General
Tuesday
20th Jan 2026
MAT merger plan called off after ‘aggressive’ opposition
Pennine Alliance Learning Trust and Trinity Multi-Academy Trust had been exploring a possible merger, but the process has now ended with one chair stepping down
‘Parents are people, too,’ schools told in guidance on complaints
Government-approved guidance has been issued for schools and parents in response to staff facing a rising number of complaints
Monday
19th Jan 2026
Government launches ‘tougher’ guidance on phones in schools
Ofsted will check mobile phone policies in every inspection, with schools expected to be ‘phone-free by default’
Gilruth calls for primary teachers to move to secondaries
Scotland’s education secretary ‘urgently’ wants to find ‘creative ways’ to encourage primary teachers to retrain for the secondary sector to help with staffing problems
GLF Schools posts £3m surplus as reserves rise to £17m
The 43-school trust says the improvement in its finances reflects ‘strong expense management and receipt of unbudgeted income’
Friday
16th Jan 2026
Teachers to be reballoted on strike action in Scotland
EIS members are to vote again on strike action over workload, with the teaching union hitting out at ‘restrictive’ laws that meant it failed to win a mandate from its initial ballot
Most schools ‘can’t afford the basics’
With the biggest teaching union due to hold a ballot on strike action, nearly three-quarters of members polled say their school cannot afford basic provision
Scottish private school to expand overseas
Glenalmond College in Perthshire has unveiled plans to open a campus in Thailand later this year
Most senior Ofsted inspectors feel nervous to reveal role
Almost two-thirds of HMI are looking for a new job, and a further third admit they are not proud of their position, according to exclusive findings shared with 91¶¶Òõ
Exclusive
MAT inspections: leaders warn of duplication and ‘poor value for money’
School sector leaders raise concerns about the value, purpose and equity of the government plan to push ahead with Ofsted inspections of multi-academy trusts
DfE: All teachers will get SEND and inclusion training
DfE announces a new expectation on training teachers to support pupils with SEND, with £200m funding for new courses