This week I highlight updated statutory suspension and exclusion guidance which comes into effect from September, media reporting on the School Teachers’ Review Body recommending a 6.5% pay rise for teachers next academic year and confirmation from the DfE it’s providing a 50% subsidy rate for the National Tutoring programme next academic year.

Updated statutory suspension and exclusion guidance from September 2023
Today the DfE published updated guidance which will come into effect on 1 September 2023. Changes include making certain responsibilities around cancelling exclusions statutory, and adding guidance on conducting governing board reinstatement, and independent review panels via remote access.

A guide to help parents and carers understand the suspension and permanent exclusion system in schools in England was also published.

School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) reportedly recommends a 6.5% rise for teachers
Last weekend the Sunday Times reported that the STRB has recommended a 6.5% pay increase for teachers in 2023/24 – this recommendation has not been confirmed as the STRB’s report has not yet been published. Unions are now calling on the DfE to publish the report.

DfE increases the subsidy rate for the National Tutoring programme next year
The DfE has always been clear that the subsidy rate for the National Tutoring programme will be tapered each year to support schools to embed tutoring long-term, moving from 75% in 2021/22 to a planned 25% in 2023/24. Following feedback from school leaders, the Government has now agreed a subsidy rate of 50% next year, to support schools to deliver the tutoring their pupils need.

This week I highlight the expansion of the sector-led Attendance Hubs programme to get more children into school, the call for evidence on children missing education and publication of new non statutory sustainability guidance.

Attendance programmes expanded to get more children into school
New plans to support pupils to drive up attendance rates in schools to improve pupils’ attainment and welfare were announced by the Government yesterday.

The plans included the expansion of the sector-led Attendance Hubs programme with nine new lead hub schools sharing effective practice and practical resources. Alongside the expansion of Attendance Mentors in areas of the country with the highest levels of pupil absence (across Knowsley, Doncaster, Stoke-on-Trent and Salford) to understand and overcome the barriers to attendance and support pupils back into school.

Call for evidence on children missing education
Yesterday the government published a call for evidence on children missing from education (CME) i.e. children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.

Receiving evidence from local authorities, schools and other agencies on what works to support children missing education and the challenges they face, will play a vital role in allowing the DfE to identify existing best practice and inform future policy. The call for evidence is open until 20 July.

New non-statutory sustainability guidance released
The DfE has published follow-up guidance to its strategy for sustainability and climate change for Education settings, which was released in April 2022. The new guidance expands on two aspects of the original strategy; setting up a sustainability leadership team and drawing up an effective climate action plan. The guidance also lays out further support that will be rolled out from December 2023.

This week I highlight new guidance on looking after children during heatwaves and a consultation that has been launched on the qualifications system.

Advice published for teachers during heatwaves
The UKHSA has published guidance for teachers in schools and early years settings on looking after children during heatwaves. It provides steps to take to protect children indoors and outdoors during hot weather. The guidance also recommends schools have a sun safety policy in place and advice on developing a policy is available from Cancer Research UK.

Consultation launched on the qualifications system
Ofqual and the DfE have opened a consultation on ‘Ensuring the resilience of the qualifications system’ to ensure effective contingency arrangements are in place in the event of disruption. Ofqual proposes requiring all awarding organisations to consider whether it is necessary to have resilience arrangements in place for their particular qualifications, including, where necessary, providing guidance to schools and colleges on collecting evidence of student performance. The consultation closes on 2 August 2023.

This week I highlight a DfE webinar on pupil mental health and notification that all primary schools will receive wildflower seeds to mark the coronation of King Charles III.

DfE webinar on pupil mental health
On 10 May from 4-5.15pm the DfE is providing a webinar which will allow attendees to ask questions, to support the publication of its ‘Summary of responsibilities where a mental health issue is affecting attendance’ guidance. Register your attendance here.

Primary schools to receive packets of wildflower seeds
To mark the coronation of King Charles III, the DfE and Nick Gibb, the Minister of State for Schools, will be sending all state-funded primary schools packets of wildflower seeds, inspired by King Charles’ love of nature. The gift aims to encourage children to learn about and improve the biodiversity of school’s green spaces.

This week I report on a DfE webinar held on school funding including teachers’ pay, the DfE’s response to consultation on implementing the direct national funding formula and publication of the Government’s Education Committee report on the future of post-16 qualifications.

DfE hosts webinar on school funding including teachers’ pay
On Wednesday, the DfE hosted a webinar on the funding cycle for schools and teachers’ pay and said a 4% pay rise for teachers and leaders in 2023/24 will be affordable from within the existing schools budget. This was due to a £2 billion increase in funding that was promised during the Autumn Budget statement. Following the webinar, the DfE released a series of posts on social media and a blog regarding funding and pay.

