Cerys Turner

Minister does not commit to transport for school breakfast clubs In response to fears about pupils being denied access to free school breakfast clubs, early education minister Olivia Bailey would not be drawn on the likelihood of a policy change

The government has not committed to changing policy to mandate home-to-school transport for breakfast clubs

The govt has focused heavily on white working-class boys - improving outcomes for this group will feature heavily in the WP.

But it is their female peers who see the sharpest drop at GCSE. A great investigation from @charlottesantry.bsky.social showing how they have slipped through the net:

Lack of home reading prompts school concerns over language skills A quarter of parents avoid reading to their children because they lack belief in their own ability, finds Parentkind poll, as schools contend with ‘weaker language foundations’

Should the national year of reading be equally focused on parents as it is on children?

📚Findings from @parentkind.bsky.social & shared with Tes, show that more than a quarter of parents have avoided reading with their children because of their own reading ability:

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

‘No evidence’ of political bias at Bristol school, Ofsted says Bristol Brunel Academy was inspected after the postponement of a visit by a Jewish MP raised concerns about political pressure

NEW: @danielkebedeneu.bsky.social says he has concerns about Ofsted’s decision to inspect the school & calls the attention “entirely unwarranted”.

+ "There was never a need for Sir Martyn Oliver to call for an Ofsted inspection"
+ Staff received "unfair accusations”

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

This raises HUGE questions for the DfE and Ofsted.

Ofsted inspects school that postponed Jewish MP visit Labour MP Damien Egan’s planned visit at Bristol Brunel Academy had sparked plans for a demonstration by pro-Palestinian activists

🚨NEW: Ofsted finds "no evidence" to back concerns of political bias at a Bristol school that postponed a visit from a Jewish MP.

There were concerns that Bristol Brunel Academy postponed the visit by Labour MP Damien Egan after political pressure:

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

1 in 3 teachers reports WhatsApp pastoral incidents Exclusive polling revealing the impact of social media in schools comes as the government is considering a ban for under-16s

WhatsApp was not included in the Australian social media ban for U16s, yet it is driving more pastoral incidents in schools than other social media.

Excellent exclusive from @cerysturner.bsky.social

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

Confirmation today of a @tesmagazine.bsky.social scoop from last term:

NEW: The govt will test an AI tutoring programme specifically to support disadvantaged students.

Tes first reported back in October that the govt was exploring AI tutoring ⬇️

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

NEW: The govt will test an AI tutoring programme specifically to support disadvantaged students.

Tes first reported back in October that the govt was exploring AI tutoring ⬇️

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

Ofsted: Schools risk missing ‘expected standard’ over phone use If a school fails to follow the government’s new guidance on mobile phones, it could fall short of inspectors’ requirements for attendance and behaviour, warns watchdog

Schools risk being marked down by Ofsted if they don't comply with the govt's latest phone restrictions.

Not following the non-statutory guidance suggests schools may not be taking "effective action to secure pupils’ positive behaviour and wellbeing", Ofsted said.

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

Are schools being judged unfairly without Progress 8? We’re now experiencing two years without the Progress 8 performance measure as a result of the cancellation of Sats during the pandemic. So, have the past warnings about a negative impact on schools c...

Has a world without P8 been as damaging as many believed it would be for those schools in disadvantaged areas?

@ktorm-social1.bsky.social has looked at the data, talked to the sector and looked at the fallout, particularly with Ofsted - and the picture is mixed.

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

Thank you @tesmagazine.bsky.social for your support.

Our 5th Annual Headteacher Wellbeing Report is an important read.

Published on our website next week.

Leaders suffer ‘disturbing’ mistreatment, support service warns School leaders are being set ‘undeliverable’ expectations, says Headrest, as it fields a big increase in calls

School leaders are having to seek medical support as a result of “undeliverable” expectations and work demands set by multi-academy trusts and local authorities, a headteacher support service has warned. Another great exclusive by @cerysturner.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Would an under-16s social media ban help schools? The government is considering restricting or banning children’s use of social media. How might this impact schools?

Most teachers support a social media ban for under-16s.

But what problems do they think this would help solve, could there be unintended consequences for schools - and is social media the issue, or phones in general? @cerysturner.bsky.social finds out:

Would an under-16s social media ban help schools? The government is considering restricting or banning children’s use of social media. How might this impact schools?

“Because explicit images are so common now, I think the police view is, ‘Well, that’s another one’”

How would a social media ban for U16s impact schools? Plenty support it, but some worry about negative impacts.

Excellent @cerysturner.bsky.social article below
www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Leaders suffer ‘disturbing’ mistreatment, support service warns School leaders are being set ‘undeliverable’ expectations, says Headrest, as it fields a big increase in calls

Excl: A headteacher support service has warned leaders are seeking medical treatment over "unethical" treatment by trusts and councils.

While most trusts & LAs act with integrity, @headrestuk.bsky.social says these "disturbing" cases are now “increasingly recurring".

Would an under-16s social media ban help schools? The government is considering restricting or banning children’s use of social media. How might this impact schools?

It’s been a busy week for the under‑16s social media debate, with a govt consultation & a Lords vote.

Teachers are one of the best gauges of how students are faring online. They tell me how the darker sides of social media can often spill inside the school gates.

Phillipson announces £23m for new edtech tools The government will also launch skills pathways for teachers and support staff to help them develop digital, data and tech skills, education secretary says

“Mobile phones have no place in our schools” but AI learning tools are “different”, the education secretary tells BETT London.

Phillipson also committed an extra £23m for new edtech tools.

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

It’s ‘crunch time’ on SEND reform, warns IFS With SEND spending set to more than double, the government must try to deliver a sustainable system without squeezing mainstream schools’ funding, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies

‘We have now reached crunch time’ on SEND reform, with SEND spending set to more than double between 2015 and 2028, @theifs.bsky.social report warns

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

Trinity chief executive Michael Gosling said the trust had “worked too hard to create a collaborative, healthy culture” and that “allowing a toxic culture to infect that simply drags all down to a lower level”. Ouch.

The govt's mobile phones in school guidance remains *broadly* the same.

- 'Never seen' models are no longer an option
- More onus on filtering systems, perhaps pre-empting further social media regulations

Schools told to ‘project positive emotions’ in parental complaints guidance Parentkind has published government-approved guidance for parents and schools on how to resolve complaints

New: Official guidance for schools has told them to “tune into feelings over facts” when handling parental complaints.

Parents have also been given their own version of the guidance, which is backed by govt and unions.

📲 NEW: Schools are now expected to be fully phone-free, the govt has announced.

+ Pupils should not have access to phones during lessons, break times, or between lessons
+ Staff are also expected to not use their phones in front of pupils
+ Ofsted will check schools are following phone-ban

One to watch on Wednesday:

The Lords will be voting on amendments in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill - including this one about restricting social media access for under-16s 📲

Almost all teachers want under-18 social media limits, survey shows Exclusive polling comes as the government appears to move towards greater regulation over children’s social media use

We already know that most teachers support greater regulation:

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

One to watch on Wednesday:

The Lords will be voting on amendments in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill - including this one about restricting social media access for under-16s 📲

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

The government is setting a new expectation that all teachers and staff in schools should receive training on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and inclusion and will be spending £200m on new training courses. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Revealed: where teacher pay falls furthest short of living costs Teachers in London get thousands in pay uplifts to compensate for historically high housing costs. But, given that staff in many other parts of the country now also face high property costs, does the ...

Story here:

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