Schools Week

Behaviour and attendance hub support details shared by DfE Details shared for 'regional' and 'enhanced' support pathways as part of newly merged hubs

More details have been revealed for how the government’s behaviour and attendance hubs will work, with schools being offered either 'regional' or 'enhanced' support pathways
schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-reveals-...

The council schools with million pound budget deficits Some maintained deficits dwarf those of multi academy trusts, and even face interest payments

💸 Exclusive: Dozens of council-run schools have deficits of over £1 million, shock figures reveal, with some even charged six-figure sums in 'interest' by councils for racking up the losses

Nigel de Gruchy, teachers' champ who savaged with soundbites The former trade union leader has died at the age of 82. One of his successors pays tribute

'The politics of the soundbite was something Nigel claimed as his own. His choice of words may not always have been comfortable, but it was always memorable'

Dr Patrick Roach pays tribute to former @nasuwt-official.bsky.social general secretary Nigel de Gruchy

schoolsweek.co.uk/nigel-de-gru...

ICYMI: The children's commissioner for England has warned alternative provision settings 'do not know their pupils well', as a new report finds one in three can only estimate the number of pupils on their rolls
schoolsweek.co.uk/ap-settings-...

ICYMI: A new legal duty will be introduced for councils to notify schools when a child is placed in temporary accommodation, government has announced as part of its child poverty strategy
schoolsweek.co.uk/councils-to-...

The council schools with million pound budget deficits Some maintained deficits dwarf those of multi academy trusts, and even face interest payments

💸 Exclusive: Dozens of council-run schools have deficits of over £1 million, shock figures reveal, with some even charged six-figure sums in 'interest' by councils for racking up the losses

The council schools with million pound budget deficits Some maintained deficits dwarf those of multi academy trusts, and even face interest payments

💸 Investigation: Dozens of council-run schools have deficits of over £1 million, shock figures reveal, with some even charged six-figure sums in 'interest' by councils for racking up the losses

A new legal duty will be introduced for councils to notify schools when a child is placed in temporary accommodation, government has announced as part of its child poverty strategy
schoolsweek.co.uk/councils-to-...

A new legal duty will be introduced for councils to notify schools when a child is placed in temporary accommodation, government has announced as part of its child poverty strategy
schoolsweek.co.uk/councils-to-...

Teacher recruitment up 11%, but secondary target missed Secondary recruitment hits 88% of target, while primary over-recruits by 26% after targets cut

New annual census figures show trainee teacher numbers have grown by 11 per cent this year, with government over-recruiting would-be primary teachers but again missing its target for secondary

schoolsweek.co.uk/trainee-teac...

Ministers’ SEND listening campaign 'futile', say parents But ministers seeks to reassure the sector they are listening

The government’s new public engagement campaign on SEND has been labelled a 'futile tick-box exercise' by parents, as ministers seek to reassure the sector they are listening

Teacher recruitment up 11%, but secondary target missed Secondary recruitment hits 88% of target, while primary over-recruits by 26% after targets cut

Trainee teacher numbers have grown by 11 per cent this year with the government over-recruiting would-be primary teachers – but it has again missed its target for secondary

schoolsweek.co.uk/trainee-teac...

Half of PINS schools did not get full neurodiversity support Evaluators highlighted implementation challenges with the £22m programme's first year in 1,669 schools

➡️ Only half of primary schools on a £22 million flagship government inclusion programme were given all the support on offer, an interim evaluation has found

Schools 'expected' to use new capped supply agency deal DfE launches 'maximising value for pupils' programme aimed at helping schools find savings

Schools will be 'expected' to use a new government framework for supply teacher agency spending, which will include new caps on the rates companies can charge, ministers have announced

schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-expe...

Teacher recruitment up 11%, but secondary target missed Secondary recruitment hits 88% of target, while primary over-recruits by 26% after targets cut

Breaking: Trainee teacher numbers have grown by 11 per cent this year, with government over-recruiting would-be primary teachers but still missing its target for secondary

schoolsweek.co.uk/trainee-teac...

