This week I highlight publication of a new report on the gender gap in maths and science performance at Y9, as well as updates to the DfE’s guidance on sustainability leadership and climate action plans and on meeting digital and technology standards.

Gender gap in maths and science performance
According to the latest report on England’s performance in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, boys’ performance in maths and science has risen significantly above that of girls. The report also found that pupils eligible for free school meals had a lower average score than those not eligible.

In maths at Year 9, boys’ average score rose from 516 to 538, while the score for girls dropped from 514 to 512. This is the first time since records began in 2003 that a statistically significant gap has been seen at Year 9 and was the largest for any of the countries participating in 2023. The findings have raised concerns over why a large gender gap has opened up, especially given the existing initiatives aimed at addressing this issue in maths and science.

Updated guidance on sustainability leadership and climate action plans
The DfE has added a short section on ‘Developing and storing your climate action plans’ to its guidance on Sustainability leadership and climate action plans in education, reminding schools that holistic climate action plans should cover the issues of decarbonisation, adaptation and resilience, improving the environment and biodiversity, and climate education and green careers.

Updated meeting digital and technology standards in schools guidance
The DfE recently updated its guidance to support schools to use the right digital infrastructure and technology and can meet the latest wireless network standards and associated technical requirements.

This week I highlight a free webinar from Governors for Schools on effective governor panel hearings, the announcement of a new DfE toothbrushing programme for early years settings and primary schools and the publication of an Ofsted report evaluating the impact of the Education Inspection Framework.

Free webinar on Effective Governor Panel Hearings
In conjunction with Better Governor, Governors for Schools are running a free webinar on Thursday 27 March from 8-9am on effective governor panel hearings. The session will explore the role of governors in complaints, exclusions, staff hearings and more, with emphasis on common elements and the role of the clerk. To book a place use this link for the Governors for Schools website.

New DfE toothbrushing programme
The DfE has announced that supervised toothbrushing will be rolled out in early years settings and primary schools in the most deprived areas of England. The programme aims to equip children aged between three and five years old with positive brushing habits and prevent tooth decay.

From April, £11 million is being given to local authorities to deliver the scheme who will work to identify early years settings in target areas and encourage them to enrol. The Government has also agreed a partnership with Colgate-Palmolive, who have committed to donate over 23 million toothbrushes and toothpastes over the next five years while also providing educational materials and a public facing children’s oral health campaign.

Ofsted’s new report on curriculum quality
Ofsted has published a new report evaluating the impact of the ‘Education inspection framework’ (EIF) on curriculum quality. The inspectorate’s research aims to assess whether curriculum quality has changed since the EIF was introduced, understand what role school leaders think the EIF played in these changes, and explore any unintended consequences of the EIF. However, the report is facing criticism for basing the findings on just 20 school visits.

This week I report on the redesign of the Free School Meals check system to boost take up and the publication of a NFER Report that indicates the development of essential employment skills, starting from the early years, is key to meeting future workforce needs.

Redesign of Free School Meals check system to boost take-up
The Government is redesigning its system for checking free school meals eligibility to allow parents and schools to use it independently of local councils.

Early Education Minister, Stephen Morgan, made the announcement at a committee hearing on Tuesday where the Government’s children’s wellbeing and schools bill was debated. Backbench MPs had tried to amend the bill to introduce automatic enrolment across the country, amid fears the opt-in system currently used is excluding around 250,000 eligible children.

At present, the Government’s “apply for free school meals” service simply points users to their local council’s website. Councils then have access to a digital portal to check their eligibility based on the benefits their families claim. The DfE hasn’t provided any details yet on what this will entail.

Curriculum review urged to look at employment skills
The Government’s review of curriculum and assessment should explore how more emphasis could be placed on schools developing skills essential for employment, according to a new report published by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) yesterday.

The report says these skills should be developed alongside knowledge acquisition, as part of the teaching of core curriculum subjects. That providing sustained skills development from early childhood is key to meeting future workforce needs, which will change due to technological advances and demographic and environmental differences.