DfE responds to consultation on implementing the direct national funding formula (NFF)
Between June and September last year, the DfE ran a consultation seeking views on its approach to implementing the direct NFF for schools. The DfE published its response to the consultation yesterday.

Publication of the Education Committee’s report on the future of post-16 qualifications
Today the Government’s Education Committee report on the future of post-16 qualifications was published. It warned that plans to withdraw older vocational courses (known collectively as applied general qualifications such as BTECs) before new T-levels were ready to relace them could mean young people missed out on suitable vocational courses after their GCSEs.

The report also raised concerns about insufficient T-level placements, regional differences in T-level awareness with big disparities between London and northern areas, accessibility for students with SEND or low academic attainment and the status of T-levels as a university qualification, with many courses being highly specialised.

The DfE said it welcomed the report and would consider its recommendations.

This week I report on updated DfE guidance on collecting and publishing governing body diversity data, changes to Ofsted inspections following the suicide of a headteacher in January, information on further planned strikes and industrial action as well as updated DfE guidance on handling strike action, new RSHE statutory guidance to be published and further information on the Prime Minister’s Maths to 18 plan.

Update to what the DfE expects schools should publish on their websites
This week the DfE has added a section on collecting and publishing governing body and trust board diversity data respectively to its guidance articles for schools.

Ofsted promises changes after headteacher Ruth Perry’s death
Ofsted has said it will make changes after the suicide of headteacher Ruth Perry in January.
In a statement issued today, Chief inspector Amanda Spielman said that Ofsted would consider returning earlier to schools that failed inspections because of safeguarding issues but were otherwise performing well, to ensure any improvement was reflected in their grades. That it was piloting changes to its complaints system and would run seminars for headteachers to de-mystify the inspection process but added that the single overall grade for schools would stay.

Update on planned strikes and industrial action
As a result of a vote to reject the Government’s most recent pay deal of a £1,000 one-off payment and 4.3% rise for most teachers from September, NEU member strikes will take place on Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May. The pay deal was also rejected by the ASCL, NAHT and NASUWT. The NASUWT is also planning on re-balloting its members on industrial action with the NAHT likely to follow suit.

The DfE has updated its Handling strike action in schools guidance to provide further information on prioritising pupils, the law on industrial action and picketing, providing FSM and calculating pay deduction for part time employees.

New RSHE statutory guidance to be published as well as guidance for schools regarding gender identity
The DfE has announced that new RSHE statutory guidance will be published in the coming months and a consultation will be completed by the end of the year in response to allegations that inappropriate material is being taught in some schools. It has also made a separate announcement that new guidance will be published for schools this term on how to respond to children who are questioning their gender identity.

Further information released on Prime Minister’s ‘maths to 18’ plan
Following the Prime Minister’s reiteration of his intention to get young people in England to study maths up to the age of 18, the DfE has released a new blog post which answers a number of questions regarding the proposal. The post confirms a number of details including information regarding the new maths NPQ for teachers and how the plans will be implemented.

This week I report on the DfE’s position on the use of AI and its updated guidance on meeting digital and technology standards in schools.

AI guidance released by both the DfE and JCQ
The DfE has set out its position on the use of AI, including language models like ChatGPT, in the Education sector. Its policy paper covers factors such as AI’s potential to reduce staff workload, the potential for malpractice in exams, and data protection. In addition, the JCQ has published guidance on how to protect the integrity of qualifications to meet the challenges posed by AI. This includes advice on how to identify AI-produced work and using direct supervision to authenticate coursework.

DfE updates filtering and monitoring standards for schools
To complement its new policy paper on AI, the DfE has updated its guidance ‘Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges’. New filtering and monitoring standards have been added, alongside new sections on cloud solution standards and servers and storage standards.

This week I report on the launch of a new Education Committee inquiry into teacher recruitment, training and retention, confirmation of the extension of the Covid exception for carrying unspent PE and sport premium funding for primary schools for the current academic year and a petition handed into government calling for Ofsted to be replaced following the death of headteacher, Ruth Perry.

Education Committee launches new inquiry into teacher recruitment
The Education Committee has launched a new inquiry into teacher recruitment, training and retention in state-funded English schools. The inquiry will investigate the current situation of teacher retention and recruitment, the main factors leading to difficulties in the process and the impact it has on pupils.

PE and sport premium update for primary schools
This week the DfE has informed primary schools that the coronavirus pandemic exception for carrying unspent PE and sport premium funding between academic years is being extended for the current academic year. In the future, the department will recover any premium underspend at the end of each academic year. The DfE also announced that it will be launching a new digital reporting tool before the end of the Summer term to make it easier for schools to meet grant requirements and report spend.

