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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Research reveals CPD's impact on student outcomes

The impact that quality CPD can have on improving pupil outcomes is an under-researched field, but emerging evidence shows that the two are closely linked. Chris Parr reports

Schools in disadvantaged areas more likely to rely on teaching assistants

Schools in working disadvantaged areas have a much higher pupil-to-teaching assistant ratio than those in more affluent areas.

Coronavirus: Schools on alert after half-term

The Department for Education (DfE) has updated its coronavirus guidance for schools in light of the continuing spread of COVID-19 across Europe. It comes as schools in Cheshire take precautionary action following half-term trips to Italy.

Early prevention hit as funding is diverted to support children at immediate risk

Children’s social care budgets have been overspent by more than £3 billion in the last five years in a bid to keep up with demand and support those in immediate danger.

#PauseOfsted: NEU backs headteacher-led 'quiet revolution'

The National Education Union (NEU) has put its support behind a headteacher-led grassroots campaign to disrupt Ofsted’s school inspection programme.

Sex abuse in families: Poor prevention work and staff training is letting down victims

Children who are being sexually abused by family members are going “unseen and unheard” because of a lack of prevention work and poor awareness among professionals.

Bulk of £7.1 billion funding injection will disappear with rising costs and teacher pay rises

There will only be £14,000 per-school left from the £7.1 billion funding injection once existing government commitments, rising pupil numbers and other costs are paid for.

School counselling key in mental health battle

The children’s commissioner wants to see more funding and incentives for in-school counselling and other low-level mental health support. Pete Henshaw takes a look

Minimum per-pupil funding law welcome, but financial challenges remain

While welcoming the news that minimum per-pupil funding levels are to be enshrined in law, school leaders have warned that this will not end the funding crisis.

Schools urged to listen to pupils' views in period poverty roll-out

The views of students should be taken into account when schools decide how to distribute free period products, the government has said.

Ofsted deep inspection plan for ‘stuck schools’

Ofsted is seeking government funding in order to inspect more deeply the 415 schools it considers to be stuck in a cycle of low performance. Pete Henshaw takes a look

Government confirms one-year, £165m extension to Troubled Families

The Troubled Families programme – credited with helping almost 300,000 families living in challenging circumstances – has been given a one-year reprieve after the government confirmed a £165 million funding package.

Pupils become less active during primary school

Research has revealed that by the age of 11, children are doing more than an hour less of physical activity a week compared to when they were six-years-old. Dorothy Lepkowska takes a look...

Teachers seeing increased evidence of child poverty in the classroom

Teachers and schools are buying food, equipment clothing and even toiletries for pupils living in poverty – and the problems are getting worse.

Exposure to sexual harm and explicit images a 'normal part' of life for children

Children and young people are coming to accept that exposure to online sexual harm and receiving and being asked for explicit images is now a part of everyday life, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has warned. Pete Henshaw takes a look

Sharp rise in 30-plus class sizes concerns teachers

A sharp rise in class sizes since 2010 means that almost one million pupils are now being taught in classes of 31 or more across England.

Early help services under threat from referral spike

Local authorities are diverting money away from crucial early intervention services in order to cope with the rising number of referrals for urgent child protection support. Pete Henshaw reports

Call for increased teacher efficacy to counter rise in work-related stress

Accountability and education reforms must promote increased levels of trust, autonomy and teacher efficacy and development if we are to beat the rising tide of stress in the profession.

Families seeking SEND support left exhausted by 'adversarial and bureaucratic' system

Poor implementation of the government’s SEND reforms has resulted in “confusion, at times unlawful practice, bureaucratic nightmares, buck-passing, no accountability, strained resources, and adversarial experiences”, a damning MPs’ report has concluded.

Data is still dominating working life for teachers

New workload research finds a third of teachers spend more time recording, monitoring and analysing data than they do preparing for their lessons. Pete Henshaw takes a look

Health secretary seeks advice on school immunisation plan

Health secretary Matt Hancock has mooted plans for compulsory MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccinations for children attending state schools in a bid to turn around five years of declining uptake.

Joint SEND inspections reveal inadequate support in many areas

More than half of local areas in England are failing to offer acceptable levels of support for children with SEND, figures suggest.

Sure Start: Fears grow that children’s centres cut are hitting the poorest

The services offered by Sure Start children’s centres continue to decrease, particularly in disadvantaged communities. With the attainment gap persistently evident, is this a missed opportunity to help close it?

Funding pledge: We’re not out of the woods yet

Boris Johnson’s £14.5bn funding package offers no immediate relief and will still leave many schools facing financial challenges in the immediate years ahead. Pete Henshaw looks at the recent funding pledges

Questions raised over Ofsted’s capacity to routinely inspect outstanding schools

Ofsted does not have the capacity to deliver on the Department for Education’s (DfE) decision to remove the inspection exemption for outstanding schools, it has been claimed. Furthermore, plans to create a new Ofsted judgement for financial management and oversight are “misguided”.

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