This week I highlight further DfE Prevent training sessions, confirmation of continued funding for the holiday activities and food programme and the announcement of the new Chief Regulator of Ofqual.

Prevent in education: training for governors and trustees in schools
A training package has been designed by DfE for school governors to understand their responsibilities and the importance of the Prevent duty. The next round of sessions are as follows:

Monday 10 March 2025: 5pm to 6:15pm Register here
Monday 12 May 2025: 5pm to 6:15pm Register here
Thursday 3 July 2025: 5pm to 6:15pm Register here

Holiday activities and food programme to continue in 2025/26
Earlier this week Stephen Morgan, the Minister for Early Education confirmed that the holiday activities and food programme will continue from April, but funding beyond the next financial year is subject to the spending review.

New Chief Regulator of Ofqual confirmed
Sir Ian Bauckham has been confirmed as the permanent chief regulator of exams watchdog Ofqual, the Education Secretary has announced. Parliament’s Education Select Committee agreed in December that Bauckham, who has served as Interim Chief Regulator at Ofqual since last January and was the Government’s preferred candidate to lead it permanently, should be given the top job.

This week I report on the launch of three new consultations on school inspection and accountability and the use of reasonable force, the publication of updated Alternative Provision guidance and the announcement of £2 million funding to further improve standards in reading and writing.

Three new consultations launched
School inspection and accountability consultations – both Ofsted and the DfE launched consultations on Tuesday with the aim of improving school inspections and accountability. Ofsted’s consultation on improving school inspections and implementing a new report card system is open until 28 April 2025. The DfE has launched a consultation on improving school accountability systems, which is running in parallel to Ofsted’s inspection consultation and will also close on 28 April 2025.

Use of reasonable force consultation – on Wednesday the DfE launched a consultation on proposed changes to guidance on the use of reasonable force and other restrictive interventions. The revised guidance will aim to help schools minimise the need to use reasonable force and use reasonable force safely and appropriately where it is necessary. The consultation closes on 29 April 2025.

Arranging Alternative Provision guidance published
The DfE had published updated guidance on statutory duties and powers concerning the use of alternative provision. It describes both statutory requirements and best practice and its definition of alternative provision is ‘education arranged by local authorities for children of compulsory school age who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education; alternative provision can also be used by schools for children on a suspension (fixed period exclusion); and for children being directed by schools to offsite provision to receive education intended to improve their behaviour’.

Elective home education and special educational provision otherwise than at school arranged under section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014 (EOTAS) are not a form of alternative provision.

Government investment in reading and writing announced
Earlier this week, the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced in a speech to the Centre of Social Justice that the Government would be investing £2 million to improve standards in reading and writing.

In Primary schools teachers will receive additional training to help children progress from the early stages of phonics in Reception and Y1 through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. This will be delivered through the English Hubs programme, a school-to-school improvement programme to drive up standards.

In secondary schools, teachers will be offered new training and resources this year to help them support readers at all levels, and next year the DfE will commission further training that will be focused specifically on struggling readers in secondary school who are at risk of falling behind.

This week I highlight new DfE guidance for governors on their SEND responsibilities and publication of an amendment to the wording of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to require academies to observe minimum pay rates and have regard to other national conditions.

New guidance for governors on their SEND responsibilities
Yesterday the DfE published new guidance to help governing bodies understand their role in supporting pupils with SEND. This guidance aims to empower governors and trustees to hold their schools accountable and ensure effective SEND provision.

DfE amends the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
The DfE has published an amendment of the wording to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which will require academies to observe minimum pay rates and have regard to other national conditions.

This week I highlight NGA’s new monthly free and on demand webinars for governors, the Education Secretary’s announcement on new AI and tech initiatives, confirmation that a joint letter from several charities has been sent to the Education Secretary and the Safeguarding Minister expressing concerns over safeguarding victims of child-on-child sexual abuse in schools, new guidance from the Dogs Trust on using dogs in schools and publication of a new DfE climate change blog.

