This year's AGM will be held at the March meeting of the DSGA Executive. Please note change of date - the meeting has moved to 29 March at 7:00pm (online). A Zoom link will be emailed in due course.
Author: Bruce Levitan
The schools white paper policy tracker: What’s still left?
This article from Schools Week analyses the outcomes (so far) from the recent DfE ‘Opportunity for All’ White Paper. You can read it here, but below are the bare bones of how things are going: The two ‘ambitions’ - neither of these is on track An excellent teacher for every child: 2 delivered, 1 on track, … Continue reading The schools white paper policy tracker: What’s still left?
Unleashing the Power of Chat GPT in Education!
A thought provoking article from primary school teacher Faheemah Vachhiat puts forward some positive thoughts about the controversial AI-based chatbot Chat GPT. She provides excamples in English and Maths lessons, and posits that it can be a useful tool in lesson preparation. She doesn't tackle the issue of use by children to provide homework answers - … Continue reading Unleashing the Power of Chat GPT in Education!
A review and meta-analysis of the evidence on learning during the COVID-19 pandemic
A new article published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour provides a detailed survey of the effects of COVID on children's learning across 15 countries. The authors record a substantial overall learning deficit which arose early in the pandemic and persists over time. Learning deficits are particularly large among children from low socio-economic backgrounds. They are also larger … Continue reading A review and meta-analysis of the evidence on learning during the COVID-19 pandemic
Derbyshire Traded Services Satisfaction Survey
Here is your opportunity to provide feedback to DCC regarding their services for schools (S4S and Traded Services). They have put up this online survey. The questionnaire should take you 10 minutes to complete.
Governing Board Newsletter
The latest newsletter from Derbyshire S4S is now available. You can download it from their website here (you will need to login to do so) or you can download it from DSGA here.
Upcoming training from Derbyshire S4S
Below is a selection of upcoming courses from Derbyshire S4S (those that are applicable to Governors). You should contact your clerk before making a booking un less you have agreed that you can book the courses directly. To access the course details you will need to login to S4S. Inspection readyFor those new to headship, … Continue reading Upcoming training from Derbyshire S4S
Digging deeper in lesson observations
An interesting blog article by Adam Robbins, CPD Lead practioner and author deals with classroom observation, and in particular the use of leverage points. Although this is aimed mainly at observation by teachers, there are some interesting thoughts that governors could take on board as well. You can read it on Adam's blog "Reflections on Education" here.
Deliveries of defibrillators to all schools begin
In July of 2022 the government promised that all state schools without a defibrillator will be provided one by government by the end of the 22/23 academic year. Roll out has begun with the award, in December 2022, of the supply contract to the company Lyreco and this announcement on January 23rd by the DfE. A guide on how to use … Continue reading Deliveries of defibrillators to all schools begin
Ofsted boss surprised by pre-teens with smartphones
Ofsted's chief inspector Amanda Spielman says she is "surprised" when primary school children have smartphones. She was being interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live about influencer Andrew Tate, who has been detained as part of an investigation into allegations of human trafficking and rape - which he denies. This BBC News article by Education correspondent … Continue reading Ofsted boss surprised by pre-teens with smartphones
NEU to take strike action over pay
In its ongoing campaign for a fully-funded, above inflation pay rise, teacher members of the National Education Union in England and Wales and support staff in Wales have voted overwhelmingly for strike action and the ballot has successfully surpassed the restrictive thresholds set by Government for strike action. The question put was, "Are you prepared to take … Continue reading NEU to take strike action over pay
Prime Minister sets ambition of maths to 18
In his first speech of 2023, the Prime Minister set out his priorities for the year ahead and ambition for a better future for Britain. As part of this, he will set a new ambition of ensuring that all school pupils in England study some form of maths to the age of 18. He will commit to starting the work of introducing maths to 18 in this Parliament and finishing it in the next.
Teacher Wellbeing Index
Education Support's annual survey of over 3,082 education staff found that in 2022 record numbers of UK teachers and education staff have considered leaving the sector in the past academic year due to pressures on their mental health and wellbeing. You can read more about it, including downloading the full report, on their website here.
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