This week I report on the Ofsted Chief Inspector’s confirmation that the existing grades in its new inspection framework due out next year will not change, the publication of updated statutory guidance on Early Education and Childcare for next academic year and new data on the mental health of young people due to be released in October.

Ofsted Framework from September 2019
This week Ofsted’s Chief Inspector of Schools, Amanda Spielman, confirmed in her keynote speech at the Festival of Education at Wellington College, that the existing inspection grades won’t change in the new inspection framework due out next year.

Following speculation about a move to a pass/fail system, persuasive lobbying by teachers and parents has convinced Ms Spielman to continue with the current system.  School leaders had argued that scrapping the ‘outstanding grade’ would “send the wrong message about aspiration and excellence in the system”.

Early Education and Childcare Statutory Guidance
The new guidance which will come into force from 1 September 2018 and applies to the free entitlements for two, three and four year olds; securing sufficient childcare for working parents; providing information advice and assistance to parents; and providing information, advice and training to childcare providers.

It supports the introduction of 30 hours free childcare for children in foster care, and makes clear that the eligibility of children in foster care will be determined by the responsible local authority. It provides more clarity on how local authorities should pay providers, updates content on charging to ensure that the guidance aligns with current policy (set out in the early years entitlements operational guidance published in 2017), and provides guidance for local authorities when parents have applied for 30 hours before the deadline and received their eligibility code after the deadline.

Publication of new data on the mental health of young people
Schools Week has revealed that the Government will publish new data on the mental health of young people in October.   No data on the prevalence of mental health issues among children has been collected since 2004, before which it was collated on a five yearly basis by the Office of National Statistics.

Back in 2015 the former Health Minister, Norman Lamb had confirmed that he had secured funding for a new prevalence study to be published in 2017, but it was pushed back after delays and the survey will finally see the light of day in October.

Since the general election last year, the Government has introduced new plans to tackle young people’s mental health issues and proposals released in a green paper said the Government would establish “senior mental health leads” to work in schools from 2019. However, a subsequent joint report between MPs on the education and health committee was critical of the proposals, insisting they would put additional pressure on teachers without providing schools with extra resources.

This week I highlight additional DfE funding for governor and trustee training, research into effective anti-bullying practices with case studies from schools and funding to deliver national pilots trialling high quality mental health assessments for children and young people entering the care system.

Plans to boost training for governors and trustees
The Education Secretary announced at the recent NGA annual conference that governors played a vital role in providing the highest standard of education and opportunity for children and young people to fulfil their potential.

He recognised the need to boost governor recruitment and retention and a new recruitment video online for social media is being produced which he asked Governors to add their voice to.  He is writing to the members of the Institute of Directors urging them to encourage employees to take on the role and give them the time it requires.  As well as increasing the funding for governor and trustee training (£6 million) up to 2021 and working with organisations to develop and improve the guidance and other materials available to governors, trustees and clerks.

Approaches to preventing and tackling bullying
This week the DfE published research into anti-bullying practices used by schools to prevent and tackle bullying, including a range of case studies. The report contains common themes found throughout the research and its intended to be used as a resource by schools and other stakeholders looking for examples of anti-bullying practices.

Improved mental health support for children in care
The DfE has awarded £240,000 to a group of organisations (led by the Anna Freud Centre) to deliver up to 10 national pilots over two years, trialling new high quality mental health assessments for children and young people as they enter the care system.  It is hoped that these will ensure young people are assessed at the right time, with a focus on their individual needs as they enter care. The pilot areas will also benefit from a share of £650,000 to deliver the scheme.

A consortium led by SQW, an economic development and social research organisation has been awarded £150,000 to carry out an independent evaluation to look at the effectiveness and impact of the pilots.

This week I highlight the new £9.8m fund launched to research the world’s best teaching methods to help disadvantaged children, the DfE’s pilot of a new national teaching job website and the announcement of further investment to create additional school places for children with special educational needs.

£9.8m fund to research world’s best teaching methods
This week a new £9.8 million fund was launched to gather global evidence on the most effective teaching methods to help disadvantaged children. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and global development charity BHP Billiton Foundation will fund the 5-year project, which will build “a global evidence network” of strategies to tackle common challenges and boost attainment in schools.  It will specifically look at how to teach children to read, and how to engage parents in their children’s learning.

