This week I highlight the delay to the Schools Bill, an announcement due on the government’s support scheme for energy bills, the Governors for Schools Virtual Conference on 27-28 September and the results of the NGA’s latest governance survey.

Delay for Schools Bill
Prime Minister Liz Truss has delayed the Schools Bill’s progress through Parliament. The Bill’s third reading in the House of Lords was postponed, with a new date “to be announced”. The delay is reportedly part of a full review of all current legislation being conducted by Ms Truss.

Latest information on energy costs
According to a spokesperson for the Prime Minister, the government will confirm further details of its supports scheme next week.

Governors for Schools Virtual Conference (27 and 28 September)
As reported at the end of last academic year registration for this free virtual conference is now open and over the two days there are a range of sessions including academisation, governor recruitment and succession planning, a review of the September 2022 version of Keeping Children Safe in Education and improving attendance. 

Please note that you must register for every session individually, as each comes with a unique Zoom link.

Findings from the NGA’s annual governance survey
The findings from the NGA’s latest survey has revealed the emerging challenges schools and trusts have faced over the past year.  The NGA has produced three reports exploring the different angles of governing.

Over 4,000 governors responded to the survey and the top strategic priorities for governing bodies were:

• Ensuring a broad and balanced curriculum
• Improving attainment
• Support for pupils with SEND
• Pupils mental health and wellbeing
• Staff wellbeing, including workload

and top three challenges facing schools and trusts were:

• Balancing the budget
• The attainment of disadvantaged children
• Staff wellbeing, including workload

What a start to the new academic year with a new Prime Minister and Education Secretary confirmed as well as the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

This week I provide information on the new Education Secretary, an update on energy costs, new requirements on what schools publish online, expectations for schools with RPA and guidance on accessing support from school hubs.

New Education Secretary
On Tuesday the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, announced her Cabinet and the current Education Secretary was promoted to the position of Foreign Secretary.  The new Education Secretary is Kit Malthouse, the MP for North West Hampshire who was previously a minister for crime and policing.

Update on energy costs
Yesterday the Prime Minister promised a six month energy “guarantee” for the public sector.  The announcement was welcomed by education leaders, amid widespread warnings soaring costs were unaffordable.  However, few further details have been released and it is unclear how much of schools’ soaring costs will be covered in practice.

What information schools publish online
This week the DfE published updated information on what maintained schools and academies must or should publish on their websites.  These include new requirements for schools to publish their school uniform policy and information on their opening hours.

Expectations for schools under the RPA for cyber cover
The DfE has now actioned its expectations for schools under the risk protection agreement (RPA) in order for them to qualify for cyber cover. One of these requirements includes having a cyber response plan in place.

Guidance on accessing support from school hubs
A hub is a strong school or partnership of schools and other organisations, designated by the DfE, that help other schools develop and improve their practice. This guidance explains the support that different hubs offer and who can access this support.

Whilst it isn’t a Friday I know that many schools are breaking up today and tomorrow rather than on Friday so I thought it sensible to provide my last update of this academic year now!

Governors for Schools Virtual Conference (27 and 28 September)
Registration for the Governors for Schools Conference 2022 is now open. All sessions are free to attend, with content tailored for a range of audiences, including prospective and current governors, MAT trustees, schools leaders, and more.

Sessions include academisation, governor recruitment and succession planning, a review of the September 2022 version of Keeping Children Safe in Education and improving attendance.  Please note that you must register for every session individually, as each comes with a unique Zoom link.

Government accepts pay recommendations from the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB)
Yesterday, the STRB published its recommendations for teachers’ pay in the 2022/23 academic year. The government then accepted the recommendations in full, meaning teachers across England will receive a 5% pay increase. Starting salaries will rise by 8.9% as planned, as part of the pledge to raise starting pay to £30,000. This means teachers early in their career will receive rises of between 5 and 8.9%.

HSE to begin school inspections from September 2022
The HSE has announced it will be carrying out inspections to assess how primary and secondary schools are meeting their legal duty to manage risks from asbestos starting in September this year.

HSE inspectors will contact the school to arrange a suitable date and time for the inspection and may request certain documents in advance of the visit, e.g. the school’s asbestos register and management plan.

This week I report on updated Ofsted inspection framework and handbooks as well as updated DfE guidance on Behaviour in schools, Suspension and permanent exclusion from schools and Searching, screening and confiscation at schools which all come into force from September 2022, and also the announcement by the UKHSA that all primary pupils will be offered a flu vaccination in the Autumn term.

Updated Ofsted inspection framework and handbooks
In preparation for September, Ofsted has reviewed and updated its inspection framework and handbooks. The current Section 8 and Section 5 handbooks have now been merged into the schools inspection handbook for September 2022 and the school monitoring handbook.