Headteachers petition to have Ofsted replaced
Following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, teachers and headteachers have handed a petition signed by 45,000 people to the government calling for Ofsted to be replaced with a “supportive, effective and fair” accountability system. Ofsted’s Chief Inspector has released a statement, rejecting calls to halt inspections and that the debate over removing inspection grades was “a legitimate one”, but did not make any announcements or pledges regarding reforms.

This week I report on the announcement that funding will be provided to support primary schools with wraparound childcare from 2026, confirmation of the safety valve agreement between the DfE and North Tyneside Council and proposals under a Labour government to replace Ofsted grades with a report card.

Spring Budget includes plans to fund more wraparound care at primary schools
Whilst the Chancellor’s Spring Budget Announcement didn’t include further funding to relieve schools budget pressures, Jeremy Hunt did announce £289 million of “start-up” funding to support primary schools with the provision of childcare to pupils between the hours of 8am and 6pm from 2026.

It is not yet clear whether this would be compulsory for schools, but the Treasury has confirmed that from 2026, most schools would be expected to provide childcare “self-sufficiently” through means such as charging parents.

Confirmation of North Tyneside Council’s Dedicated Schools Grant ‘Safety Valve’ Agreement with the DfE
This week the DfE published its latest agreements with local authorities setting out the high needs reforms and savings targets they must follow to eliminate their historic deficits and function sustainably in future. North Tyneside is one of those local authorities and the agreement sets out the actions the Council will take over the next 5 years as follows:

• Co-production of the authority’s graduated offer, supported by the development of a range of Additional Resourced Provisions (ARPs); increasing mainstream school capacity for children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD);
• Development of an Early Years Hub, through which every child who has or may have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in North Tyneside will be known to the Local Authority (LA), and which will act as a single point of access for requests for support across the SEND partnership;
• Rolling out Mental Health Support Teams across schools who will address the early identification of Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing (MH&EW) needs, provide brief interventions, consultation and signposting, and support with a whole school approach to MH&EW;
• Strengthening the outreach offer into schools by expanding and developing a multi-agency School Support Team, providing a targeted offer to all schools for children and young people through graduation, who are presenting with SEMH, demonstrate behaviours which are challenging to others, or who are Emotionally Based School Non-Attenders (EBSNA);
• Piloting and introducing an Inclusion Fund, providing schools with funding for children and young people at Special Educational Need (SEN) Support where this will strengthen education, learning and outcomes, and prevent needs from escalating;
• Conducting a review of commissioned services and developing a SEND Centre of Excellence, to build capacity and expertise across the system, creating a single front door for services to schools, to allow children and young people to access the support they need, when they need it;
• Strengthening the coordinated review of children and young people’s Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) 14-25 years of age with the establishment of a SEND Preparation for Adulthood Team, to support the wider aspirations of young people in the borough;
• Establishing an understanding of the strength of SEND strategic planning and the quality of the graduated response in each of our mainstream and maintained special schools, through a universal offer of a whole school SEND audit. The intention is to improve graduation and SEND strategic planning within the borough, resulting in improved quality first teaching and SEND leadership.

Proposals announced for education under a Labour government
Speaking at the recent ASCL annual conference Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced a Labour government would consult on replacing current Ofsted grades with a “report card” for schools.

Phillipson said it would offer parents more information on school performance but gave little further detail on how this would look. It will also propose annual school safeguarding reviews.

This week I report on the expansion of the School Games Mark to promote equal opportunities for girls and boys in PE and extracurricular sport and confirmation that a review of the statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance for schools will be launched as soon as possible.

Government launches expansion of standard awarded for equal access to sports
Following on from the success of the Football Association’s (FA) #LetGirlsPlay campaign launched by the Lionesses squad and the FA after the England Women’s team’s success at the Euro 2022 tournament. The government has announced the expansion of the School Games Mark which will now be awarded to those schools that successfully deliver equal opportunities for girls and boys in PE and extracurricular sport.

Schools are also being asked to offer a minimum of two hours curriculum PE time and the Government will provide support to schools on how to do this through the upcoming refresh of the School Sport Action Plan.

Alongside this work, Ofsted will be publishing a report into PE in the coming months, which will inform future inspections and set out what they believe is possible in terms of offering high quality PE and equal access to sports.

Review of sex education guidance for schools
The prime minister has announced he is bringing forward a review of statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance for schools. The current guidance which came into effect in September 2020 was already due to be reviewed later this year. However during Prime Minister’s questions earlier this week Rishi Sunak confirmed a consultation would now be launched “as soon as possible”.