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.
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.”
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.
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.
Covid: Ofsted urged to grant inspection deferrals for schools in 'crisis mode' Ofsted is being urged to grant deferral requests from schools that find themselves in “crisis mode” due to the sharp increases in Covid-related absence of pupils and staff.
CO2 monitors: Frustration grows over slow roll-out With the end of term in sight, less than half of the government’s promised 300,000-plus CO2 monitors have been delivered to schools.
Thousands of primary schools have no library One in eight primary schools do not have a library – rising to one in four schools in the most deprived areas of the country.
Pleas for government action grow louder as Covid absence soars Remember what happened a year ago? There is a palpable sense of déjà vu as teachers and school leaders issue increasing desperate pleas for government action to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 among children and young people.
Covid 'lost learning' gaps are closing, but rising pupil absence a key threat Substantial progress has been made by schools during the summer term 2021 to recover learning “lost” during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Spending Review 2021: Questions and fears remain over teacher pay rise The Spending Review has signalled the end to the public sector pay freeze, an additional £1.8bn for education recovery, and an extra £4.7bn for the schools’ budget by 2024/25. But questions – and fears – remain. Pete Henshaw reports
Levelling up? Deprived schools suffering under National Funding Formula reform The National Funding Formula (NFF) reforms have led to a real-terms fall in funding for the most deprived schools, while the least deprived are better off.
All eyes on November 5 amid calls to decarbonise schools by 2030 We must decarbonise the education estate by 2030, restore sustainability as a core pillar of our curriculum, and make the school run as green as possible as part of our response to the climate crisis.
Two years and still waiting: SEND Review anger There are renewed calls this week for the government to publish its promised and long-awaited review of SEND, which has been beset by long delays.
Ofsted labelled a 'reign of terror' and 'toxic brand' Ofsted is a “reign of terror” and has become a “toxic brand”, experts have told a hearing of the Times Education Commission.
Wreaking havoc: Staff Covid-related absence hitting teaching and learning Increasing levels of staff absence due to Covid continue to wreak havoc in schools, with budgets at breaking point and the majority of heads warning that teaching and learning is suffering.
Diagnosing DLD: Teachers urged to #thinklanguage Thousands of UK children who have trouble learning at school or communicating with others will have an undiagnosed developmental language disorder (DLD).
Covid: Those who 'peddled lies' about 'lazy' teachers should be ashamed “I won't quickly forget, nor will I fail to remind those in power, of the false and damaging narrative some of them used.”
