This week I highlight updated DfE guidance on handling strike action in schools, publication of a NFER report on transitioning to a MAT led system, confirmation that all schools in England without a defibrillator will receive one by the end of this academic year and publication of a parents guide to the government’s national music plan.

DfE guidance on handling strike action in schools
The DfE guidance has been updated to ask schools to prioritise vulnerable children and young people, children of critical workers, and pupils due to take public examinations and other formal assessments where they have no option but to restrict attendance due to strike action. Other updates include changes to regulation on engaging with agency staff, providing remote education where practical and reasonable to do so, and best practice on managing staff shortages.

NFER Report on transitioning to a MAT led system
A new report was published this week by The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) exploring the evolution of the schools system over recent years, looking at the progress and implications of a MAT-led system.

The findings highlight regional disparities, with some areas still minimally academised, and the overall picture of academisation slowing, advocating for a “slower transition” than currently envisioned, with support for LAs to establish their own MATs. This comes as the Labour shadow education secretary, speaking at the Schools North East academies conference, said that while she wasn’t interested in ‘wholesale structural reform’, the current system was ‘fragmented, opaque, and over-complex’ and a ‘mix and match landscape of maintained and academy schools’. As such, Labour would seek to ‘smooth the differences’ between academy and maintained schools.

All schools in England to have a defibrillator by the end of the school year
The DfE has announced that all state-funded schools in England, currently without a defibrillator will receive one by the end of the academic year. The rollout will supply over 20,000 defibrillators to nearly 18,000 schools. To give schools the tools and knowledge they need to use their new defibrillators including how to make them available to the community, leading charities have supported the creation of updated guidance. Awareness videos are being provided to show how simple defibrillators are to use, and schools are being encouraged to share these videos in staff meetings and assemblies.

Information for parents on the government’s national music plan
The government published its national plan for music education back in June last year. The DfE has now released a guide for parents which sets out what the plan means for children, how children can get involved in music in and out of school, and where parents can access support. The DfE has said that schools and music hubs might want to share the guide with parents and pupils.

This week I highlight the upcoming NEU union strike action and the Schools North East Governance conference.

NEU teachers going on strike
Teacher members of the National Education Union (NEU) have voted in favour of strike action over pay. Strike days are proposed throughout England on 1 February and 15 and 16 March, and in certain regions on the 28 February and the 1 and 2 March.

The decision to open, restrict attendance, or close a school will almost certainly be taken by the Headteacher, as their direct or delegated responsibility. DfE guidance makes clear that it expects headteachers to take all reasonable steps to keep the school open for as many pupils as possible. Headteachers should consult with their whole Governing body before deciding whether to close, however given the urgent nature of the issue, consultation with the chair is acceptable.

Schools North East Annual Governance Conference
This year’s virtual event is taking place on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February 2023 from 4-6pm. With some key notes speakers including the NGA’s Chief Executive and a range of breakout sessions.

The cost for a Partner School is £120 for a whole school ticket (£72 single delegate ticket) and £144 for a Non-Partner School for a whole school ticket (£96 single delegate ticket). Use this link to the website to book your place.

This week I highlight updated guidance on teaching online safety in schools, the results of teachers unions ballots on possible strike action and the implications of the new Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, the announcement of a new primary school careers programme, confirmation of an Energy Bills Discount Scheme that will replace the current Energy Bill Relief Scheme and plans from the Prime Minister for young people to continue to study some form of maths up to the age of 18.

DfE updates online safety guidance
The non-statutory Teaching online safety in schools guidance has been updated for the first time in almost four years. The guidance is for school leaders, teaching staff and governors to support pupils in acting responsibly and staying safe in online spaces.

Teachers unions ballots on strike action
A number of education unions have been formally balloting their members for strike action since Autumn last year. The NASUWT confirmed yesterday that it hadn’t reached the turnout threshold of 50% for strike action, despite broad support from those who did vote. The results of the NAHT and NEU’s ballot are expected on Monday.

