The two sides of the digital divide Despite the pandemic having brought the stark realities of the digital divide to the nation’s attention, and the roll-out of free laptops, the problem persists and risks getting worse. Pete Henshaw reports
Reading: Academics criticise DfE's narrow focus on 'synthetic phonics only' Research claiming that the government’s main approach to the teaching of reading does not follow the best evidence has reignited the debate over the teaching of phonics.
Flaws in the system: Influx of new FSM pupils causes attainment gap headache Flaws in how we measure the eligibility and attainment of disadvantaged pupils must be ironed out if we are to properly support these young people.
Children's word of the year unveiled The children’s word of the year for 2021 has been revealed as “anxiety”, reflecting the mental health and wellbeing challenges caused by the pandemic.
Staff absence: Schools screaming for more financial support as Covid infections soar A teaching assistant looking after 90 pupils in the school hall. An untrained cover supervisor teaching a full timetable. The Covid staffing crisis is worsening significantly with schools screaming for more financial support.
Schools continue to shun National Tutoring Programme The evidence continues to stack up that schools want to be funded to deliver their own “catch-up” tutoring interventions and are shunning the struggling National Tutoring Programme (NTP).
Breakfast clubs: Schools report impact on behaviour, concentration and social skills Behaviour, eating habits, attainment, parental engagement – the positive impact of school breakfast clubs for children from low-income families has been spelt out in new research.
Reluctant readers: The girls who don't enjoy reading The conversation around reluctant readers often focuses on boys, but new research is warning that high numbers of girls also do not enjoying reading.
Staff absence: Schools on Omicron alert as term begins As the education secretary urges schools to prioritise face-to-face teaching, leaders warn that it will only take a small increase in staff absence to derail the beginning of the spring term.
An eight per cent pay rise? Latest STRB remit is ‘open but unclear’ Could two consecutive eight per cent pay rises for new teachers be on the cards? Teachers must wait to find out what the impact of the government’s unusual two-year remit to the School Teachers’ Review Body will be.
School leadership supply ‘teetering on the brink of collapse’ A majority of senior leaders in schools do not aspire to headship because of concerns about personal wellbeing, Ofsted inspections, and the burden of responsibility the role brings.
Chief inspector: Rounded education crucial to Covid recovery A “well-planned and well-implemented curriculum” and a rounded offer including sport and extra-curricular opportunities give us the best chance of helping children recover from Covid-19.
County lines crackdown may criminalise exploited children, campaigners warn Children who have been coerced and threatened into carrying or dealing drugs by county lines gangs must not be criminalised under new government plans, campaigners have warned.
Going backwards: Gender pay gap in schools widens further Despite it being illegal to pay men and women different salaries for the same job, the headship gender pay gap in state schools is fast approaching £3,000 after stark increases over the last decade.
A maze of eligibility criteria: Anger at Covid workforce fund limitations After having battled with Covid-related staff absence for much of the term, schools have been hit by the news that the newly re-opened workforce fund will only cover a short period before Christmas.
Support staff seek work elsewhere as pay in schools is too low A significant minority of school support staff, including teaching assistants, say they are seeking alternative work because of persistent low pay and the rising cost of living.
Every day I make decisions that scare me “The message from Ofsted and the government is that the pandemic is over, everything’s back to normal. But we’re so far from that in schools – we’re still living in the heart of it. Every day I make decisions that scare me.”
School uniform: New rules signal crackdown on branded items ?Schools must keep branded uniform items “to a minimum”, limiting their use to “low-cost or long-lasting items”, new statutory guidance states. Pete Henshaw takes an in-depth look at the new rules
The shadow of Section 28? One in five teachers 'uncomfortable' discussing LGBT+ topics Eighteen years on from the repeal of Section 28 and one in five teachers say they still feel uncomfortable discussing LGBT+ topics with pupils.
Lack of time and capacity hampering early career teacher mentoring A lack of time and capacity for the mentoring of new teachers is hampering the roll-out of the Early Career Framework (ECF) and threatening ITT placements.
Air pollution: Children demand the right to breathe clean air With millions of UK pupils attending schools in high pollution areas, the right to breathe clean air looks set to be elevated by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Pete Henshaw takes a look
Tone-deaf: Ofsted’s plan to accelerate inspections slammed by school leaders "Unhelpful. Strange. Stuck in the past. Tone-deaf.” The profession has reacted with bewildered frustration this week after the announcement of plans to inspect every school at least once by 2025.
A quarter of year 6 pupils are now obese, latest figures reveal The proportion of pupils considered obese rises from 14 per cent in reception-age children to 26 per cent in year 6 – with deprived youngsters much more likely to be obese.
Caution remains watchword despite drop in Covid absence “Last half-term there was a sense that government was simply sitting back and watching Covid numbers rise – we do not want to see that again this half-term.”
DfE promises final Climate Change Strategy by April 2022 A model science curriculum, a Climate Leaders Award for young people, increasing biodiversity in school grounds, and supporting schools to reduce carbon emissions.
