Policy
The latest news, analysis and advice on government policy and legislation. Find a breakdown of new documentation, case studies from leaders and comment from high-profile educators
Friday
31st Jan 2025
Government revokes academy order after school’s legal threat
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has confirmed that Glebefields Primary School will no longer have to academise in an ‘exceptional’ case
Exclusive
MSPs told to act on fears that ‘education is failing young people’
There is ‘an obsession with trying to hammer square pegs into circular fittings when it comes to education’, heard Scottish Parliament session where young people shared their frustrations
How Labour’s education bill will impact schools
More than 70 per cent of secondaries are likely to have to make uniform changes, and QTS requirements could affect at least 700 new teachers, the DfE estimates
The government has got itself in a mess over education policy
Instead of tackling the big issues in education, the DfE is mired in dull managerialism with its schools bill. We need a vision for change, says ASCL chief Pepe Di’Iasio
School admissions: How fair is fair banding?
Most schools using banding tests have more academically able cohorts than neighbouring schools, analysis finds
Exclusive
Wednesday
29th Jan 2025
DfE sets out how it will scrap teacher pay ‘ceiling’
The government has published its tabled amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
Free school meals rolling out to some Scottish students in S1-3
The Scottish Greens secured the secondary free lunches pilot in exchange for backing the Scottish Budget
What 800,000 fewer children by 2032 means for schools
The decline in the pupil population that is affecting schools now is a trend that’s unlikely to change for decades, new ONS data shows
Trustee diversity: what education could learn from the NHS
In the health sector, a new approach to helping younger and more diverse professionals take on governance roles has made a clear difference in three years – education should take note
More children will come to school hungry, warns poverty report
The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on pupils’ ability to learn is highlighted in a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Attainment gaps and child poverty: what does JRF report find in Scotland?
There are big gaps in attainment in Scotland – and wider concerns about child poverty – but analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation also finds some encouraging signs