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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Children in need suffering due to ‘Brexit paralysis’

The children’s commissioner says the government has been paralysed by three years of Brexit and is failing the one in 10 children who are classified as ‘in need’. Pete Henshaw reports

Financial analysis paints bleak picture for future of school funding

The cost of reversing the real-terms cuts to school funding for pupils aged five to 16 would be as much as £3.8 billion, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said.

DfE sets out plans to support the one in 10 children classified as 'in need'

Both the in-year admissions process and communication between social workers and schools are to be improved in a bid to better protect vulnerable children.

New Pupil Premium guidance urges focus on high-quality teaching above all else

The link between Pupil Premium spending and high-quality teaching should be the priority for all schools, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has said.

Pressure mounts over crisis in SEND funding

The conclusion from MPs’ inquiry into SEND looks set to be critical of how the 2014 reforms are working in practice. Funding is the core issue and last month thousands of parents took to the streets in protest. The DfE has launched a call for evidence on funding arrangements, but the pressure is ...

Children with speech and language needs face postcode lottery

Despite a government pledge to tackle the “word gap” between rich and poor children, the amount being spent to support a child with speech and language difficulties varies from as little as £31 to as much as £291 a year depending on where they live.

Research review reveals six approaches to improve pupil behaviour

Teaching specific learning behaviours and using personalised approaches can improve the behaviour of disruptive pupils, a research review has found.

Sure Start: Study finds ‘significant benefits’ for disadvantaged children

The Sure Start programme has had “significant benefits for children’s health” in the most disadvantaged areas, researchers have found.

Widespread welcome for Birmingham primary exclusion zone

Education minister Damian Hinds has welcomed the granting of an interim injunction against protests over the teaching of equality and LGBT-inclusive content at Anderton Park Primary School in Birmingham.

Exclusions Review: The implications for primary schools

Schools exclusions are on the rise and while the spotlight is on secondary schools, the issue is increasingly affecting primary education. The Timpson Review of School Exclusion has investigated the reasons behind the trend and has published its recommendations. Suzanne O’Connell considers its ...

School staff on alert ahead of FGM ‘cutting season’

Teachers are being urged to stay alert for signs that pupils may be at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) as we enter the “cutting season”.

Ofsted publishes final EIF and offers schools a grace period for curriculum reviews

More in-depth pre-inspection phone calls, a phasing in of the curriculum intent grade descriptor and a focus on reducing unnecessary workload. Just 22 days after the consultation over Ofsted’s new inspection framework closed, the final documents have been published, with implementation due for ...

Taking the mental health message to Westminster

The mental health problems facing young people are clear and present to anyone working in primary education. Andy Mellor recently took on a four-day cycle to Westminster to raise awareness of the issue

No parent veto over the relationships curriculum

Schools must consult their parents over the content of the new relationships education curriculum, but this does not give a ‘parental veto’, the education secretary has reminded us. Pete Henshaw reports

Six seconds a question: Year 4 pupils face quick-fire multiplication test

The new multiplication tables check is to be introduced in year 4 and will see pupils answering 25 times tables questions in two-and-a-half minutes.

Ballot planned over 2020 SATs boycott

Members of the National Education Union have backed plans that could lead to a boycott of “all high-stakes summative testing within primary schools”, including next year’s SATs.

Schools given £940m to fund pension contribution increases

Extra government funding of £940 million has been set aside to cover the increased cost of contributions to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) in 2019/20.

Absence: Parent penalty notice system under fire

With the latest figures showing a rise in unauthorised school absence, school leaders have warned that the current system of parental fines ‘drives a wedge between schools and families’ when the real problem is holiday pricing. Pete Henshaw reports

From £17,88 to £5,32 per-child – low-level mental health support funding is 'postcode lottery'

There is a stark postcode lottery when it comes to funding for low-level mental health support, with spending per-child ranging from a high of £17,88 to a low of £5,32.

Social media companies have 'spent too long ducking responsibility for the content they host'

Social media companies have for too long “ducked their responsibilities” for the content they host online and must be more “proactive” in protecting the children whose lives are now dominated by their services.

Period poverty funding must go to all schools, campaigners say

Campaigners have welcomed plans to provide free sanitary products for girls in secondary schools – although have called for the scheme to be extended to colleges and primaries as well.

School funding: Ministers must end their ‘institutional deafness’

Just days after MPs debated the school funding crisis, it is revealed that school leaders have written to millions of families to warn of the negative impact of budget cuts on school provision. Pete Henshaw reports on the growing pressure for ministers to act over school funding.