This week I report on a free webinar on Ofsted inspections taking place during this academic year, a helpful glossary on all things school governance, a new guide for governors on looked after children, what the budget means for schools, information on new Regional support and intervention teams and the announcement of plans to boost inclusion in mainstream.

Free webinar on Ofsted inspection this academic year
Governors for Schools in association with Better Governor are offering a webinar on Ofsted in 2024/25 on Thursday 21 November from 8:00 to 9:00 am. The session will bring all those involved in school and academy governance up to date with the latest in Ofsted inspection developments and you can register your place via the Governors for Schools website using this link.

Free Governance Glossary
Fee Stagg was a National Leader of Governance, is currently a Chair of Governors, and an Independent Clerk and Governance Professional in both the maintained and academy sectors. She has produced a free, A-Z of governance terms which is a useful induction document for new governors, as well as being of interest to experienced governors.

New: Guide for governing bodies on looked after children
Written by BECOME, a charity for children in care and Aaron King from 9000 Lives, this new guide for those governing in primary, secondary, special schools and pupil referral units provides useful information and questions to support governors to discuss children in care (also known as looked after children) with their school leaders.

What does the budget mean for schools?
Core funding for schools will rise by £2.3 billion next year with £1 billion of that for SEND provision. The increase will fully fund this summer’s 5.5% pay award for teachers and help cover pay awards in 2025/26. In addition, the DfE has confirmed that schools will be compensated to cover the increase in employer national insurance contributions, although details on what that will mean in practice are yet to be released.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves also announced a rise in capital funding to £6.7 million next year, including £1.4 billion to ensure the delivery of the existing Schools Rebuilding Programme and £2.1 billion to improve the condition of school buildings. £1.8 billion has also been confirmed to support the expansion of government funded childcare and investment in breakfast clubs will triple to over £30 million.

Information on new Regional support and intervention teams
On Tuesday the DfE set out in a briefing how schools will be supported regionally from next year, with Ofsted report cards set to play a key role. Groups of civil servants and advisers known as Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will start supporting schools in 2025.

Based on the findings of Ofsted report cards, schools will be placed into one of three categories: those with minimal issues with strong capacity requiring ‘universal support’, those with one or several issues needing ‘targeted support’, and those requiring intervention. The RISE teams will play a role in supporting schools in the first two categories as follows:

• Signposting for schools with ‘minimal issues’ – RISE teams will develop a set of local area priorities, including in areas such as attendance and SEND. They will then signpost schools to hubs and leading schools, to help promote the sharing of good practice and support in these areas.
• Schools needing more ‘targeted support’ – RISE teams will commission help from a supporting organisation with a strong track record of improvement. This supporting organisation could be a trust, a local authority or another local partner. The supporting organisation will create a support package for the school and commission wider support where needed. For example, the supporting organisation may commission another body to support the school with attendance, if this is not a particular area of expertise for the main support organisation.

Announcement of plans to boost inclusion in mainstream
Yesterday the Education Secretary announced a raft of measures aimed at making mainstream schools more inclusive for pupils with SEND. In a speech at the Confederation of School Trusts’ conference she announced the appointment of two major new SEND advisers – Tom Rees (CEO of Ormiston Academies Trust) and Dame Christine Lenehan (Director at the Council for Disabled Children at the National Children’s Bureau).

She also announced the creation of an expert group on neurodiversity to improve inclusivity in mainstream schools and said that the government would encourage more mainstream schools to set up specialist resourced provision and SEN units.

This week I report on updated DfE filtering and monitoring standards and updated requirements on what schools must or should publish online.

Updated DfE filtering and monitoring standards
The DfE has updated the filtering and monitoring standards in its guidance on Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges. Changes include emphasising the governing body’s responsibility to ensure their school has appropriate filtering and monitoring systems; adding a more comprehensive assessment of what to consider in student risk profiles; and enabling safe search by default on any search engines used.

Updated DfE information requirements for schools to publish online
The DfE has updated both the maintained school and the academy versions of its guidance on what schools must or should publish online. Changes have been made to various sections including exam and assessment results, pupil premium, PE and sport premium and governance.

