Henry Hepburn

Why England only needs 400 academy trusts If we want a trust-led system that works for pupils, staff, communities and the taxpayer, we need to drastically reduce trust numbers, argues Mark McCourt

If we want an academy trust system that works for pupils, staff and the taxpayer, we need to drastically reduce trust numbers, suggests @markmccourt.bsky.social

Why attendance data tells you less than you think The government is focusing huge amounts of attention and funding on trying to solve the attendance crisis. But how sure are we that steps to tackle persistent absence will actually lead to a significa...

The English school system is awash with attendance data, but is the government using it responsibly – and does it tell us as much as we hope it can?

@ellencph.bsky.social with an excellent deep dive analysis on attendance this morning - read below

www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

Social media use in pre-school children ‘deeply alarming’ Former education minister’s comments come after research from Centre for Social Justice suggests more than 800,000 children aged 3 to 5 have used social media

Pre-school-aged children are ‘being fed algorithms designed to hook adults’, warns former education minister after research suggests more than 800,000 children aged 3 to 5 have used social media

How to establish a strong trust-wide subject network Trust-wide subject networks can be a powerful source of learning and support for staff, but only if common pitfalls are avoided, writes Tracy Goodyear

Trust-wide subject networks can be powerful sources of CPD, if you avoid the pitfalls, says Tracy Goodyear of @trustcpdleads.bsky.social

Embracing ‘risky play’ in early years to counter pandemic caution Bangkok Patana School in Thailand explains why post-pandemic concerns led it to install ‘big play’ equipment to encourage more physical play - and how this is going so far

How a major international school in Thailand embraced risky play to help young pupils overcome post-pandemic nervousness

Why staying calm is a leadership superpower Patrick Cozier explains why staying calm in moments of stress, crisis or confusion is a skill all leaders should cultivate – especially early in their career

‘Calm Leadership doesn’t mean you won’t feel pressure; it means you’ll learn to hold your shape when it comes,’ says head Patrick Cozier as he explains how to adopt this ethos

Assistive tech use grows – but many teachers remain untrained Schools are also restricting pupils' use of artificial intelligence for homework and live lessons, research finds

The use of assistive technology in schools has risen significantly – but almost half of teachers have not received training in it, government report finds

How to design a CPD curriculum Without a clear curriculum, knowledge is forgotten, habits don't shift and progress stalls – and this is just as true for teachers' learning as it is for pupils', writes Mark Enser

Without a clear curriculum, knowledge is forgotten, habits don’t shift and progress stalls – and this is just as true for teachers’ learning as it is for pupils’, writes Mark Enser

6 ways international schools can boost belonging and inclusion From toy ducks and bears to the value of culture fairs, here are the key insights from COBIS' conference on developing a sense of belonging in international schools

What are international schools doing to nurture a sense of belonging among students of different nationalities? @emmaseith.bsky.social shares key insights from the COBIS conference on inclusion and belonging

Warning over ‘unchecked’ safeguarding audits Trust leaders tell Tes that the process of submitting safeguarding audits to councils is ‘like marking your own homework’, and putting unnecessary pressure on school staff

“You mark your own homework. It’s not checked.”

Safeguarding leads warn the “onerous” audits that schools have to submit to councils aren’t improving student safety and duplicate work done by trusts.

Is it time to drop them?

Excl by @ktorm-social1.bsky.social

Parent allegations against teachers rise by a third Research showing an increase in allegations highlights a ‘fraying of relationships’ between families and schools, warns parents’ charity

Parent allegations against teachers have risen by a third in just one year, according to data shared exclusively with @tesmagazine.bsky.social

Story from @cerysturner.bsky.social

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Follow @tesmagazine.bsky.social school funding reporter @jabedahmed.bsky.social for the latest on today's Budget 👇

THREAD: SEND costs to hit central government budgets

The cost of SEND support will shift entirely onto central government from 2028, and the OBR warns the DfE has no plan for how to pay for it, according to the OBR's Economic and fiscal outlook, published in error.

OBR documents (somehow!) published ahead of the Budget announcement say all SEND provision costs are to fall within DfE spending limits by 2028-29 and warn that if this is fully funded within the core schools budget, this implies a 1.7 per cent fall in mainstream school spending per pupil.

How our ‘16 by 16’ enrichment programme helps students From an overnight stay in the countryside to riding a bike and visiting the seaside, this school is determined that all children should have 16 core enrichment experiences before they leave

Are these the 16 things all children should do before they leave school? One assistant principal explains how her school gives every student 16 core enrichment experiences

The ‘hero leader’ mindset is putting pupil outcomes at risk, warns a new report calling for a more collaborative approach to school leadership.