The government has announced a new Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill which will ensure that specific crucial public services such as rail and ambulance services maintain a minimum level of service during times of industrial action. The Bill also states that the government have the power to step in and enforce minimum levels of service if parties within the Education sector cannot negotiate reasonable levels of service. Teaching unions have threatened legal action if the law is passed, and the Labour Party has said it will repeal the law if it wins the next election.

Primary school careers programme announced
The DfE has announced it is to set up a new careers programme that it says “will open primary school children’s eyes to the world of future job possibilities and challenge stereotypes”. The scheme is backed by £2.6 million of funding and will be rolled out across 55 disadvantaged areas where school outcomes are the weakest.

Government announces Energy Bills Discount Scheme to replace previous scheme
On Monday, the Treasury announced that the current Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which is due to end on 31 March, will be superseded by the Energy Bills Discount Scheme from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. The new scheme will be for everyone on a non-domestic contract, which includes schools.

Plans for young people to study maths up to age 18
Last week the Prime Minister outlined plans for all pupils to study “some form of maths to age 18”. No new qualifications are immediately planned and a government spokesperson said the government is exploring expanding existing qualifications as well as “more innovative options”. Mr Sunak is expected to begin working on the plan in this Parliament, with the intent to finish it after the next general election.

As I am on holiday tomorrow this is our last update of 2022. Only a couple of items to highlight – the latest governance update from the DfE and confirmation of the cost of RPA for 2023/24.

DfE December Governance update
The latest governance update provides information on increased funding for schools as outlined in the autumn statement, an evaluation of the National Leaders of Governance programme, additional capital funding to help schools to become more energy efficient, strengthened provider access legislation to ensure schools provide pupils with access to providers of technical education and apprenticeships, a video message from Baroness Barran marking the launch of the NGA’s career pathway for governance professionals.

RPA costs for 2023/24
This risk protection arrangement is an alternative to commercial insurance for schools. The DfE has confirmed that the cost next academic year will rise from £21 per pupil to £23 per pupil, regardless of whether it is a maintained school or an academy.

This week I highlight updated DfE guidance on what schools must publish online and the publication of Ofsted’s annual report for 2021/22.

Updated DfE guidance on what schools must publish online
The DfE has updated its guidance on ‘What maintained schools must publish online’ and ‘What academies, free schools and colleges must or should publish online’ with example wording which schools can use to show that the most recent KS2 performance measures are for the 2018/19 academic year.

Ofsted Annual Report for 2021/22
Ofsted has published its annual report for 2021/22, the first academic year in which inspections were mostly unaffected by Covid since 2019. Key headlines include:

• 64% of schools had not had a graded inspection in the last five academic years, and 14% had not had one in 10 years. This was due to most inspections of ‘good’ schools since 2015 being ungraded, and because ‘outstanding’ schools were previously exempt from inspection completely. It was also due in part to the pandemic.
• 70% of previously ‘requires improvement’ schools inspected last year improved to ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, up from 56% in 2019/20. Of 220 schools that were previously ‘inadequate’, 2% became ‘outstanding’ and 63% became ‘good’, while 29% went up to ‘requires improvement’, 5% remained at the bottom grade, compared to 8% in 2019/20.
• There was anecdotal evidence that part-time timetables were being used more regularly in schools.
• Whilst Multi-academy trusts could not be inspected directly, Ofsted had carried out “summary evaluations” based on batch visits to several schools in the same chain. Ofsted conducted five evaluations last year and would continue to develop this programme with 12 other MAT ‘events’ this year to improve its methodology and understanding of the MAT sector.
• Some children were still being educated in unregistered schools in England where they were exposed to “misogynistic, homophobic and extremist materials that are contrary to British values” and some were operating in unsafe and inappropriate premises.
• Placements in registered state-funded alternative provision fell by 16% to but the number of placements in independent schools and unregistered providers continued to rise.
• The SEND system had “significant weaknesses” and the number of independent special schools continued to grow.

This week I report on the scrapping of the Schools Bill, additional funding for schools for energy efficiency upgrades, DfE plans to check pupil capacity in secondary and special schools and a new DfE blogpost containing information on Strep A and scarlet fever.