Academy schools must also publish the details of any arrangements for handling complaints from parents and carers about the support they provide for pupils with SEN. They must do this as part of their SEN information report.

This week I highlight confirmation from Ofsted that schools that have deferred inspections can be notified of the new inspection date on any day of the week, the announcement of new funding primary schools can apply for to set up or expand their nurseries along with the publication of non-statutory guidance and publication of the Government’s response to the EYFS safeguarding consultation that ran earlier this year.

Ofsted deferral guidance updated
Ofsted has made minor updates to its inspection deferrals guidance to bring it in line with the latest updates to the School inspection handbook, clarifying that if Ofsted agrees to a deferral it can notify the school of the new inspection date on any day of the week. The guidance was also updated to confirm that accepted reasons for deferral now include where a state-funded school with a religious character has already been notified of an inspection under section 48 of the Education Act 2005.

School-based nurseries plan kicks off with £15 million funding and new non-statutory guidance
The first stage of the Government’s plan to deliver 3,000 school-based nurseries began yesterday with the announcement that primary schools can now apply for up to £150k of £15 million capital funding, with the first stage of the plan set to support up to 300 new or expanded nurseries across England. According to the DfE’s latest projections, around 70,000 additional places and 35,000 early years educators will still be needed to deliver the expansion to 30 hours of government funded early education from next September.

On the back of that the DfE has published new non-statutory guidance on establishing school-based nursery provision, outlining key considerations and requirements that schools should consider if they want to open or expand a nursery on their site.

Publication of the EYFS safeguarding consultation response
The DfE has published its response to the EYFS safeguarding consultation that ran from 22 April to 17 June this year. The consultation looked to gather views on the department’s proposals to strengthen the safeguarding requirements within the EYFS statutory framework.

This week I report on the publication of two new EYFS research reports from Ofsted, the resumption of procurement of £7 million worth of funding to tackle antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities and the reinstatement of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body to ensure all school staff have access to fair pay and conditions.

Ofsted EYFS research reports released
This week Ofsted has published two new research reports about early years education, emphasising its importance as a foundation for children’s future learning and development. The first report focuses on ‘Strong foundations in the first years of school’, covering how schools secure the knowledge and skills pupils need by the end of KS1. The other report is the third and final part of ‘Best start in life: a research review for early years’, which began in November 2022. It considers the four specific areas of learning of learning outlined by the EYFS statutory framework: literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design.

Resumption of procurement for tackling antisemitism in Education
The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson has announced that the Government is resuming the procurement of £7 million worth of funding to tackle antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities.

The commitment comes after the number of incidents of antisemitic abuse nationwide more than doubled in the first five months of 2024, compared to the same period a year earlier. The funding will aim to educate people about antisemitism and better equip schools, colleges and universities to stamp out antisemitic abuse.

Reinstatement of the SSSNB
The Education Secretary has announced that the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB), which was abolished in 2010 by the previous government, is to be reinstated in recognition of the vital role support staff play in the workforce and young people’s education.

Support staff make up over half the school workforce and include a wide range of roles including teaching assistant, administrative staff, catering staff or caretakers. To ensure all school staff have access to fair pay and conditions the SSSNB will apply to support staff in both local authority maintained schools and academies.

Legislation to re-establish the body through the Employment Rights Bill was introduced in Parliament yesterday and will now pass through the legislative process. As part of this the government will consult on the detail of the legislation, including the right definition of support staff.

This week I highlight that next year’s teachers’ pay award won’t be announced before maintained schools budgets are set; the DfE has updated its non-statutory staffing and employment guidance reflecting legislative changes that came into force in April, next year’s phonics screening check guidance has been published and confirmation that exam aids will remain for the next three years for maths, physics and combined science GCSEs.

Teachers pay award update
The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has warned that the pay award for next academic year will not be announced before maintained schools set budgets but has pledged to reset the timeline for 2026/27. In her letter to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) to kickstart the pay review process, she also asked for recommendations on how the teachers’ pay framework can allow for more flexible working in the profession.

Updated staffing and employment guidance
The DfE has updated its non-statutory guidance on staffing and employment to reflect changes to legislation on time off and flexible working that came into force in April this year, such as the right to request flexible working from the first day of employment.

