Ofsted publish aggregated management information monthly, and publications of inspections and outcomes from 2005 onwards are available here. The latest report is dated 28 Feb 2025. You can download it from the Ofsted websiote, here.
Author: Bruce Levitan
Education Secretary keynote speech at Festival of Childhood
Here is the full transcript of Bridget Phillipson's address at the Festival of Childhood from 3 April 2025. Among other things she mentioned the government's investment of over £8bn in Early Years, funding for 300 primary schools to expand their nurseries and set up new ones, uplift in the early years pupil premium for disadvantaged … Continue reading Education Secretary keynote speech at Festival of Childhood
Education and Skills Funding Agency transfer into the Department for Education
As of 1st April 2025 the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) transferred into the Department for Education. A letter from its outgoing CEO David Withey was published on March 31st to accounting officers in academy trusts and colleges. You can read it here.
School capacity 2023-24
The latest government statistics on school pupil numbers shows that the trend of diminishing pupil numbers since 2018/19 is continuing. The total anticipated number of primary pupils forecast by local authorities in England shows a decline of around 1% per year until the end of the forecast period (2028/29). In contrast, the total number of forecast … Continue reading School capacity 2023-24
Martyn Oliver’s speech at the ASCL Annual Conference
You can read the full transcript of Martyn Oliver's recent speech on the Ofsted website, here. He is to be a keynote speaker at the forthcoming NGA annual conference in July: find out more here.
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill 2024: policy summary
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
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