Read more below:

Teacher contact time plans include assemblies, tech and timetabling Scottish government proposals also call for pilot schemes to ‘begin immediately’ but councils have ‘significant concerns’ about cost and impact - and, along with unions, say they’ve been blindsided

NEW: Teacher contact time plans include assemblies, tech and timetabling www.tes.com/magazine/new...

What US schools taught us about motivating pupils Visiting schools in Ohio where assessment is turned into a celebration got this MAT leader thinking about ways to use healthy competition to drive engagement and outcomes

🇺🇸 ‘Teachers chanting times tables to pop hits, confetti filling the air and pupils cheering as they raced to answer questions in relay teams’: one MAT leader explains what he learned from US schools’ approach to motivating pupils

Will more state schools set up lucrative overseas campuses? With one state grammar announcing plans to open schools in Dubai and India, what are the implications for the state sector? ‘Don’t expect Grange Hill Singapore any time soon,’ one leader tells Emma Seith

🌏 Could more state schools look at launching schools overseas to bolster their finances? 'Don’t expect Grange Hill Singapore any time soon,’ one leader tells @emmaseith.bsky.social

The view from Peru: teaching in South America’s third-largest country Four leaders and teachers at international schools in Peru share their insights into the joys and challenges of working in a country of ‘fantastic opportunities’ that isn’t on most applicants’ radar

🇵🇪 What’s it like working in Peru, the third-largest country in South America? Four international school leaders and teachers share their views – from behaviour and safeguarding to culture, travel and lifestyle

SEND: Resource bases ‘can be exclusion in its worst sense’ Mainstream and AP leaders question the government’s focus on resourced provision and SEN units in its drive to create a more inclusive school system

Resourced bases are expected to be a key element of the govt's drive for a more inclusive mainstream school system but some leaders have warned they can actually result in "exclusion in its worst sense." www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Two-thirds of teachers support children in poverty every month Teachers cite pupils attending school without breakfast, sleeping on sofas and not having basic equipment as examples of where they needed to step in

Teachers are supplying pupils in poverty with food, clothing and equipment, according to an @neunion.bsky.social poll – with nearly two-thirds providing additional support every month

Reduced class contact time measures announced in Scotland Four-day teacher working week, dedicated day for professional activities and minimum pupil learning hours proposed, but union expresses 'deep disappointment' at handling of announcement

NEW: Reduced class contact time measures announced in Scotland www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Why Steve Clarke would make a great headteacher The success of the Scotland football manager has echoes of great school leadership, writes Paul Cochrane

Your wish etc... www.tes.com/magazine/arc...

Teachers should ‘whinge more’, Jess Phillips tells heads Schools have not been thanked enough for the level of support they are asked to take on, Home Office minister also says

Teachers should ‘whinge more’ and schools have not been 'thanked enough' for how much they have been asked to take on, @jessphillipsmp.bsky.social tells heads

How international school groups tackle teacher quality on a global scale How do international school groups set and monitor teacher expectations while working across multiple countries, curricula and languages of instruction? Emma Seith talks to senior leaders at six major groups to find out

🌍 Leaders at six international school groups talk to @emmaseith.bsky.social about how they manage teacher quality and outcomes across multiple countries, curricula and time zones

Staff wellbeing at its lowest since 2019, data shows More than a third of education staff are also at risk of probable clinical depression, according to charity Education Support

Education staff wellbeing has dropped to its lowest since 2019, Education Support data shows, with more than a third at risk of clinical depression

15-fold increase in DfE influencer spend since 2022 Exclusive data obtained by Tes shows the Department for Education spent more than £200,000 on influencer marketing from April to October this year

📈 The DfE spent more than £200,000 on influencer marketing from April to October this year, exclusive data obtained by Tes reveals

Video newsletters have improved our parent engagement An international school leader in Japan says recording weekly video updates is an effective and personal way to reach out to parents – and it's not as much work as you might think

📹 ‘Videos allow parents to see leadership in action and to understand our educational philosophy’: one international school leader says recording weekly video updates has improved parent engagement

Extra enrichment isn’t possible, teachers warn The DfE is introducing enrichment benchmarks to push schools to deliver more extracurricular clubs – but research shows that teachers are already working unpaid and out of hours to deliver such activities

Exclusive: More than a third of teachers who run enrichment activities do so outside of directed time and without pay, according to research that raises doubts over the DfE’s drive for schools to run more extracurricular clubs