General
Monday
13th May 2024
DfE: special and AP free school bids by MATs have better chance of success
To ensure the ‘resilience’ of future free schools, multi-academy trusts will be more likely to be successful in the competitive process, new guidance states
Continued workforce strategy delay ‘deeply disappointing’
Leaders respond to schools minister’s refusal, in his recent interview with 91¶¶Òõ, to guarantee long-awaited update before general election
Exclusive
Friday
10th May 2024
Teacher pay: ‘Increasing concern’ over ‘lack of progress’ in Scotland
Local authorities ‘disappointed’ that trade unions ‘have gone public with a threat of balloting for strike action’
Ofsted sub-judgements now sit alongside overall grades
Change will apply to all graded inspections since September 2019, but headteachers’ leaders dismiss move as ‘cosmetic’
Revealed: What Safety Valve deals ‘really mean’
‘Deeply worrying’ details are set out in comprehensive analysis of Safety Valve documents shared with 91¶¶Òõ
Exclusive
‘Urgent’ need for refreshed Sure Start hubs in schools
Current family hubs will take 30 years to reach similar areas of disadvantage as the former Labour scheme, according to former children’s commissioner report
‘Half-baked’ response to ‘escalating’ school violence condemned
Teaching union demands ‘immediate action’ to address an ‘upsurge in violence’ in Scottish schools so that staff can work in safety
Hinds: ‘Faster progress’ needed to fix absence problem
Speaking exclusively to 91¶¶Òõ as the DfE launches a toolkit to help schools spot pupil absence trends, schools minister says the sector is still facing an ‘attendance problem’
Exclusive
Thursday
9th May 2024
Weekly round-up: Ofsted change and GCSE warning
This week’s essential education news includes Ofsted scrapping deep dives in ungraded inspections and fears about the impact of high absence among GCSE students
DfE investigates why some schools are not inclusive
Minister highlights concern about reports of ‘outstanding’-rated schools not having any pupils with an education, health and care plan