Friday
Where are we now after a week of FSM confusion?
Earlier this week, Humza Yousaf indicated a move away from a basic principle of free school meals for every pupil – but a day later his deputy had a less clear-cut message
More pay or less class contact time - what would teachers prefer?
Next week Scottish secondary teachers will be asked if they want to campaign for a 7% pay rise in lieu of government promise to reduce class-contact time by 90 minutes
Thursday
SEND: Pupil needs should trump admission limits, schools told
School admissions watchdog says that, in terms of accommodating pupils with special educational needs, the impact of exceeding a school’s planned places ‘should not be the paramount concern’
Weekly round-up: Joint strikes and Ofsted legal challenge
This week’s round-up includes a plan for education unions to coordinate strike action, a High Court challenge against Ofsted and the DfE spending £350K on wildflower seeds
Why I want all primary schools to have a library
A Conservative MP outlines why he’s calling for funding to be given to primary schools to ensure all children benefit from the power and pleasure of reading
Wednesday
Abandoning free meals pledge would be ‘profoundly damaging’
The education secretary wants ‘to go further’ on universal free school meals but Humza Yousaf has signalled he favours a more targeted approach – sparking an outcry
More data could mark a ‘refreshing’ change for Scottish education
The Scottish government’s decision to rejoin the Timss and Pirls international education surveys is welcome – but with these results several years away, Barry Black says more data and transparency are needed now
Friday
Labour pledges to plug ‘alarming’ subject teacher gaps
Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson to tell heads at NAHT conference that Labour will ensure pupils are taught by specialist teachers in each subject
Scottish Tories call for teacher pay differentiation in ‘core subjects’
Scottish Conservatives lay out the eight priorities in their ‘new deal for teachers’, including proposal for ‘competitive salaries’ to ‘attract more industry professionals’ into Stem subjects
Whiteman: Pay dispute is ‘battle for heart and soul of education’
NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman is to urge ministers to come back to negotiating table in his speech to union’s annual conference
Why schools should get work experience funding
If we are to close the ‘opportunity gap’ and ensure more state school students can reach top jobs, schools should be given funding to help them experience the world of work