Phonics screening check guidance published
On Tuesday the STA published guidance for the phonics screening check next year that outlines the arrangements that apply to schools taking part in the check. While assessments at the end of KS1 are now non-statutory, the Government is encouraging schools to administer the optional tests. Alongside the new guidance, the STA also updated its guidance for administering the check, and its page summarising future primary assessment dates.

GCSEs exam aids to remain for three more years
Pupils sitting GCSEs in maths, physics and combined science will continue to receive exam aids for three more years, the Education Secretary has confirmed in a letter to Ofqual’s Chief Regulator.

Exam boards first provided pupils with formula and equation sheets in 2022 in recognition of the continuing impact of Covid pandemic lockdowns on learning. They were provided again in 2023 and 2024, with ministers intending to scrap them from next year. However it’s now been acknowledged that the pandemic’s impact continues and also the independent review of curriculum and assessment will report next year and advise on long term changes to the curriculum and assessment system.

This week I report on the launch of the DfE’s call for evidence on improving the curriculum and assessment system, the announcement of an early adopter scheme for free primary school breakfast clubs and updated information on sustainability leadership and climate action plans for schools.

DfE launches call for evidence on improving the curriculum and assessment system
As part of its ongoing review of the national curriculum, the DfE has launched a call for evidence on improving the curriculum and assessment system, seeking feedback on what works in the current system, what doesn’t work or isn’t helpful, and suggestions for potential improvements. The call for evidence itself covers matters including general views on the curriculum, assessment and qualification pathways, social justice and inclusion, assessment and accountability and closes on 22 November.

Breakfast club early adopters scheme
The DfE has announced that it will be running an early adopter scheme during the summer term for free primary school breakfast clubs, ahead of this being rolled out to all primary schools nationally. The programme will invite up to 750 state-funded schools in England with primary aged pupils to take part, focusing on how breakfast clubs can be delivered in a way that builds on what is already happening in schools, meets the needs of parents, and ensures children start the day ready to learn. The delivery model will be revealed in late autumn.

DfE Sustainability leadership guidance updated
The DfE has updated its page on sustainability leadership and climate action plans to provide further information on the support that is available to nurseries and schools. The non statutory guidance is there to help schools get started on their sustainability journey, or take the next step, as the DfE expects all schools to have a nominated sustainability lead and a climate action plan in place by 2025.

This week I report on the updated Ofsted inspection handbooks which now align to the updated inspection process and the publication of information from the DfE and Ofqual on this year’s National Reference Test.

Ofsted updates inspection handbooks
Ofsted has updated its ‘School inspection handbook’ and ‘School monitoring handbook’ to align with its updated inspection process. It clarifies some of the outstanding questions about the interim period before it introduces report cards. Among the clarifications is a clearer definition of what would lead to a school being put in a category of concern and the rules around displaying judgement logos on websites or banners on school sites. The changes to the handbooks come into effect immediately, with routine inspections resuming on 23 September.

New information on this year’s National Reference Test
The DfE and Ofqual have released new information on this year’s National Reference Test, which will take place between late February and early March 2025. The Government selects a sample of secondary/high schools, which then must submit pupils for tests in maths and England language. The results are considered by Ofqual and the exam boards as evidence of performance standards in these subjects over time. It is mandatory for the selected schools to have pupils take part.

This week I highlight a free webinar looking at governance hot topics this term, the announcement of the closure of the ESFA and a new DfE technology service for schools.

Free Governors for Schools webinar
On Thursday 26 September from 8-9am Governors for Schools, in conjunction with Better Governor, is offering a free webinar on Governance hot topics for this term.

It aims to get governors up-to-speed on the new government’s education priorities, school teachers’ pay award, new attendance regulations, the recently announced Curriculum and Assessment Review, and the changes announced by Ofsted relating to inspections in schools. Clearly any new announcements in education between now and then might necessitate some changes to the topics.

You can use this link to register for the webinar on the Governors for Schools website.

Closure of the ESFA
The Education and Skills Funding Agency is set to be closed next March as part of the latest changes to the academies system being rolled out by the new Labour government. It’s been announced that the move will happen in two stages. The ESFA’s Schools Financial Support and Oversight (SFSO) teams will transfer to the Regions Group from 1 October, in time to support the launch of Regional Improvement Teams by January 2025 and the funding and assurance functions will be fully centralised by the end of March.

