NGA has updated it's guide to Ofsted inspection, and covers recent changes: the removal of single headline grades (schools will still receive grades for the four existing key judgement areas) – Ofsted is developing report cards to replace this in 2025 the removal of ‘deep dives’ from ungraded inspections a revised process for pausing and … Continue reading NGA: A guide to Ofsted inspection
Author: Bruce Levitan
Ofqual poll highlights value of cyber security training in schools
Ofqual is reminding schools and colleges of the importance of cyber security after a poll highlighted the risks associated with poor cyber hygiene. Findings include: 34% of schools and colleges in England experienced a cyber incident during the last academic year; the north-west was hit hardest, with 40% of schools which responded having had a … Continue reading Ofqual poll highlights value of cyber security training in schools
Working lives of teachers and leaders
The working lives of teachers and leaders is an annual DfE survey of teachers and leaders in state schools in England. The survey explores teachers and leaders’: workload, wellbeing and flexible working arrangements attitudes to pay experiences of professional development future career intentions This summary presents headline findings from wave 2 of the survey, carried … Continue reading Working lives of teachers and leaders
Non-specialist mental health support for young people in England
This new report published by the Education Policy Institute, commissioned by The Prudence Trust and in partnership with Youth Access, finds significant gaps in early mental health support for young people across England – and a rise in the number of young people reaching a crisis point. The report finds that: There is substantial variation … Continue reading Non-specialist mental health support for young people in England
OECD report: Education at a Glance 2024
Education at a Glance is the definitive guide to the state of education around the world. More than 100 charts and tables in the publication and country notes – as well as many more in the data explorer – describe the output of educational institutions; the impact of learning across countries; access, participation and progression … Continue reading OECD report: Education at a Glance 2024
Key stage 2 attainment
The Department for Education has published provisional attainment statistics for key stage 2 national curriculum assessments in England. This shows that the gap between disadvantaged pupils’ key stage 2 SATs results and all other pupils has fallen to 3.12, from 3.21 in 2023. However, it is still a wider gap than the 2.91 gap index … Continue reading Key stage 2 attainment
Experts urge the Government to prioritise mental health for better school attendance
Place2bE, NGA and a number of other agencies have co-signed an open letter to the Secretary of State for Education calling for the Government to tackle the attendance crisis by prioritising inclusion, enrichment, mental health, and special educational needs support. You can read the letter in full on the Place2Be website, here
DDSCP Multi-Agency Training Updates
The Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Policies and Procedures (DDSCP) group offers a range of training. See their latest flyer via this link.
Ofsted: the response to the Big Listen
Ofsted have concluded their "Big Listen" consultation, and on 3rd September they published their response - this covers children’s social care, special education needs and disabilities and alternative provision, early years, schools, further education and skills, teacher professional development and education. For schools, the changes they have announced are as follows: remove the overall effectiveness … Continue reading Ofsted: the response to the Big Listen
Infant school hit by cyber attack
We are all aware that onine security is a major convern, and that cyber threats are always out there. A recent cyber attack at an Essex infant school, reported here by the BBC, highlights the issue, demonstrating that it is very real, and that all schools need to have appropriate security in place.
Teaching pupils empathy measurably improves their creative abilities, study finds
New research led by Bill Nicholl and Ian Hosking at the University of Cambridge suggests that teaching children in a way that encourages them to empathise with others measurably improves their creativity, and could potentially lead to several other beneficial learning outcomes. The findings are from a year-long University of Cambridge study with Design and … Continue reading Teaching pupils empathy measurably improves their creative abilities, study finds
Widen access to classical music with free lessons, says Errollyn Wallen
Multi award-winning Belize-born British composer and performer, recently appointed as Master of the King’s Music, provides a clear challenge to the government to provide free taught musical instruments at school to widen access to classical music. This article in the Guardian sets out her challenge in more detail.
Local authority interactive tool (LAIT)
The DfE's Local authority interactive tool (LAIT) has been removed from its website as it does not comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. They are working on a new version, but in the meantime you can still get a copy of this (very useful) tool by emailing them at request.lait@education.gov.uk with the title: ‘Send me … Continue reading Local authority interactive tool (LAIT)
School suspensions in Derbyshire reach record high
Reported here in Derbyshire Times (26 July), this article notes: Department for Education figures show there were 12,344 suspensions from Derbyshire schools the 2022-23 academic year – the highest since records began for the area. It was up from 8,718 suspensions the year before, and more than double the 5,033 number in 2018-19, before the … Continue reading School suspensions in Derbyshire reach record high
Educational outcomes for SEND pupils have failed to improve over the last decade
A new report by Isos Partnership commissioned by the County Councils Network and the Local Government Association was released on 25 July. The study concludes that the current system is not working for families, schools and councils alike. The report is called Towards an effective and financially sustainable approach to SEND in England, and highhlights … Continue reading Educational outcomes for SEND pupils have failed to improve over the last decade