Changes include the curriculum grace period, which has been in place since 2019, coming to an end.  The ‘quality of education’ judgement now contains a new grade description, “acknowledging that settings are no longer facing emergency measures and are taking longer-term approaches to return pupils and learners to the curriculum they always intended”.

Ofsted has also updated the way it refers to the different types of inspection in its school inspection handbooks. Full section 5 inspections will now be referred to as ‘graded inspections’, while shorter section 8 inspections of ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ schools will now be called ‘ungraded inspections’.

Updated guidance on Behaviour in Schools, Suspension and Permanent Exclusion from Schools and Searching, Screening and Confiscation at School
This week the DfE has published updated guidance around behaviour in schools, along with the powers schools have to screen and search pupils and to confiscate items they find, as well as statutory guidance on suspension and permanent exclusion from schools.  All of these documents will come into force on 1 September 2022.

Flu vaccinations to be offered to primary school pupils in the Autumn
The UK Health and Security Agency has announced that all primary school pupils in England will be offered a flu vaccination in the Autumn term. The vaccinations will be given by the NHS school-aged immunisation service.

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In this most turbulent of weeks for the government I report on the new Education Secretary, the SATs results for this year and a DfE consultation to future proof the role of academy trusts.

James Cleverly appointed as new Education Secretary
Amid over 50 resignations in the government yesterday, Michelle Donelan handed in her resignation letter after less than two days in the post of Education Secretary. In the afternoon, following the Prime Minister’s resignation speech, a new Cabinet was announced to serve alongside Mr Johnson until a new Prime Minister assumes leadership. In the newly-appointed Cabinet, James Cleverly has been given the role of Education Secretary. He is a supporter of grammar schools and academisation.

SATS results 2022
As expected national attainment was down in this year’s SATs results as follows:

• 74% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, up by 1% from 73% in 2019.
• 71% of pupils met the expected standard in maths, down by 8% from 79% in 2019.
• 69% of pupils met the expected standard in writing, down by 9% from 78% in 2019.
• 59% of pupils reached the expected standard in all of reading, writing and maths, down by 6% from 65% in 2019.
• 72% of pupils met the expected standard in English grammar, punctuation and spelling, down by 6% from 78% in 2019 (remember, however, that grammar, punctuation and spelling test (GPS) results do not count towards the school accountability measures).

Review to future proof the role of academy trusts
On Wednesday the DfE launched a review of how it works with academy trusts. The review will look at the standards trusts are held to, and the thresholds at which the government uses its powers to intervene in cases of underperformance, helping minimise trust failure and retain parents’ confidence. It will also look at how the government supports the growth of existing strong trusts and the creation of new strong trusts, helping trusts improve schools. The consultation will conclude by the end of this calendar year.

This week I highlight the latest DfE School Governance update, a Governors for Schools webinar on the 2022 KCSIE statutory guidance, an update on the Schools Bill and the launch of a regulatory review to ensure there is an effective system of regulation and accountability for a trust-led schools system.

Latest DfE Governance update
The July school governance update provides information on the recently released white paper and SEND green paper, updated guidance on education recovery support, statutory safeguarding guidance which comes into effect in September 2022. The update also invites governors to a series of training webinars on the financial position of school and enabling governing bodies to support school finance teams.

Governors for Schools webinar on the new Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance on Thursday, 14 July 2022 from 8-9 am
The session will explore the guidance and key amendments that governors should be aware of, as well as how we govern safeguarding from September 2022.  Please use this link to go to the Governors for Schools website to register.

Update on the Schools Bill
This week the Government has scrapped key elements of the schools bill. In a letter to peers, Academies Minister Baroness Barran said that the government would “remove clauses 1 to 4 and schedule one from the bill”. These clauses relate to academy regulation and a proposed power for the government to set wide-ranging new standards for academies. The removal of clauses 5 to 18, which relate to how academy funding agreements are terminated, is also being supported by the government. A DfE spokesperson has said that the department is “supporting the temporary removal of clauses 1 to 18 from the bill, in advance of bringing back revised clauses later in the bill’s passage through parliament”. 

Government launches Regulatory Review
The government has launched the regulatory review promised in March’s schools white paper. The review is intended to ensure that an effective system of regulation and accountability exists for a trust-led schools system.

Questions under consideration include the standards which trusts will be required to meet, and how intervention in trusts will work in the situations where these standards are not met. The review will also consider the DfE’s approach to delivering the envisaged trust-led system, both how to support the growth of existing strong trusts, and how and when to commission new MATs.

The review has been tasked with providing recommendations for both the short and long term and will conclude by the end of 2022.

This week I highlight a couple of DfE consultations – one on proposed reforms of school attendance registers and national thresholds for legal intervention to reduce school absences and the other on changes to the statutory guidance for schools on providing access to education and training providers. As well as a webinar for School Business Professionals on the RPA and saving schools some money.