DfE releases new technology service
The DfE has released a new service on how to ‘Plan technology for your school’, which aims to show schools how they can plan and use digital technology to improve pupils’ outcomes, save money and reduce workload. Using the service requires schools to answer questions about their technology and leadership, which then generates recommendations to support the school.

In my first update of the new academic year I provide information on governor training opportunities, updated/new statutory and non-statutory guidance from the DfE and changes to Ofsted inspection.

Governor training
Governors for Schools are offering a free webinar on the range of recruitment services that they offer to help Governing bodies to recruit new governors. The webinar is taking place on Wednesday 18 September at 12.30pm and you can register via their website using this link.

North Tyneside’s Governor Services Team have published their training offer for this term and the North Tyneside Learning Trust has just finalised its training offer for Trust schools for this academic year. I will share full information at our first Governing body meeting this term.

The DfE is offering online training for governors to help them to understand their responsibilities and the importance of the Prevent duty. The sessions are taking place on the following dates:

• Thursday 17 October from 7-8pm
• Tuesday 22 October from 12-1pm
• Thursday 7 November from 12-1pm
• Thursday 12 December from 5-6pm
• Monday 6 January from 5-6pm
• Tuesday 21 January from 5-6pm

To register via Eventbrite you can use this link.

DfE Update
I’ve provided a roundup of the new/updated statutory and non-satutory guidance published by the DfE which is now in force as follows:

Statutory guidance
• Keeping Children Safe In Education – this year’s version contains an updated safeguarding definition with an emphasis on early help and support, additional indicators of the potential need for early help clarification around alternative provision safeguarding responsibilities and amendments in line with the draft non statutory guidance Gender Questioning Children.

• Working together to improve school attendance – this updated guidance came into force in August and whilst governance responsibilities have not changed, updates include an emphasis on working in partnership with families to improve attendance; new absence thresholds where schools will have to consider a penalty notice; considerations for pupils absent due to mental or physical ill health or their special educational needs and/or disabilities; clarified expectations for Senior Attendance Champions and a requirement for schools to share daily attendance data (most schools were already doing this).

Non statutory guidance
During the summer break, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that she would be accepting the STRB’s recommendations for teachers’ pay in full, meaning that teachers and leaders will receive a 5.5% pay increase from this September.

The DfE then released new non-statutory guidance on ‘Managing teachers’ and leaders’ pay’, which replaces the previous guidance on ‘Implementing Your School’s Approach to Pay’. One major change from the new guidance is that schools are no longer required to implement performance-related pay for teachers and leaders.

The DfE also released new non-statutory guidance on ‘Teacher appraisal’ and ‘Teacher capability’, replacing the department’s teacher appraisal and capability model policy. No doubt the LA’s Schools HR Team will share updated policies with schools in due course.

Ofsted update
Ofsted has now scrapped single headline grades for schools but inspections this academic year will continue to have four grades across the existing sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management. School Report Cards will be introduced from September 2025 aiming to provide parents with a full and comprehensive assessment of how their child’s school is performing and ensure that inspections are more effective in driving improvement.

The DfE has advised that schools that would have been judged to be Inadequate will still receive an academy order and while there is no longer a threat of conversion or transfer for those that may once have been deemed Requires Improvement (now termed “struggling” by the DfE based on sub-judgements), there is an immediate intervention from a “high-performing school”. From early next year the government will introduce Regional Improvement Teams that will work with struggling schools to quickly and directly address areas of weakness.

On Tuesday a summary of the findings from Ofsted’s Big Listen consultation was also published with changes including a new inspection framework, a new focus on inclusion and a new policy of only notifying schools of their impending inspection on a Monday.

In my final update of this academic year I report on key messages from the Education Secretary in her webinar held earlier this week, the introduction of a children’s wellbeing bill as outlined in the King’s Speech and a blog post from Ofsted outlining the changes to ungraded inspections from September.