5 things we learned from Phillipson at education committee Education secretary Bridget Phillipson took questions from MPs about teacher recruitment, SEND deficits, language take-up and trans guidance

The education secretary has taken questions from MPs about a range of topics including teacher recruitment, SEND deficits, language take-up and trans guidance.

Here are the key things we learned...
schoolsweek.co.uk/abuse-over-p...

Ofsted: 'Missed opportunities' to keep SEND pupils in school Sir Martyn Oliver expressed deepening concerns about the number of children only attending school part-time

ICYMI: Ofsted's annual report has warned of concerns over rising numbers of children missing out on school, and missed opportunities to identify pupils’ SEND needs and arrange support to keep them in education

schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-warns...

5 things we learned from Phillipson at education committee Education secretary Bridget Phillipson took questions from MPs about teacher recruitment, SEND deficits, language take-up and trans guidance

The education secretary has been questioned by MPs on topics including teacher recruitment, SEND deficits, language take-up and trans guidance.

Here's what we learned...

schoolsweek.co.uk/abuse-over-p...

Ofsted: Too many pupils 'out of step with school life' Chief inspector also warns social media and smartphones are partly responsible for disruptive behaviour

ICYMI: Too many children are 'falling out of step with the expectations of school life' through absence, making them 'more likely to cross boundaries, challenge teachers' and disrupt learning, Ofsted's chief inspector has warned

schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-too-m...

5 things we learned from Phillipson at education committee Education secretary Bridget Phillipson took questions from MPs about teacher recruitment, SEND deficits, language take-up and trans guidance

Abuse of headteachers over phone bans in their schools is 'completely unacceptable', the education secretary has said, after an MP reported that one leader was 'spat and sworn at'

schoolsweek.co.uk/abuse-over-p...

Ofsted: 'Missed opportunities' to keep SEND pupils in school Sir Martyn Oliver expressed deepening concerns about the number of children only attending school part-time

From rising numbers of pupils missing school entirely, to concerns over use of AI, here are 9 key takeaways from Ofsted's annual report for 2024-25...

schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-warns...

Ofsted: Too many pupils 'out of step with school life' Chief inspector also warns social media and smartphones are partly responsible for disruptive behaviour

Too many children are 'falling out of step with the expectations of school life' through absence, making them 'more likely to cross boundaries, challenge teachers' and disrupt learning, warns Ofsted's annual report

schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-too-m...

Spending watchdog defends SEND budget forecast OBR official says it was 'reasonable' to illustrate the potential impact on the schools budget

The DfE’s top boss told MPs that when council SEND deficits started to build ‘I think it was felt that this might be a short term change hump’, prompting programmes aimed at bringing deficits down

‘It looks like it was a more sustained challenge’

schoolsweek.co.uk/spending-wat...

That brings this meeting of the education committee to an end.

Phillipson says 'there have been no final decisions taken on any aspect of reform' and urged parents to engage with the DfE and share their views.

Phillipson assures the SEND white paper will still be delivered early in the new year.

Committee chair Helen Hayes MP has asked if Phillipson can give parents any reassurances or a clearer timeline, as to when the DfE will deliver its SEND white paper and SEND reforms. The white paper was originally due this autumn, but is now set to be published 'early in the new year'

Acland-Hood added: 'When you try and do something new, you run a little bit more of a risk ... We should have spotted [the errors] before they went out. We really tried to correct it very quickly after it was spotted'

Acland-Hood says: 'Having issued the first version of the reports [we identified] that there were some errors ... pointed out to us by some of the earliest schools to receive them.

'We have looked at what caused those errors, and are learning the lessons for the future'

Mark Sewards MP has asked why the DfE had to 'withdraw the recent AI generated attendance target reports for individual schools, and what lessons have been learned from this'

Lib Dem MP Caroline Voaden asks why the government refuses to legislate an outright ban of smartphones in schools. Phillipson responds that leaders 'do have the powers' to ban phones, adding: 'There are different ways of schools implementing that'