The Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan, has announced that she is recommending Sir Martyn Oliver for the post of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills at Ofsted. Sir Martyn has been selected as the preferred candidate because he is an accomplished school and trust leader with a track record … Continue reading Sir Martyn Oliver recommended as new Chief Inspector of Ofsted
Author: Bruce Levitan
Length of the school week
Updated Government Non-statutory guidance and case studies for schools in England wanting to increase the length of their school week, including those delivering below the minimum 32.5 hours. These documents provide information on the expectation for all state-funded mainstream schools to deliver a school week of at least 32.5 hours by September 2024 at the … Continue reading Length of the school week
Derbyshire IT Technology Day
On the 24th October 2023 the IT School Support Service at Derbyshire County Council will be hosting a Technology day open to all schools across Derbyshire. We plan to have a selection of external suppliers, to exhibit learning platforms, interactive technologies and hardware, and various services from Derbyshire County Council in attendance. Heads, Teachers, ICT … Continue reading Derbyshire IT Technology Day
GCSE and A Level qualification results 2023
Dr Jo Saxton, Chief Regulator at Ofqual, has written to governors and trustees to explain how this year's exam marking regime will work. Although there is a return to pre-Covid standards, there will still be an element of protection in recognition of the "Covid-effect". You can read the full letter at the link below. Nina … Continue reading GCSE and A Level qualification results 2023
Pearson’s School Report 2023
The second School Report has been released by Pearson: it takes an in-depth look at life in schools in 2023 – from the collective perspective of over 6,000 educators and, new for this year, 1,000 students too. The report covers a wide range of areas, inlcuding: Pastoral issues; Pressures; Diversity, equity and inclusion; The environment; … Continue reading Pearson’s School Report 2023
New NGA report on governance challanges
The National Governance Association (NGA) released a report today on the top 10 school and trust governance challenges. These were revealed through their analysis of 200 government-funded external reviews of governance (ERGs). The top challenges include: Board composition; Identifying skills gaps; Recruiting people with diverse experiences and knowledge; Being the right size to suit the … Continue reading New NGA report on governance challanges
The National Tutoring Programme review
The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) was introduced by the Department for Education (DfE) in the 2020-21 academic year to provide subsidised tuition to disadvantaged pupils and help close the attainment gap caused by school closures in response to Covid-19. NFER’s Teacher Voice Omnibus survey was used to get feedback from teachers about how successful this has … Continue reading The National Tutoring Programme review
Governors for Schools Conference 2023
Registration for the Governors for Schools Conference 2023 is now open. It is being held on Tuesday, 26th September and Wednesday, 27th September, and offers two days’ worth of lively discussion about issues affecting the governance landscape. All sessions are free to attend, with content tailored for a range of audiences, including prospective and current … Continue reading Governors for Schools Conference 2023
The 13th Festival of Education
The 13th instalment of one of the UK’s most exciting and inspiring education events will return in 2023. Founded by Wellington College in 2010, the Festival of Education brings educators from the UK and beyond for two days of invaluable CPD, discussions and networking. When: 6-7 July 2023Where: Wellington College, CrowthorneFurther information and booking: Festival … Continue reading The 13th Festival of Education
Changes made to school inspections
Ofsted announced changes to improve aspects of its work with schools on 12 June 2023. Changes to inspection processes, a revised complaints procedure and new wellbeing investment from government, are part of a package of measures being announced following a wide-ranging debate about the impact of school inspections. You can read a press release about … Continue reading Changes made to school inspections
NGA publishes latest version of Being Strategic guidance
NGA has updated its guide to strategy development for those leading and governing both in schools and in multi-academy trusts (MAT). It is a collaboration between NGA, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). There are now two versions of the guide: one for single schools, single academy trusts … Continue reading NGA publishes latest version of Being Strategic guidance
Were the year 6 SAT English reading tests more difficult than previous years?
There has been a lot of media coverage on the apparent difficulty of this year's SATs English reading tests. You can read the official government repsonse here, where they describe the process by which the tests are created and trialled. The conclusion is that "Evidence from these processes indicated that the tests were of similar … Continue reading Were the year 6 SAT English reading tests more difficult than previous years?
SEND improvement plan
In March the government announced its new SEND and alternative provision improvement plan which is available here. The Minister in charge of SEND, Claire Coutinho MP, noted "We will develop new national standards, covering early years, schools, colleges and alternative provision, so that parents and teachers know what should be ordinarily available" in a blog … Continue reading SEND improvement plan
NGA joins education coalition to stage ‘save our schools’ lobby of parliament
From the NGA website: Teachers, leaders, support staff and governors are joining forces to lobby MPs for a better deal for schools, colleges and children. Members will be highlighting to their MPs the unprecedented crisis facing the sector in particular as a result of the underfunding of education, staff shortages and the rising pressure on … Continue reading NGA joins education coalition to stage ‘save our schools’ lobby of parliament
Take the NGA’s annual governor survey
The National Governance Association (NGA) has just launched its thirteenth annual survey for governors, trustees, and local academy committee members in state schools across England. The survey covers a range of themes, including challenges facing schools and trusts, pupil success and wellbeing, and Ofsted. Responses to the survey will be used to amplify the voice of school governance in … Continue reading Take the NGA’s annual governor survey
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