DfE
The latest news and analysis on the Department for Education and the secretary of state for education, including new policy, legislation and appointments
Friday
14th Mar 2025
Phillipson: Schools need ‘old-fashioned graft’ to stop absence ‘damage’
The education secretary will also use her speech at ASCL’s annual conference to say she believes some schools are not doing enough to tackle attendance issues
Call for £150m arts fund to train primary teachers
Creativity and the expressive arts should be put at the heart of the primary school curriculum, says report
Ofsted plans will ‘sledgehammer’ teacher recruitment, warns ASCL
Speaking to 91¶¶Òõ as ASCL’s annual conference begins, general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio issues a warning about Ofsted’s inspection changes and calls on the government to ‘show the money’ for its pledge to recruit 6,500 teachers
Social media being ‘weaponised’ against schools and teachers
ASCL president tells conference that tech billionaires should be forced to protect pupils from the dangers of their technology
Thursday
13th Mar 2025
How Headteachers’ Roundtable is refocusing for the Labour era
Co-chairs of the headteachers’ group tell Dan Worth why, despite a change in government, the need to ensure the voice of those leading schools is heard is as vital as ever
Without money, Labour’s aim for 6,500 more teachers looks tough
The Department for Education will have to try other routes to entice new teachers, but the chance of success is unclear, explains Jack Worth
Teacher pay should rise by more than 3%, say experts
Pay should then increase by more than 6% from 2026-27, according to the National Foundation for Educational Research
Tuesday
11th Mar 2025
Revealed: Which trusts received £16m of DfE support
DfE analysis of trust accounts also shows termination warning notices more than doubled in 2022-23
Ofsted inclusion plans lack focus on school admissions, MPs told
Leaders have to work ‘against the tide’ of the accountability system to promote a whole-school approach to inclusion, MPs also warned
Sir Hamid Patel appointed interim chair of Ofsted
The Star Academies chief will serve until the summer when a permanent appointment is expected to be made
The 28 signs of ‘school readiness’
Trusts and charities call on the government to support the new Starting Reception definition of school readiness
Worsening speech and language skills make teaching more difficult, study finds
Nearly half of primary teachers say more pupils are struggling to communicate at the expected level for their age