A ‘scandalous’ legacy: Schools reel as funding falls short Despite recent promises, the legacy of a Conservative government after 15 years in office looks set to be a real-terms decline in school funding. Pete Henshaw reports
Kit Malthouse: Stop the gimmicks and act on school funding The message to the new education secretary is loud and clear: act now over the “dire” school funding situation and soaring energy prices – and stop the “policy gimmicks and political posturing”.
Pension shortfalls could ruin teachers' early retirement plans Three-quarters of teachers are considering early retirement even though many will have not saved enough towards their pension.
Attendance guidance kicks in as DfE unveils new data toolkit Ministers have ramped up their focus on school attendance this term in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Urgent safeguarding alert over online abuse The new academic year has begun with an urgent safeguarding alert over children as young as seven who are being coerced into creating “self-generated” sexual abuse imagery – most often while in their own bedrooms. 1 comment
Modern slavery: County lines drives record number of child referrals A record number of children have fallen victim to criminal exploitation or modern slavery according to the latest Home Office figures.
SEND: Demand for EHCPs rockets as councils struggle Urgent action is needed to help local authorities meet the rising demand for SEND support that is seeing 170 young people beginning Education, Health and Care Plans every day.
Handle with caution: SATs results are published This year’s key stage 2 SATs results prove the case that further investment will be needed if the government’s 90% target is to be met by 2030, it was said this week.
Westminster chaos: James Cleverly appointed education secretary as Boris Johnson resigns James Cleverly has been appointed as the third education secretary in two days and the eighth in eight years.
Teachers' pay: Difficult decision looms for education secretary Squeezed school finances, a Treasury that looks unlikely to budge, recruitment and retention problems, and a teacher workforce threatening strike action all look set to place the education secretary in a difficult position this month.
It's not over: Covid 'rampaging' through our schools The government may think that Covid has “disappeared from the scene”, but the illness is “rampaging” through our schools as cases nationally continue to rise.
Rise in absence as Covid variants hit As Covid infections increase in the general population, staff and pupil absences have risen sparking renewed calls for the reinstatement of free Covid testing in schools.
Double-whammy: PTA fundraising hit by Covid and cost-of-living crisis The amount of money being raised by school PTAs continues to fall despite volunteers putting in more hours.
Attendance: Proposed new thresholds look set to increase parental fines Students with SEN and those living in poverty are more likely to fall foul of new tougher non-attendance thresholds and therefore face the threat of a fixed penalty notice.
Harmful sexual behaviours: Schools seek referral support Schools are seeking support for making referrals to social services or law enforcement after incidents of harmful sexual behaviours among young people.
Finding common ground important for effective tutoring Finding out what pupils and tutors have in common can help to boost attendance at one-to-one or small group tutoring sessions, a research review has found.
Boost attendance and tackle persistent absence: Six recommendations We must “ask and listen”, meeting children where they are, and ensure any exclusions trigger intervention if we are to tackle the rising levels of persistent absence.
Almost one in four now eligible for free school meals – but many children still miss out Almost one in four pupils in state-funded education now qualify for free school meals (FSMs), however restrictive eligibility criteria still prevent many living in poverty from accessing a free school lunch.
Early career retention improves slightly, but 8% of teachers still quit Almost one in 10 teachers quit in 2020/21 and while teacher retention rates have improved slightly for early career teachers (ECTs), they are still worsening for more experienced colleagues, workforce data shows.
Cost of living crisis: Restrictive FSM eligibility criteria must be expanded, campaigners say “We see the devastating reality of children coming to school unable to afford to buy lunch, because their family circumstances mean they fall outside the restrictive free school meal eligibility criteria.”
'A vicious cycle' – poor Ofsted grades contribute to onset of challenging circumstances There is a “vicious cycle” between low Ofsted grades, increasingly deprived pupil intakes and increased staff turnover, researchers have found.
Teaching assistants demand minimum £2,000 pay rise Unions representing teaching assistants and other school support staff have submitted a pay claim demanding a pay boost of at least £2,000. 1 comment
Key updates to statutory safeguarding guidance Updated statutory safeguarding guidance, including new information on domestic abuse, online safety, and child-on-child (not peer-on-peer) sexual violence and harassment, has been published ahead of implementation in September.
CAMHS: Steep rise in mental health figures is tip of the iceberg The dramatic and alarming increase in the number of children and young people being treated for mental health problems is just the tip of the iceberg.
Reading confidence: Quiet places to read and peer support key, report finds Pupils who are more confident with their reading have higher levels of wellbeing and lower levels of anxiety, research involving 80,000 young people has underlined.