Takeaways from the Education Secretary’s Webinar
On Tuesday in a webinar attended by 14,000 people, the new Education Secretary advised that a decision on teacher pay awards would not be published this week and indicative school funding allocations wouldn’t be published to the usual timescales. The report of the School Teachers’ Review Body, along with the Government’s response and decision, is usually published in mid to late July each year.

Whilst not proposing any wholesale structural change to schools, meaning the current dual system of academies and maintained schools will remain, Ms Phillipson confirmed that Academy Trusts will be brought into the framework of Ofsted inspection.

A review of the curriculum and assessment was announced with the Education Endowment Foundation’s Chief Executive, Professor Becky Francis, leading the review as its chair. A call for evidence will launch in September along with national roadshows to ensure the voice of staff working in schools is considered. The results will published in 2025 so any major curriculum changes might not be introduced until as late as September 2026.

The review will cover KS1 to KS5 and the Government has said it wants a curriculum that “delivers excellent foundations in reading, writing and maths, and ensures every young person gets the opportunity to develop creative, digital, and speaking and listening skills particularly prized by employers”. It will also look at the key challenges to attainment and the barriers that hold children back, in particular those who are socio-economically disadvantaged and those with special educational needs. Views will also be sought on whether the current assessment system can be improved for both young people and staff, while protecting the important role of examinations.

Acknowledging there was a range of opinion on how behaviour should be managed Ms Phillipson did not say the Government’s approach to tackling behaviour in schools would change.

The King’s Speech 2024 and the impact for the education sector
On Wednesday the King’s Speech confirmed that the Government will introduce a children’s wellbeing bill in the next year to legislate for a raft of its education policies. The aim is to raise standards in education and promote children’s wellbeing. There are also proposed laws that will likely affect schools in the proposed employment rights bill and equality bill. A summary has been provided as follows:

Children’s wellbeing bill

• Strengthen multi-agency child protection and safeguarding arrangements
• Require free breakfast clubs in every primary school
• Limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kits that a school can require
• Create a duty on councils to have and maintain children not in school registers and provide support to home-educating parents
• Provide Ofsted with stronger powers to investigate the offence of operating an unregistered independent school
• Enable serious teacher misconduct to be investigated, regardless of when the misconduct occurred, the setting the teacher is employed in, and how the misconduct is uncovered
• Require all schools to cooperate with the local authority on school admissions, SEND inclusion, and place planning, by giving local authorities greater powers to help them deliver their functions on school admissions and ensure admissions decisions account for the needs for communities
• Require all schools to teach the national curriculum. This measure will be commenced after the review of curriculum and assessment is concluded and is reflected in programmes of study. The review will set the foundations to equip every child with the essential knowledge and skills for the future
• Ensure any new teacher entering the classroom has, or is working towards, Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
• Bring multi-academy trusts into the inspection system and enable direct intervention when schools and trusts are not performing to the highest standards

Employment rights bill

• Reinstate the School Support Staff Negotiating Body, to establish national terms and conditions, career progression routes, and fair pay rates for support staff
• Update trade union legislation so it is fit for a modern economy, removing unnecessary restrictions on trade union activity – including the previous government’s approach to minimum service levels – and ensuring industrial relations are based around good faith negotiation and bargaining

Equality (race and disability) bill
Introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting for larger employers (those with 250+ employees) to help close the ethnicity and disability pay gaps

Ungraded Ofsted inspections from September
In a blog post on Wednesday, Ofsted’s National Director, Lee Owston outlined the changes to ungraded inspections from September.

Key areas of focus will be agreed in advance with the Lead Inspector and the Headteacher in the phone call the day before the inspection. They will discuss the school’s context, what it does well and where it has improved and anything leaders still need to tackle to make the school the best it can be.

Inspectors won’t focus on one subject and there won’t be deep dives. Instead, they will look at a group of subjects together, for example in a primary school they might look at early English and maths together, or they might look at a group of subjects from the wider curriculum. In a secondary school, there could be a focus on the core subjects and another on, for example, vocational subjects. These inspections will focus more on a dialogue between headteachers and their senior leaders, so while conversations with subject leads will still take place they won’t be as intensive.

New inspection handbooks will be published in September alongside some webinars and more details about these webinars will be made available in due course.