The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill aims to change the law to better protect children and raise standards in education. The bill and its supporting documents are available on the UK Parliament website. The policy summary contains information on the measures within the bill. It sets out: what the government aims to achieve through each … Continue reading Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill 2024: policy summary
Author: Bruce Levitan
Pupil absence in schools in England
The latest data set for the academic year 2023/24 has been released. The headline finding is that overall and persistent absence decreased from 2022/23 to 2023/24. You can view the details in full here. Alongside this youn can also view details on pupil attendance in schools in the current academic year so far on the … Continue reading Pupil absence in schools in England
No child left behind in plans to narrow the digital divide in education
The DfE, alongside the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, have today (21 March 2025) launched a consultation on their plans to make digital standards a requirement for all schools, alongside £45 million investment to improve connectivity. The press release states: "Schools across the country are being supported by the government to close the digital … Continue reading No child left behind in plans to narrow the digital divide in education
Curriculum and Assessment Review: interim report
The DfE published its independent review of the curriculum and assessment system in England, with statistical analysis on 18 March 2025. In July 2024, the Government commissioned Professor Becky Francis CBE to convene and chair a panel of experts to conduct the Curriculum and Assessment Review. This is their first interuim report. The evidence shows … Continue reading Curriculum and Assessment Review: interim report
Worsening speech and language skills
A YouGov survey commissioned by assessment provider GL Assessment (a Renaissance company), shows that teachers are grappling with increasing numbers of children starting school who have poor speech and language skills. 44% of primary school teachers say up to 1 in 5 children struggle to communicate at the expected level for their age, and a … Continue reading Worsening speech and language skills
Safer smartphones and social media: What do Britons want?
A new report from The New Britain Project and More in Common for the National Education Union finds that across Britain, there are high levels of concern about the impact that social media is having on young people. For parents, social media tops the list of negative impacts on their children's mental health. Almost two … Continue reading Safer smartphones and social media: What do Britons want?
Disadvantaged pupils risk losing out as their funding increasingly used to plug budget gaps
A new report from the Government's Public Accounts Committe (PAC) finds that disadvantaged children may not be benefitting from funding intended for them, with the Department for Education (DfE) possessing only a limited picture of how schools are spending billions in funding associated with disadvantage. The report highlights that 47% of senior school leaders were … Continue reading Disadvantaged pupils risk losing out as their funding increasingly used to plug budget gaps
The Jamie Oliver Good School Food Awards
Do you think your school does something special in terms of school meals, food education or food fitness? Then pop along to Jamie Oliver's Good School Food Awards website and nominate in one or more of the categories. Good School Food Awards
Who has been registered for free school meals and pupil premium in the National Pupil Database?
This is the title of a new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI). It explores the strengths and weaknesses of free school meals (FSM) and Pupil Premium (PP) as measures for identifying disadvantaged pupils in England. It finds significant differences between the number of children estimated to be living in poverty and those who … Continue reading Who has been registered for free school meals and pupil premium in the National Pupil Database?
‘PDNS for Schools’ cyber security service
‘PDNS for Schools’ is a cyber security service, developed by the NCSC, that’s designed to protect schools from a variety of online threats. NCSC is offering ‘PDNS for Schools’ free of charge to a wider range of organisations. This will mean more schools – regardless of their resources – can now benefit from enhanced cyber … Continue reading ‘PDNS for Schools’ cyber security service
Raising the Nation Play Commission ‘State of Play’ report
Raising the Nation Play Commission, a year-long independent inquiry into why play is critical to the wellbeing of children in England, published its Interim Report, ‘State of Play’ on February 24th. It reveals the growing barriers to play in England, including playground closures, concerns about traffic and safety, cuts to park budgets and play facilities, … Continue reading Raising the Nation Play Commission ‘State of Play’ report
SEND in crisis campaign
The f40 group of local authorities, of which Derbyshire is one, have started a campaign for: A SEND funding strategy, linked to the SEND and AP Improvement Plan, focusing on early intervention and inclusion. Additional SEND revenue funding – f40 has calculated that £4.6bn more is required per year. Substantial one-off capital funding to expand … Continue reading SEND in crisis campaign
Serious youth violence research programme
The DfE has put up a web page with links to reports which explore how systems of support may protect young people from, or expose them to, involvement in serious youth violence. These reports are from the serious violence research programme, which is co-led by the Department for Education and Youth Endowment Fund. You can … Continue reading Serious youth violence research programme
Supporting children aged 16 and 17 who need help when they are homeless
A new report from Ofsted highlihtes that although in 2022–23, a report by the Children’s Commissioner revealed that approximately 6,500 16- and 17-year-olds reported being homeless, the true scale of homelessness for 16- and 17-year-olds is a ‘hidden issue’. Many children are living in unstable environments, such as staying with a friend, and may not … Continue reading Supporting children aged 16 and 17 who need help when they are homeless
Online safety
Two recent surveys highlight manyn of the safety issues around children using the Internet. A BBC Teach survey, underatken by Censuswide found that more than three-quarters (80%) of primary school teachers are aware of at least one safeguarding incident linked to online safety in the past 12 months. Meanwhile, a third (36%) of teachers reported … Continue reading Online safety
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