Scrapping of the Schools Bill
This week the Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, announced that the Schools Bill would not progress in the third session of parliament. This means that nearly all of the new proposed legislation relating to academies has been shelved including the requirement that all schools should be in discussions to or have joined a Multi Academy Trust by 2030.

The government still hopes to introduce powers and duties over home, private and illegal schooling, teacher misconduct, council attendance work and pupils not in school. It will also seek to revive plans removing barriers to faith and grammar schools joining multi academy trusts and push national funding formula reforms without legislation.

DfE announces funding for energy bills and budgets
The Autumn Statement confirmed that public sector organisations such as schools would not be eligible for further support from the Energy Bill Support Scheme which is due to come to an end in April next year. However it was also announced that schools would receive an extra £2 billion funding for next year and the year after. This new money would be allocated between mainstream schools and high needs funding.

On Tuesday the DfE announced that schools and colleges in England will be allocated a share of £500 million to spend on energy efficiency upgrades, helping to save on bills during the winter months and manage energy consumption. New energy efficiency guidance was also published focusing on how to reduce energy use for heating, hot water, lighting, technology and equipment, and how managing energy usage efficiently can help alleviate pressure on the budget.

Plans drawn up for the DfE to check pupil capacity in secondary and special schools
Ministers plan to send capacity checkers into all secondary schools to assess whether schools have the capacity to admit more pupils and this information would then be used by the LA to update potential pupil numbers.

Government officials believe the checks would help to boost funding, as schools could take in more pupils and relieve the pressure to build new schools to meet any rise in pupil numbers. A pilot check involving “net capacity assessment” (NCA) visits in more than 200 mainstream schools found 6,000 potential extra places. The DfE plans to carry out two years of assessments at 4,500 secondary and special schools from May 2023.

Information regarding Strep A and scarlet fever
Following an increase in the number of Group A streptococcus (Strep A) the DfE has released a blogpost containing information on Strep A and scarlet fever and their symptoms.

This week I highlight a free webinar on performance data, the new SEND Framework launched by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission and new guidance on collecting evidence on pupil performance in the unlikely event that the exams planned for next summer can’t proceed.

Free Governors for Schools Webinar: Performance data in 2022 on Thursday 8 December from 8-9am.
The key findings from the latest performance data reports published by Ofsted and the DfE will be discussed and how these translate into practical questions that you can ask at governing body meetings. With pressure to ‘catch-up’ on the mind of many schools, it has never been a better time to enhance understanding of the trends in performance and what this means for you as a governor. To register use this link to visit the Governors for Schools website.

Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) launch new SEND framework
Following on from a consultation which took place between June and September, Ofqual and the CQC have published a joint framework which lays out how area SEND inspections will be carried out. Under the new framework, the inspectorates will examine how services affect the lives of pupils with SEND, will determine whether services are adhering to statutory obligations, and will make the reports on their findings clearer.

Ofqual’s new guidance on ‘Supporting resilience in the exam system in 2023’
Following on from a joint consultation by the DfE and Ofqual which took place between September and October this year, Ofqual has published new guidance for schools on collecting evidence on pupil performance to ensure that qualifications can be awarded in the unlikely event that GCSE, AS and A Level exams cannot go ahead as planned this Summer.

This week I confirm arrangements for KS2 SATs, highlight publication of new DfE guidance on breakfast club support and the attainment data of pupils who completed the 2022 multiplication check.

KS2 SATs pushed back over King’s coronation bank holiday
Primary pupils will sit KS2 SATs a day later than planned in May because of the extra bank holiday to mark the King’s coronation. The Standards and Testing Agency has confirmed that English grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) papers 1 and 2 will now take place on Tuesday 9 May, the English reading paper on Wednesday 10 May, mathematics papers 1 and 2 on Thursday 11 May and maths paper 3 on Friday 12 May.