Consultation on school registers and national thresholds for legal intervention
The DfE has launched a new consultation on its proposed reforms of school attendance registers in the next step of the government’s plans to reduce school absences. The consultation closes on 29 July 2022. The draft School Attendance Regulations and Guidance on working together to improve school attendance have also been published.

The DfE has also shared some good practice webinars from schools across the sector as well as a training session outlining what the new attendance guidance means.

Consultation on the statutory guidance for schools on access to education and training providers
The DfE is seeking views on proposed changes to the statutory guidance for schools on access to education and training providers. The consultation closes on 25 July 2022.

DfE Schools Commercial RPA Information Session – 29 June and 13 July 2022
The DfE is hosting webinars on 29 June and 13 July on the risk protection arrangement (RPA) for School Business Professionals, providing information on how schools can save up to £10k per annum.

This week I highlight a DfE consultation on timescales for reviewing EHCPs, the publication of the draft School Admission Appeals Code, which following Parliamentary approval will come into effect from 1 October and the updated DfE School Resource Management strategy which confirms there will be some training in financial oversight for governors/trustees.

DfE consultation on timescales for reviewing EHCPs
The DfE is consulting on whether LAs should have an additional four weeks after review meetings to finalise any changes they propose to an EHC plan, and if they should have to circulate material for a review meeting a week earlier than is currently required. The deadline to respond is 10 August 2022.

Draft School Admission Appeals Code
Following a consultation which took place from February to April this year the DfE has now published its draft School admission appeals code 2022.  The code is set to come into effect from 1 October, subject to parliamentary approval.

The Code enables some of the flexibilities that were introduced through temporary regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to continue (with suitable adaptations) permanently. However it will not allow a panel of two to decide appeals in circumstances where the third member has to withdraw. 

Updated School Resource Management strategy
This new updated strategy features plans to save money, including support to help reduce energy and water usage, cyber-attack insurance, and investing in financial training for school leaders, school business professionals and governors/trustees.

This week I highlight the opening of a consultation on implementing the national Funding Formula and the publication of a report outlining a research project into future opportunities for education technology in England.

Consultation on implementing the NFF
The DfE is seeking views on its approach to implementing the direct national funding formula (NFF) for mainstream schools. Find out more about the consultation here and note the consultation will close on 9 September 2022.

Future opportunities for education technology in England
In December 2021, the DfE appointed Ecorys UK to undertake a research project: Future opportunities for education technology in England. The project aimed to provide insights to the future of the EdTech market in England, considering likely developments in digital technology and education policy.

The report presents the triangulated findings from work carried out over four months,
from December 2021 to March 2022, comprising of a rapid review of the literature,
telephone interviews with policy and industry key stakeholders, workshops with teachers
and EdTech sector representatives, and a survey administered with a nationally
representative sample of teachers through the Teacher Tapp app.

This week I highlight the publication of the new KCSIE for implementation on 1^st September, new DfE guidance on its aim for all schools to be in a MAT or with plans to join or form one by 2030 and confirmation of the continuation of free NPQs and additional qualifications in Early Years Leadership and Leading Literacy.

KCSIE for September 2022
The DfE has published its new version of Keeping Children Safe in Education which will come into force on 1 September, at the start of the new academic year. 

A change of particular note is that governors and trustees should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection (including online) training at induction. The guidance states that this training should equip them with the knowledge to provide strategic challenge to test and assure themselves that the safeguarding policies and procedures in place in their school are effective and support the delivery of a robust whole school approach to safeguarding. It also states that governor training should be regularly updated.

At the start of each academic year we have been recommending that all governors complete the LA’s online training and we will need to make sure that it is still fit for purpose.  I will as part of the new governor induction process provide a link to the online training and make clear the expectation that it must be completed within the first few weeks of becoming a governor.

DfE publishes plans outlining next steps following the Schools White Paper
On Wednesday the DfE published its next steps as part of its aim for all schools to be in a MAT, or with plans to join or form one by 2030, in its guidance ‘Implementing school system reform in 2022 to 2023’. 

The Schools White Paper also set out the DfE’s intent to allow LAs to establish new MATs in areas lacking strong trusts. The DfE has now published guidance for LAs on the government’s plans for a “test and learn exercise for 2022 to 2023” and how LAs can submit a registration of interest to test the concept of an LA-established MAT.

Given the discussions we have had in our governing body meetings this half term the documents are helpful to aid governors understanding in this area.

Teacher training qualifications to continue to be free for the next 2 years
National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) – will continue to be free for teachers to take for the next two academic years (2022/23 and 2023/24) and additional payments to small schools are being introduced. The Targeted Support Fund will give a grant payment of £200 per participant to schools with 1-600 pupils, for every teacher or leader they employ who participates in an NPQ.

The availability of NPQs is also being extended, with two new NPQs set to be introduced in Early Years Leadership – to support school leaders in their work to ensure every child gets the best start in life – and Leading Literacy, to develop school leaders’ expertise in the teaching of reading and writing.