The project will help further develop the EEF’s ‘Teaching and Learning Toolkit’, test different teaching and learning approaches across different countries, build a global network of evidence hubs (similar to EEF’s Research Schools) and establish EEF-style organisations in partner countries to act as evidence brokers and encourage the adoption of evidence-based policy at a national level.

Launch of new national teaching job website
Last weekend the Education Secretary, Damian Hinds, announced a free website had been launched to advertise vacancies, which currently costs schools up to £75 million a year. The website is being piloted here in the north-east and in Cambridgeshire, with a “view to rolling it out nationally” by the end of the year.

Mr Hinds indicated he will also launch a new nationwide deal for Headteachers from September 2018, developed with Crown Commercial Service, providing them with a list of supply agencies that do not charge fees when making supply staff permanent after 12 weeks.

Announcement of multi-million pound investment in state of the art facilities for children with special educational needs
Last week the DfE announced that councils are set to benefit from a £50 million funding boost to create additional school places and state-of-the-art facilities for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), to give families more choice and help to meet increasing demand.

The additional funding could help create around 740 more special school places and provide new specialist facilities to support children with complex needs, such as sensory rooms and playgrounds with specialist equipment.

This week I report on the publication of new pre-key stage standards for pupils working below Key Stages 1 and 2, updated guidance on what maintained schools and academies must publish on their websites and trials of new lesson observation models that could form part of the new Ofsted Inspection Framework from September 2019.

New standards for pupils working below the national curriculum
New pre-key stage standards were published yesterday by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA), ahead of being rolled out in 2018/19. They are to be used mainly for pupils with special educational needs not working at the level of the national curriculum and will test subject-specific ability. The P-scale will continue for those pupils working below pre-key stage standards.

For Year 6 pupils and Year 2 pupils, a school may administer the Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 1 test but can still “assess the pupil against the pre-key stage standards” if they feel it is “more appropriate”, the STA document explains.

What schools must publish online
The DfE has updated the information that maintained schools and academies must publish on their websites.

Ofsted considering its options on lesson observation
Ofsted published a report earlier this week confirming that lesson observation is a “fundamental part of inspection that deserves focused attention” but must “keep pace” with “significant developments” seen in international practice in recent years.

Ofsted is evaluating six international models to see how these best fit into a lesson observation model that is fit for purpose in supporting inspector judgements. During this summer and autumn terms they will be carrying out trials to test these models and the outcomes of this will feed into the 2019 education inspection framework.

This week I highlight the publication of the draft revised statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education and revised Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges guidance; as well as research which indicates the performance of summer born children who start school a year later is not statistically significant and updated guidance on Charging for school activities.

Keeping Children Safe in Education
Yesterday the DfE published its response to the consultation on the statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education (KSIE).  The consultation had provided an opportunity to comment on proposed revisions made across all parts of the guidance as well as an opportunity to comment on the effectiveness of recently published sexual violence and sexual harassment advice.

At the same time, it published a draft of the revised KCSIE guidance for information so that schools could plan for commencement of the guidance on 3 September 2018.  Until the new revised guidance commences in September schools should continue to use the September 2016 version.

One of the actions resulting from the consultation was that the DfE will be recruiting organisations to join a new online safety working group. The body will not only help schools ensure pupils’ online safety but will also help them educate parents and carers.

The DfE also published revised Child on Child Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment advice applicable to all schools, including primary schools, on how to best support children of all ages.

Late-starting summer-born pupils don’t get better phonics check results
According to new research from the DfE summer-born pupils granted permission to start school a year later only score on average 0.87 points more on their first formal test than summer-born pupils who start school aged four.  The research found the improvement in phonics score made by those allowed to delay starting school was “not statistically significant”.  The research is the first to analyse the formal test results of a cohort of late-entry summer-born pupils since admissions rules changed in 2014.

Charging for school activities
On Tuesday the DfE published revised guidance to help schools set out their policies on charging for school activities and visits. It had been updated to reflect new Universal Credit regulations.

