General
Tuesday
Oak legal challenge set to go ahead
The judicial review will look into legal challenges to the formation of Oak National Academy as an arm’s-length body of the Department for Education
Legal requirement sought for library in every Scottish secondary
The number of school libraries in Scotland has ‘drastically reduced’ over past decade, warns Scottish Book Trust
Schools must have single-sex toilets, says Scottish government
Updated guidance for Scottish schools follows two landmark court rulings relating to single-sex spaces
Monday
‘Support not sanctions’ will help schools tackle absence, DfE told
Schools need to be able to pay for attendance teams without ‘starving the classroom’, MAT leader warns
Covid closures ‘starkly highlighted’ schools’ safeguarding role
Covid inquiry hears how the closure of schools during the pandemic revealed the important part they play in protecting children
Students are aware of mental health support - but few access it
The proportion of students who say they would feel comfortable talking to an adult at school about their mental health has dropped, DfE survey shows
Friday
Knife crime: schools have very different policies, says DfE
Schools disagree on whether the police should be called to every incident involving a knife, according to a government report
DfE should emphasise that Oak is ‘optional’, review finds
Government also says that Oak National Academy’s creation as an arm’s-length body has added a ‘degree of risk and uncertainty’ to domestic edtech market
Ofsted can’t say how its plan is affordable
In an exclusive interview, Ofsted’s national director of education insists it will be able to fund an increase in monitoring inspections under its new system – despite not having tried to predict the likely number
Heads fear new Ofsted inspections will be worse for wellbeing
More than seven in 10 school leaders are not satisfied with Ofsted’s new inspection system, a poll of ASCL members suggests