The KS2 timetable variation window for each test will also move back by a day. No changes are planned to other assessments, including KS2 teacher assessments, KS1 tests and teacher assessments, the phonics screening and multiplication table checks.

New guidance on breakfast club support
The DfE has released new guidance on how eligible schools can apply for breakfast club provision support. The support has been extended for another year with an additional £12 million in funding and will now be available until the end of July 2024. Places on the scheme are limited and schools in disadvantaged areas will be eligible for the programme if they have 40% or more pupils in bands A-F of the income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI).

2022 Multiplication tables check attainment
The statistics covering the attainment of Y4 pupils who took the multiplication tables check in summer 2022, after the assessment became statutory last academic year, have now been published.

• Of pupils who took the check, the mean average score was 19.8 out of 25.
• The most common score in the check was 25 (full marks), with 27% of pupils achieving this score.
• Disadvantaged pupils performed less well in the check than other pupils. Of pupils who took the check, the average score for disadvantaged pupils was 17.9, while the average score for pupils not known to be disadvantaged was 20.5.
• Pupils with a first language of English performed less well in the check than pupils with a first language other than English. Of pupils who took the check, the average score for pupils with a first language of English was 19.4 while the average score for pupils with a first language other than English was 21.2.
• London was the highest performing region, with an average score of 20.9. In other regions, the average score ranged from 19.1 in the South West to 19.7 in the North East.

This week I report on the additional funding schools will receive over the next two years and a new report published by Ofsted on raising early years education standards.

Additional funding for schools announced in the autumn statement
As part of his autumn statement this week the Chancellor announced an additional £2.3 billion of funding in 2023/24 and £2.3 billion in 2024/25 for school budgets in England. The increase means that the amount of funding schools receive per pupil will rise on average by over £1k by 2024/25, compared to 2021/22, restoring per-pupil funding to the level it was in 2010.

Capital funding, which goes towards improving school building and infrastructure, will increase from £6.3 billion this year to £7 billion in 2023/24, before reducing to £6.1 billion in 2024/25.

Ofsted’s review looks to raising early years education standards
In a new report published this week Ofsted has stressed the value of play and teaching, and the importance of developing communication skills. The latest review joins the series of subject based curriculum research reviews which examines the factors that contribute to a high quality early education. Making sure children catch up after the pandemic is still a key challenge in the early years to which the report recommends that practitioners think carefully about what content to prioritise.

This week I highlight a Confederation of School Trusts blog on things governors might want to consider before joining a Trust, publication of NSPCC guidance on protecting LGBTQ+ pupils in sport, confirmation of an additional bank holiday on 8 May for the King’s coronation and the announcement of an Ofsted review of CEIAG in schools.

Joining an academy trust: 5 things to keep in mind
The Confederation of School Trusts (CST) is the national organisation and sector body for trusts in England.  The CST’s Director of public affairs and policy, Sam Skerritt, has written a blog suggesting what governing bodies might want to consider before joining a trust.

Guidance on safeguarding LGBTQ+ pupils in sport
The NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit has published guidance on how to effectively safeguard LGBTQ+ pupils in sport and create a supportive and welcoming culture for all. This includes advice on terminology, language and attitudes, and links to relevant resources.

Schools to close on 8 May 2023
The DfE has now confirmed that schools and settings which are normally closed on a bank holiday should close for the bank holiday on 8 May 2023 to mark King Charles III’s coronation. This date is scheduled to be the first day of KS2 SATs; the DfE says the Standards and Testing Agency will update schools on what this means for KS2 test week as soon as possible.

Ofsted announces thematic review of careers guidance in schools, further education and skills providers
Ofsted says it will review careers guidance in mainstream provision and in specialist settings, including special schools and alternative provision, and provide recommendations to improve practice. The review will be published in Autumn 2023. Inspectors will assess:

• How well school leaders fulfil their statutory duties and ensure careers education is of high quality.
• The extent to which schools engage with stakeholders, e.g. employers, and ensure that careers education contributes to local, regional and national opportunities and skills needs.
• How the curriculum helps pupils make informed choices about their future education, employment and training.