This week I report on the publication of a new SEND review guide for governors, a call for schools to publish clearer financial information on their websites and a pilot to boost east language skills and cut teacher workload.

SEND review guide for governors launched
A project part-funded by the DfE and Driver Youth Trust has published a SEND Governance Review Guide to help governors to understand not just what “should” be happening in their school, but also to appreciate the importance of how the governing body operates and what it prioritises. The guide is structured around the “six features of effective governance” and aims to ensure that governors are able to properly interrogate SEND support and planning.

Call for schools to publish clearer financial information online
Meg Hillier, the chair of the Government’s Public Accounts Committee has highlighted in her annual report that schools should have to publish more financial information about themselves on their websites to make it easier for parents to hold them to account.

She proposes that academy and LA maintained school websites should have to carry basic financial information, such as details of executive pay and a “basic budget” for what is spent on each area, alongside details of who is in charge, from governors right up to members who control academy trusts.

Pilot launched to boost early language skills and cut teacher workload
From September, 25 schools across the country are set to trial revised Early Learning Goals, the key measures teachers use to decide how prepared children are to begin Year 1 at the end of Reception year. The changes are aimed at reducing teachers’ workload to free up more time to support children’s early skills and produce engaging lessons.  This should also help to address the problem of children arriving at school struggling with language and social skills, helping to close the so-called ‘word gap’ – the gap between disadvantaged children’s communication and that of their peers when they start school.

The pilot builds on two schemes announced by the Education Secretary in April that aim to improve children’s early language and literacy skills at home before they start school and funding open for councils to fund projects that help disadvantaged children’s language and literacy.

This week I report on the Ofsted Chief Inspector’s confirmation that the existing grades in its new inspection framework due out next year will not change, the publication of updated statutory guidance on Early Education and Childcare for next academic year and new data on the mental health of young people due to be released in October.

Ofsted Framework from September 2019
This week Ofsted’s Chief Inspector of Schools, Amanda Spielman, confirmed in her keynote speech at the Festival of Education at Wellington College, that the existing inspection grades won’t change in the new inspection framework due out next year.

Following speculation about a move to a pass/fail system, persuasive lobbying by teachers and parents has convinced Ms Spielman to continue with the current system.  School leaders had argued that scrapping the ‘outstanding grade’ would “send the wrong message about aspiration and excellence in the system”.

Early Education and Childcare Statutory Guidance
The new guidance which will come into force from 1 September 2018 and applies to the free entitlements for two, three and four year olds; securing sufficient childcare for working parents; providing information advice and assistance to parents; and providing information, advice and training to childcare providers.

It supports the introduction of 30 hours free childcare for children in foster care, and makes clear that the eligibility of children in foster care will be determined by the responsible local authority. It provides more clarity on how local authorities should pay providers, updates content on charging to ensure that the guidance aligns with current policy (set out in the early years entitlements operational guidance published in 2017), and provides guidance for local authorities when parents have applied for 30 hours before the deadline and received their eligibility code after the deadline.

Publication of new data on the mental health of young people
Schools Week has revealed that the Government will publish new data on the mental health of young people in October.   No data on the prevalence of mental health issues among children has been collected since 2004, before which it was collated on a five yearly basis by the Office of National Statistics.

Back in 2015 the former Health Minister, Norman Lamb had confirmed that he had secured funding for a new prevalence study to be published in 2017, but it was pushed back after delays and the survey will finally see the light of day in October.

Since the general election last year, the Government has introduced new plans to tackle young people’s mental health issues and proposals released in a green paper said the Government would establish “senior mental health leads” to work in schools from 2019. However, a subsequent joint report between MPs on the education and health committee was critical of the proposals, insisting they would put additional pressure on teachers without providing schools with extra resources.

This week I highlight additional DfE funding for governor and trustee training, research into effective anti-bullying practices with case studies from schools and funding to deliver national pilots trialling high quality mental health assessments for children and young people entering the care system.

Plans to boost training for governors and trustees
The Education Secretary announced at the recent NGA annual conference that governors played a vital role in providing the highest standard of education and opportunity for children and young people to fulfil their potential.

He recognised the need to boost governor recruitment and retention and a new recruitment video online for social media is being produced which he asked Governors to add their voice to.  He is writing to the members of the Institute of Directors urging them to encourage employees to take on the role and give them the time it requires.  As well as increasing the funding for governor and trustee training (£6 million) up to 2021 and working with organisations to develop and improve the guidance and other materials available to governors, trustees and clerks.

Approaches to preventing and tackling bullying
This week the DfE published research into anti-bullying practices used by schools to prevent and tackle bullying, including a range of case studies. The report contains common themes found throughout the research and its intended to be used as a resource by schools and other stakeholders looking for examples of anti-bullying practices.

Improved mental health support for children in care
The DfE has awarded £240,000 to a group of organisations (led by the Anna Freud Centre) to deliver up to 10 national pilots over two years, trialling new high quality mental health assessments for children and young people as they enter the care system.  It is hoped that these will ensure young people are assessed at the right time, with a focus on their individual needs as they enter care. The pilot areas will also benefit from a share of £650,000 to deliver the scheme.

A consortium led by SQW, an economic development and social research organisation has been awarded £150,000 to carry out an independent evaluation to look at the effectiveness and impact of the pilots.

This week I highlight the new £9.8m fund launched to research the world’s best teaching methods to help disadvantaged children, the DfE’s pilot of a new national teaching job website and the announcement of further investment to create additional school places for children with special educational needs.

£9.8m fund to research world’s best teaching methods
This week a new £9.8 million fund was launched to gather global evidence on the most effective teaching methods to help disadvantaged children. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and global development charity BHP Billiton Foundation will fund the 5-year project, which will build “a global evidence network” of strategies to tackle common challenges and boost attainment in schools.  It will specifically look at how to teach children to read, and how to engage parents in their children’s learning.

The project will help further develop the EEF’s ‘Teaching and Learning Toolkit’, test different teaching and learning approaches across different countries, build a global network of evidence hubs (similar to EEF’s Research Schools) and establish EEF-style organisations in partner countries to act as evidence brokers and encourage the adoption of evidence-based policy at a national level.

Launch of new national teaching job website
Last weekend the Education Secretary, Damian Hinds, announced a free website had been launched to advertise vacancies, which currently costs schools up to £75 million a year. The website is being piloted here in the north-east and in Cambridgeshire, with a “view to rolling it out nationally” by the end of the year.

Mr Hinds indicated he will also launch a new nationwide deal for Headteachers from September 2018, developed with Crown Commercial Service, providing them with a list of supply agencies that do not charge fees when making supply staff permanent after 12 weeks.

Announcement of multi-million pound investment in state of the art facilities for children with special educational needs
Last week the DfE announced that councils are set to benefit from a £50 million funding boost to create additional school places and state-of-the-art facilities for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), to give families more choice and help to meet increasing demand.

The additional funding could help create around 740 more special school places and provide new specialist facilities to support children with complex needs, such as sensory rooms and playgrounds with specialist equipment.