Friday
The key changes to Ofsted inspection for 2026-27
Ofsted publishes updated grading toolkits and guides for inspectors coming into effect from September
£60m framework to supply phone pouches for schools
Lockable pouches that prevent students from accessing their devices during the school day are central to the DfE’s plans for ‘phone‑free’ schools
We can’t close the disadvantage gap without playing the long game
The poverty-related attainment gap won’t be solved by focusing on the early years alone – we need smarter and more sustained interventions that are properly funded, say education leaders who form the Coalition for Pupil Premium Reform
The real way to boost boys’ school engagement
Giving vulnerable boys access to a trusted adult mentor can help tackle educational disadvantage and ward off malign influences, says this trust leader
Thursday
Natural history GCSE finally gets go-ahead
Landmark qualification to be made available in schools years after its initial target start date, with content to be decided after a 12-week consultation
Number of pupils with EHCPs rises above half a million
The latest official data shows a 24 per cent increase in the number of pupils with an education, health and care plan in the past two years
How to make the enrichment benchmarks work for all
Two trust CEOs say the government’s plan to improve extracurricular opportunities for pupils is welcome – but schools need support for it to have the desired impact
How AI gets lesson planning wrong - and what we can do to fix it
Could knowledge graphs of subject curricula help to improve AI’s ability to generate lessons? Oak National Academy’s John Roberts believes they can
School paperwork surges due to ‘horrendous’ Ofsted workload
Around half of secondary schools have already produced extra documents to prepare for the new inspections
Tuesday
DfE highlights Taylor Swift gig in crackdown on ‘one-off’ absences
Government publishes the research behind its plans to curb one-day absences, alongside a new parental communications guide for schools to help keep messaging ‘useful’
Nearly three-quarters of nursery schools to cut costs amid pressures
Many maintained nursery schools are struggling to stay afloat, research shows – at a time when the government is talking up early years’ role in getting children school-ready
