This week I report on the publication of the updated Ofsted school and early years inspection handbooks, the announcement of new government support for families with children who have SEND, the publication of a DfE report on the use of generative AI in education as well as new guidance on digital leadership and governance standards in schools together with new digital accessibility standards.

Ofsted publishes a number of changes to its frameworks and handbooks
Ofsted has made a number of changes to its school and early years inspection handbooks, including clarification in both handbooks on a range of topics including:

• Inspector conduct
• Ofsted’s role to inspect schools or settings rather than individual staff members
• Making deferrals

You can access the newly updated School inspection handbook here and the Early years inspection handbook here. A new section was also added to clarify Ofsted’s pausing policy which sets out the processes that should be followed in the event that inspectors pause an inspection or the school/responsible body requests for the inspection to be paused.

DfE announces support for families who have children with SEND
The DfE has announced that families in England who have children with SEND will soon receive further support with more short breaks, supported internship opportunities and better support for those with Down syndrome. The DfE said that this announcement will build on government reforms through the SEND and AP Improvement Plan which outlines plans to reform the SEND system.

New report on the use of generative AI in education published
On Wednesday the DfE published a report on the insights from educators, experts, quantitative data sources and grey literature on the use of generative AI in the sector. The report highlights how generative AI technology has been responded to and adopted, the impact and benefits, barriers, and support the Education sector would like to receive from the government.

New digital accessibility standards introduced
This week the DfE published new guidance on digital leadership and governance standards in schools. This covers all elements of digital technology, from physical IT assets to cyber security and digital licenses and subscriptions. It has also added new digital accessibility standards requiring schools to take steps to ensure everyone is able to access the same information and equipment, regardless of their needs and situation. The standards encourage schools to make sure that communications, hardware and software are accessible to all and to include digital accessibility in relevant strategies and policies.