This week I report on the Education Secretary’s plans to overhaul the system of school accountability, the announcement of funding to boost children’s early language skills and funding to help the country’s brightest pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to support their continued academic attainment.

Consultation to overhaul the system of school accountability
Today the Education Secretary is addressing the National Association of Head Teachers’ (NAHT) annual conference, setting out plans for a clearer system of accountability in the education sector.

A series of key principles have been published by the DfE on how the accountability system for educational performance will operate, and how the different organisations fit within it. The DfE will work through the detail of how this will be implemented with the sector by the Autumn.  Headlines include:

• removing floor and coasting standards as this can be confusing and replacing them with a single, transparent data standard;
• the removal of ‘inspections’ of schools by representatives of Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs);
• academy conversion, leadership change or re-brokerage of a school will only be mandated on the grounds of educational underperformance if Ofsted has judged it Inadequate;
• identification of schools that are underperforming and would benefit from an offer of support, which could be provided from a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), an accredited system leader such as a teaching school, or a school improvement provider using evidence-based programmes.

MPs to investigate the impact of early years education on life chances
An inquiry into the impact that early years education has on children’s life chances has been set up by the parliamentary education committee.  The inquiry will look at the effect early years education and social policy has on children later in life and will examine current government policy in those areas.

The launch of the inquiry comes days after the DfE announced £13.5 million funding for two schemes aiming to help boost early language and literacy development for disadvantaged children.

• a £5m programme introduced by the DfE and run by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) which will trial projects in the north of England to provide “practical tools and advice” to parents so they can help their children learn new words.
• £8.5 million committed to the Local Government Association (LGA) for a new early-years social mobility peer review programme, which will help fund councils to work together to improve disadvantaged children’s early language and literacy skills.

Launch of a fund for bright disadvantaged pupils
The DfE has launched its Future Talent Fund programme, which aims to test new ways of helping the brightest children from disadvantaged backgrounds to fulfil their potential. Schools and multi-academy trusts will be eligible to apply for the funding this Autumn and projects supported by the fund will cover at least one of the following strands of work:

• Curriculum: such as broadening or deepening what is covered in the curriculum;
• Pedagogy: for example, individualised teaching, the use of digital technology or feedback;
• Parental involvement: which could include aspiration interventions, engagement through technology or behavioural insight techniques;
• Mentoring and tutoring: including academic mentoring, community based mentoring, school based mentoring, one-to-one tuition, group tuition or peer tutoring;
• Transition between key stages: such as summer schools or transition practices in schools; and
• Enrichment activities: which could include after-school classes, extra-curricular activities or visits.

This week I report on the DfE’s publication of a GDPR Schools toolkit, changes to Ofsted inspection timeframes and information on the new Reception Baseline assessment that will be implemented in all primary schools by the end of 2020.

New DfE GDPR Schools Toolkit
Guidance to support schools with data protection activity, including compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was published by the DfE this week.  The guidance will help schools develop policies and processes for data management, from collecting and handling the data through to the ability to respond quickly and appropriately to data breaches.

Changes to Ofsted inspection timeframes
Ofsted has announced changes to its inspection timeframes to give regional directors greater discretion about the date of re-inspection. This will allow them to reflect the circumstances and progress of the schools in question.  From this term:

• schools previously judged ‘good’ will now receive a short inspection approximately every four years rather than every three years
• schools judged ‘requires improvement’, ‘serious weaknesses’ or ‘special measures’ will be re-inspected within 30 months (previously the timeframes were 30, 18 and 24 months respectively) while monitoring inspections will continue as before

The Section 8 and Section 5 Inspection Handbooks have been updated and a new Inspection Framework is expected in September 2019.

Reception Baseline Assessment
The DfE recently announced that the new Reception Baseline Assessment, designed to allow for a progress measure from the start to the end of primary school, will be designed and delivered by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).

The new baseline assessment, which will be implemented in all primary schools by the end of 2020, is described as “a twenty minute, teacher-recorded assessment of children’s communication, language, literacy and early mathematics skills”. There will be no requirement to prepare for the test and in time it will replace the statutory tests that pupils currently sit at the end of Key Stage 1.

