General
Tuesday
Threat of formal dispute over teachers’ class-contact time
Tomorrow’s Scottish Budget is the last chance for ministers to lay out a ‘very clear plan’ on how teachers’ class-contact time will be reduced, warns SNCT
Scottish education bill ‘needs big changes’ for reforms to work
The Scottish government must ensure ‘strong accountability’ of the new bodies and a ‘more coherent vision’ for education reform, say MSPs
Monday
Oak: Online lessons fall by 2m as resource downloads rise
Figures reflect Oak’s shift from being a response to the pandemic, says national online academy – but ‘emergencies’ still account for 40 per cent of usage
Key adviser questions if Scottish inspectorate will be truly independent
Professor Ken Muir also says teachers should play a greater role in inspection – they do ‘the difficult shift in the classrooms’ and are ‘very aware’ of the issues
Friday
Wellbeing and workload concerns driving teachers to consider quitting
One in three teachers and leaders tell DfE survey that they are considering leaving the profession in the next 12 months for reasons other than retirement
Ofsted board chair to step down next year
Dame Christine Ryan will continue as chair while a process to find her successor starts
Plans for new MATs risk ‘collapse’ after grant cut
MAT plans that have been months or years in the making could be thrown into turmoil by the withdrawal of a ‘vital’ fund, warn leaders
Behaviour: Third of support staff witnesses verbal abuse every day
The formation of the government’s support staff negotiating body must lead to improved pay and conditions, says the UK’s largest union
Thursday
6 findings on how schools have coped with financial pressures
Many schools reported having to make cuts in response to stretched funding last year
Senior MPs demand more details on child poverty task force
Child poverty strategy must ensure that children with SEND are taken into account, says Commons Education Select Committee chair
Curriculum panel to ask why teachers face ‘content overload’
Curriculum and assessment review chair Professor Becky Francis says concerns about volume of content in classrooms have come up in conversations with teachers, pupils and parents
Maths ‘repetitive, lacking challenge and disconnected from real life’
Scottish inspectorate’s review of maths also flags inconsistent CPD, staff shortages and ‘strain’ on teachers due to rising numbers of pupils with ASN
