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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FSM voucher debacle: Scramble to fix system laid bare by NAO report

"Too many parents had to wait too long to get the support they needed” as the government’s system of Covid-19 free school meal vouchers “buckled under the pressure”.

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Ofsted warning over 'out-of-sight' children as underfunded system is strains to cope

Years of underfunding for schools and local authorities is now coming home to roost as the system struggles to keep track of thousands of children who have disappeared from sight during the pandemic.

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Teacher wellbeing: Covid threatens to leave legacy of anxiety, stress, depression and burn-out

"If I’m honest, at the present time, I feel like each day’s problems are impossible to solve.”

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Safeguarding alert for thousands of home-educated children

There are safeguarding concerns this week for more than 10,000 potentially vulnerable children and young people who are being electively home-educated during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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DfE refuses to budge on rotas as infection rates rise among pupils

Primary and secondary-age children are currently the only age groups with an increasing rate of Covid-19 infection, survey data shows.

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Staff wellbeing: Marking and lesson-planning identified as toxic workload

Schools should be aiming for a working week for teachers of no more than 50 hours, with reductions in lesson-planning and marking being made to achieve this.

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The eight places where children missing education can be "found"

The safety net preventing pupils from dropping out of their education is “stretched to capacity” and as many as one million pupils could be missing formal education to some extent.

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SAGE to investigate pupil bubble impact on infection rates

Government scientists are to consider the impact on infection rates of ventilation in schools and the system of pupil bubbles.

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Many leaders disillusioned with school improvement 'zero-sum game'

Knowledge and expertise around school improvement have become “commodities to be sold rather than insight to be shared” according to the School Improvement Commission.

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Reimburse schools' Covid costs! Government obliged to respond after thousands sign petition

More than 17,500 people have signed a petition calling for the government to reimburse schools for the costs of Covid-19 safety measures.

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Remote education: Schools still working to find best approaches

Schools are still working out the best approaches for remote education, including the appropriate use of “live teaching” and how to align the in-school curriculum with learning from home. Pete Henshaw reports on Ofsted's latest Covid-19 inspection report

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Extend FSM eligibility: Rashford vows to fight on

Footballer Marcus Rashford has vowed to continue to lead the campaign to end child food poverty after forcing the government to back down over its refusal to fund free meals during school holidays.

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Concern at prospect of National Tutoring Programme caps

Potential caps on the number of places available via the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) must not result in a “first-come, first served” system, school leaders have said this week.

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Lockdown: Ofsted updates Covid inspection guidance

Ofsted has updated its autumn guidance for schools to confirm that its “visits” during the second national lockdown will take place remotely.

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Covid-19: Schools facing £42m 'black hole' in PTA fundraising

Schools are facing up to losing out on millions of pounds in income traditionally raised by PTAs to buy resources, equipment, school trips and more.

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Mental health problems likely in one in six children, NHS says

One in six children aged five to 16 now have a probable mental health disorder, the NHS has confirmed.

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PM urged to 'swallow his pride' over FSM holiday refusal

School leaders and teachers have urged Boris Johnson to “swallow his pride” and back down over his refusal to provide free school meals (FSM) during school holidays.

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Covid-19: Anger at DfE rising as attendance continues to fall

The second half of the autumn term is set to be “even more difficult” for schools after a notable fall in pupil attendance due to Covid-19. It comes as anger at the DfE's Covid-19 response grows, especially after its decision to slash free laptop allocations. Pete Henshaw reports

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Free period products: Six in 10 schools yet to sign up

Only 40 per cent of eligible schools have signed up to the government’s free period products initiative, sparking fears about the on-going impact of period poverty.

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Pressure builds as free school meals petition passes 300,000 signatures

A petition urging an expansion of free school meals (FSM) to every child whose family is on Universal Credit as well as to cover school holiday periods has reached more than 300,000 signatures.

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Covid-19: Calls for a two-week half-term circuit-breaker

Teachers are calling for a two-week October half-term to act as a circuit-breaker against the rising coronavirus infection rate.

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Autistic girls 'dodging diagnosis', academics warn

Autistic females are passing “under the radar” because they are so effective at camouflaging their behaviours, academics have warned.

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Free school meal registrations rising as families struggle to feed their children

There has been a dramatic spike in free school meal registrations this term as the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic begins to hit families hard.

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Online sexual abuse: Safeguarding leads brace for rise in disclosures

Safeguarding leads in schools are on alert for disclosures of online sexual abuse after a surge in reported incidents following the Covid-19 lockdown.

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Cost of Covid safety measures hits £8,000 for this term alone

Since the beginning of term, schools have spent an average of more than £8,000 implementing Covid-19 safety measures, and yet there is little prospect of these costs being reimbursed.

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