The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has published a Data Security Incidents Dashboard where you can view various information on data security issues and breaches, including a screen that shows trends for the education sector. There has been a 55% increase in cyber security incidents reported in the education and childcare sector since 2022. The dashboard … Continue reading Data security incident trends
Author: Bruce Levitan
New RSHE guidance
The DfE has launched a consultation on its proposed new RSHE guidance: What it means for sex education lessons in schools. The guidance includes the following: Introducing age limits, to ensure children aren’t being taught about sensitive and complex subjects before they are ready to fully understand them. The concept of gender identity – the … Continue reading New RSHE guidance
Calls are growing for the Department for Education to ditch its “coasting” intervention powers
An article in Schools Week highlights the issue of schools being given ‘coasting’ warnings despite raising grades and fresh starts. It concentrates on Academy Trusts in the main, but the trend in LA maintained schools is also mentioned. Schools Week quotes Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders: “[this] … Continue reading Calls are growing for the Department for Education to ditch its “coasting” intervention powers
Oftsed ‘deep dives’ removed from ungraded inspections
At the National Association of Headteacher’s (NAHT) Annual conference on 4 May, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, announced changes to ungraded inspections. ‘Deep dives’ during ungraded inspections to stop from September. Move will affect 40% of all school inspections. The changes are designed to reduce the burden on school leaders and allow more time … Continue reading Oftsed ‘deep dives’ removed from ungraded inspections
Understanding the use of unregistered alternative provision
The DfE has published the outcomes from its recent consulttation on understanding the use of unregistered alternative provision. Key findings of the report are: The use and role of unregistered alternative provision within the SEND and alternative provision system Unregistered alternative provision is used to address needs not met in school Unregistered alternative provision offers … Continue reading Understanding the use of unregistered alternative provision
Advice on spotting and handling phishing emails
Phishing is a form of social engineering attack aimed to trick the user into giving their credentials or identity information to an attacker. They are normally delivered in messages that look authentic, with corporate/official logos. This article on Derbyshire County Council's S4S website gives advice on how to spot and handle them.
Government to launch consultation on lifting the 50% cap on faith school places
Proposals to create more good school places through lifting the faith cap were unveiled today on 1 May as new data shows over half of schools are now academies. A consultation on lifting the 50% cap, which applies to new faith free schools, will be launched alongside proposals on opening special faith-based academies. The DfE … Continue reading Government to launch consultation on lifting the 50% cap on faith school places
GCSE results will suffer ‘well into 2030s’ due to Covid
A new study from the University of Exeter, the London School of Economics and the University of Strathclyde conducted the research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation is reported on in Schools Week. The key findings include: Covid fallout to affect GCSEs ‘well into 2030s’‘Unprecedented’ widening of attainment gapEducational damage could cost billionsUniversity-led tutoring could boost … Continue reading GCSE results will suffer ‘well into 2030s’ due to Covid
‘Nearly all’ schools rely on donations for classroom essentials
A new poll of its members by NAHT has found that only 1 per cent of school leaders say they get enough funding to meet all their pupils’ needs. A TES article notes that nearly all school leaders (95 per cent) in England have had to generate additional income through other sources - like charity … Continue reading ‘Nearly all’ schools rely on donations for classroom essentials
How AI is being abused to create child sexual abuse imagery
A sobering new report from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) focuses on it's 2023 investigation of the first reports of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Initial investigations uncovered a world of text-to-image technology. In short, you type in what you want to see in online generators and the software generates … Continue reading How AI is being abused to create child sexual abuse imagery
Children’s Media Lives
A new report from Ofcom is the latest in a longitudinal study that started in 2014. It provides evidence about the motivations and the context for media use, and how media is a part of children's daily life and domestic circumstances. The project also provides rich details of how children’s media habits and attitudes change … Continue reading Children’s Media Lives
The Features of Effective School Groups
A new report from the Education Policy Institute brings together findings from their interactive benchmarking tool, which compares the performance of individual academy trusts, local authorities, federations and dioceses across four key performance indicators, along with results from their Decisions in Education in England (DEEP) survey of senior leaders working in school groups. Key findings … Continue reading The Features of Effective School Groups
School funding model: Effect of falling school rolls
This sobering new report from the Education Policy Institute finds that: Total pupil numbers in state-funded primary and secondary schools are projected to fall from a peak of 7.57 million in 2022-23, and then decrease at an average rate of 1.0 per cent each year until they reach 7.14 million in 2028-29. This means that … Continue reading School funding model: Effect of falling school rolls
Safeguarding Children in Schools and Colleges
The Department for Education (DfE) have launched a 12-week call for evidence (from 28 March), to take the views of schools, colleges, and other professionals on safeguarding practice development and direction, in advance of Keeping children safe in education 2025 (KCSIE). Your reflections, experience, and suggestions in this call for evidence will help to inform … Continue reading Safeguarding Children in Schools and Colleges
Using AI to analyse 30,000 school policies
The Key's Robin AI tool has “read” just shy of 30,000 policy documents from over 1,000 schools. This blog looks at the data generated to see if anything interesting could be revealed. A huge caveat is that this is not science: no effort was made to ensure the 1,035 schools were representative. In fact, they’re … Continue reading Using AI to analyse 30,000 school policies
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