitlement could stop 12,000 teachers quitting

Implementing a £4bn CPD entitlement for England’s teachers would generate a £61bn boost to pupils’ future earnings and could prevent as many as 12,000 teachers from quitting the profession, it is suggested.

Reading and literacy skills: Research offers reassuring picture of pandemic's impact

We must not “overdo the doom” when talking about the impact of the pandemic on children’s reading ability and literacy, researchers have urged.

Sexual abuse: Safeguarding campaign after huge spike in self-generated images during lockdown

Online predators are specifically targeting pre-pubescent children – aged from around seven to 13 – and bullying, grooming, deceiving or exhorting them into producing and sharing sexual images or videos.

Report exposes inadequacy of government's £250 per-pupil recovery funding

Covid recovery: America is spending £1,600 per-pupil. The Netherlands is spending £2,500 per-pupil. England is spending £250 per-pupil. Pete Henshaw reports on the increasing pressure facing the UK government over recovery funding…

Building back better: What barriers do today's children face?

Young people aged from four to 17 are being asked to take a 10-minute survey to help identify their priorities for improving childhood post-Covid.

Anger over Pupil Premium admin change that is costing schools millions

Schools nationwide will lose out on an estimated £133m in Pupil Premium funding due to the DfE's recent administrative change – with new figures showing North East schools alone face a loss of up to £7.3m. Pete Henshaw takes a look

Autonomy, workload, wellbeing, Covid: A third of teachers say they will quit in next five years

A third of teachers intend to quit in the next five years, new research suggests, with workload and a lack of autonomy once again among the key factors. However, the findings offer insights into how schools might effectively reduce workload too. Pete Henshaw takes a look

Troubled Families rebrand needs a 'long-term' funding commitment

Co-located services, a long-term funding commitment from government and a continuing focus on early intervention will all be key to making the rebranded Troubled Families programme successful, it has been warned.

Long Covid: School sickness policies need updating

With thousands of teachers reporting symptoms of long-Covid, schools’ sickness policies need to better recognise the often debilitating impact of this little understood phenomenon, the NASUWT has said.

A 10-point plan education renewal post-Covid

The NASUWT has put forward a 10-point plan for education renewal. Its annual conference has also called for Black history to be embedded as part of a decolonised curriculum, more protection for creative subjects post-Covid, and has issued a warning about pupil behaviour. Pete Henshaw reports

'I will never forget the panic in that girl's voice’ – the poverty crisis laid bare

The chilling and worsening impact of poverty on children and families has been laid bare by a survey of 10,000 teachers. The research also sets out teachers’ priorities post-Covid. Pete Henshaw reports

Increased ransomware attacks: Schools offered help to defend their systems

Remote access systems, phishing and unpatched or unsecure devices are among the common routes being used by ransomware attackers to target schools.

Schools see highest attendance figures since Covid began

School attendance last week was the highest it has been since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic – although Covid absences are rising once again…

Retention problems not over despite teacher training surge

The Covid-related spike in applications to teacher training must not fool us into thinking that retention issues in schools are a thing of the past.

Pupil Premium census change will wipe-out recovery funding for two-thirds of primary schools

The £6,000 recovery premium being given to primary schools is set to be wiped out because of changes in how the Department for Education (DfE) calculates Pupil Premium eligibility.

Covid-19: The DfE has 'made far too many missteps'

The National Audit Office's report card on ministers' management of education during Covid has sparked a scathing response about some of the DfE's 'missteps' and 'tone-deaf decisions'. There is also concern that the National Tutoring Programme is not reaching the most disadvantaged pupils. Pete ...

Deprived families describe “impossible choices” over remote education

Increasing school and education-related costs have contributed to the financial pressures facing the poorest families this year, with parents reporting stress, guilt and feeling like they are in a "permanent battle".

Reject the ‘reductive, deficiency-riddled terminology of catch-up’

We must reject the catch-up at all costs rhetoric and rebuild a school system that learns the lessons from the pandemic. Pete Henshaw reports from the ASCL annual conference, which set out plans to publish a Blueprint for a Fairer Education system this summer

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