NGA free and on-demand webinars
The NGA is now offering monthly free and on-demand webinars providing an opportunity for governors to keep up to date with the latest thinking on key issues in school governance. You can explore their webinars using this link.

Education Secretary announces new AI and tech initiatives
At the Bett Conference yesterday the Education Secretary announced mandatory training for teachers on assistive technology and introduced several Artificial Intelligence (AI) and tech initiatives to support education.

• Assistive Technology Training – all new teachers will receive mandatory training on using assistive technology to support children with special educational needs and disabilities starting in 2025.
• AI Safety and Tools – Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Adobe will commit to making AI tools for education safer by design, and new AI Product Safety Expectations were published.
• Attendance Data Summaries – new attendance data summaries are now available for every secondary school, academy trust, and local authority to help address the issue of persistent absence.
• Edtech Evidence Board – a new Edtech Evidence Board will be established to help teachers choose effective AI products for their classrooms, ensuring they are grounded in evidence.

Charities call for child-on-child abuse guidance
Several charities have written a joint letter to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips to express concerns over safeguarding victims of child-on-child sexual abuse in schools. The letter calls on the government to provide clearer statutory guidance on how schools should address sexual violence when both the victim and the alleged perpetrator are pupils.

New guidance on using dogs in schools
The Dogs Trust has published some new guidance on the use of school dogs. Although the charity overall advises against using dogs in school, it has released guidance on how to do so safely in recognition that bringing dogs into schools is a rising trend.

DfE publishes new climate change blog
The DfE has published a new blog on what the department is doing to tackle climate change, including inspiring young people to connect with nature, supporting schools to become greener and building greener schools.

This week I highlight a free webinar on SEND and report on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which has now passed its second reading and Ofsted’s Chief Inspector’s appearance before MPs on the Education Select Committee to answer questions about Ofsted.

Free Governor training webinar on SEND – How governance ensures pupils’ needs are being met
Governors for Schools in conjunction with Better Governor are holding a free webinar on Thursday 23 January from 8-9 am on SEND. The session will look at the specific role of governance in relation to SEND, including how governance structures and procedures should be designed to ensure compliance with statutory responsibilities of schools. It will explore best practices for establishing an effective strategic governance framework for SEND provision and its impact in your setting.

To register please use this link to access the Governors for Schools website.

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill passes second reading
On 8 January the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons, bringing it one step closer to becoming law. It’s now being scrutinised by a Public Bill Committee, which will report its findings to Parliament by 11 February.

The Bill makes provision about the safeguarding and welfare of children; however, it covers a range of other matters, including breakfast clubs, school uniform, and requirements for academies.

Education Committee holds Ofsted accountability meeting
Sir Martyn Oliver, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, appeared before MPs on the Education Select Committee earlier this week to answer questions about Ofsted. The Committee asked questions on a range of topics, including the Big Listen consultation, the upcoming report cards that will replace one-word judgements, and the reforms that Ofsted has put in place over the last 12 months.

You can watch the recording of the hearing here.

In my final update of 2024 I report on the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that was introduced to Parliament earlier this week, the publication of Ofsted’s first monitoring report on the commitments made in its Big Listen consultation and the announcement of a package of measures to protect the public and young people from youth radicalisation.

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill introduced to Parliament
On Tuesday, the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson introduced the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill into Parliament. The Bill, which is yet to come into law, focuses on making sure no child falls through gaps between different services and that families can get help when they need it.

Big Listen action monitoring report published
Ofsted has published the first monitoring report on the commitments made in its Big Listen consultation, which ran earlier this year. The report sets out all the improvement actions that Ofsted has completed and provides an update on those not yet completed.

New measures to tackle radicalisation
Earlier this week, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a package of measures to better protect the public and young people from youth radicalisation. The measures include updating Prevent policy and guidance, broadening available interventions, and undertaking a strategic policy review.