General
Wednesday
22nd Jan 2025
PSE must address boys’ ‘hate’ towards girls, MSPs told
New guidance for Scottish schools on teaching around consent will be finalised ‘in the coming weeks’
Safeguarding action ends too soon, heads’ leader tells MPs
Even when school safeguarding concerns result in an intervention, this can end too soon, requiring repeated referrals, the education committee heard
School maintenance backlog stands at £13.8bn, says watchdog
But the National Audit Office reveals the true cost of repairs and replacements in the school estate could be ‘substantially higher’
Mandatory assistive tech training for all new teachers from 2025
The education secretary will set out the Department for Education’s plans for edtech in a speech at the Bett show
Tuesday
21st Jan 2025
Government to amend schools bill to clarify teacher pay
Trust leaders had raised concerns that the current wording of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill suggested academies would lose pay freedoms
Schools bill: Experts tell MPs what changes are needed
MPs on the committee scrutinising the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill heard from sector leaders today
Dame Alison Peacock: State schools ‘self-impose’ accountability
Chartered College of Teaching boss says the independent school sector has ‘a lot to teach the state sector’ in how to help pupils ‘flourish’
Heads’ union ‘not convinced’ schools bill rules out pay ceiling
ASCL wants an amendment to the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to avoid setting limits on teacher pay and conditions
Measure pupil wellbeing, DfE told
But including pupil wellbeing in school accountability measures is ‘fraught with dangers’, headteachers’ leader warns
Monday
20th Jan 2025
Ban mobile phones in Scottish schools, say Tories
A ban would help to address violence and disruption in classrooms, the party argues, as it accuses the Scottish government of failing to get a grip on behaviour in schools
Call for ‘content clarity’ in Scottish curriculum
All pupils in Scotland should experience the same knowledge, skills and experiences ‘regardless of the school they attend’, argues a new paper
Expansion of major MAT referred to ministers
Plans for Delta Academies Trust to take on six schools run by a coastal trust have been sent to the education secretary for a decision