The new progress measures will not apply to first schools, as they will be responsible for evidencing progress based on their own assessment information.

This week I am reporting from the SCHOOLS NorthEast Northern Governance Conference at St James’ Park in Newcastle.  The conference aimed to support those in school governance roles in carrying out their duties confidently and effectively.

Keynote Speeches
Laura McInerney, Contributing Editor, Schools Week
Laura talked about the 3 key education trends this year which were funding, teacher workload and a teacher shortage.  She didn’t believe more money would be given to schools because the Education Secretary was a firm believer in using finances more effectively rather than providing more money into the system.  Laura discussed teacher workload and issues around when the working day ended and expectations around responding to emails.  She also talked about the teaching shortage which will develop over the next 5 years when there are less NQTs in the system and that there had been an  increase in teachers leaving to teach abroad.

Julia Harnden, Funding Specialist, ASCL
Julia looked at the next steps for school funding with the implementation of the national Funding Formula.  She explained how the system would work for 2018/19 and 2019/20 and that the additional £1.3 billion additional investment over the next 2 years was not new money the DfE had been given.  Julia talked about the implications of next year’s Comprehensive Spending Review and that schools needed to be honest when submitting their 3 year budget forecasts.  In the sector schools had dwindling reserves and growing deficits and the unfunded cost pressures of cost of living rises, on costs risks, the Apprenticeship levy and supply costs would all impact on budgets.

Iain Veitch, Vice Chair of SCHOOLS NorthEast and Head Teacher of Park View School
Iain talked about preparing for inspection and that the new Chief Inspector for Schools had opened a new research facility looking at evidence based approaches.  He talked about the new short inspections and that there were now two types of ‘Good’ judgements and there would be a new Inspection Framework in September 2019.  The IDSR had replaced the Inspection Dashboard and Governors must familiarise themselves with this as the first page identified areas to investigate which Inspectors would look at when they came to inspect the school.  Iain emphasised that Governors needed to understand the narrative of their school’s curriculum as they signed off the school’s Curriculum policy.

Sessions
A range of sessions for attendees to choose from included:

• using evidence to support your school
• what the General Data Protection Regulations meant for Schools and Governors
• does the Headteacher’s Report help you to hold the school’s Senior Leadership Team to account
• how to be an effective Link Governor for SEND/Pupil Premium

If you would like more information about SCHOOLS NorthEast you can visit their website or contact them on 0191 204 8866 or via email – info@schoolsnortheast.com.

This week I report on support for new school breakfast clubs in disadvantaged areas around the country, the publication of the consultation document on eligibility for free school meals and the early years pupil premium under Universal Credit and updated non-statutory guidance on using children’s biometric data.

Funding for new school breakfast clubs in disadvantaged areas around the country
On Monday the Education Secretary announced the appointment of two charities (Family Action and Magic Breakfast) to run school breakfast clubs around the country from this Spring.

The boost to breakfast provision will be funded through the soft drinks industry levy and will benefit over 1,770 schools. The investment will be targeted at the most disadvantaged areas of the country, including the DfE’s Opportunity Areas, but further details have not been released at this time.

Consultation outcome on eligibility for free school meals and the early years pupil premium under Universal Credit
The Government has published its consultation document outlining the general principles that were applied in considering changes to the criteria for free school meals and the early years pupil premium under Universal Credit. It sets out the measures the Government plans to take to protect those families who would otherwise lose entitlement to free school meals because of the changes and its plans for communicating these changes to parents, providers and local authorities.

Updated non-statutory guidance on using children’s biometric data
This week the DfE published updated non-statutory guidance for schools and colleges on using children’s biometric data. It states that schools and colleges using automated biometric recognition systems, or planning to install them, should make arrangements to notify parents and must obtain the consent required under the duties as set out in the body of the advice.

Interestingly the guidance only refers to the General Data Protection Regulation in the final paragraph, when it advises that new data protection legislation is due to come into force in the UK by 25 May 2018 and it strongly recommends that schools and anyone with responsibility for processing pupils’ biometric data should seek independent legal advice to ensure that they comply with any changes to data protection law.

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