A blog post from NFER looks at the potential impact on school finances of the projected falls in pupil numbers. The Department for Education forecasts primary pupil numbers will fall by five per cent (ca. 185,000 pupils) between January 2025 and 2028, with a further drop of approximately 115,000 pupils expected from January 2028 and … Continue reading Pupil numbers and school finances
Category: News
Strategic school improvement capital budget (SSICB)
The Department for Education has issued new guidance for potential incoming responsible bodies that may need capital funding to support a school joining a strong trust through the sponsorship funding route, i.e. academy trusts taking on new schools. It is aimed at situations where the costs of taking on a school might be prohibitive. You … Continue reading Strategic school improvement capital budget (SSICB)
Children in need: 2024 to 2025
The government's annual release containing statistics on children in need in England and referrals to and assessments completed by children’s social care services. You can read it here.
The Wealth Gap
A new report from the Fairness Foundation looks at the impact of the wealth gap across a wide range of societal factors. One of the findings is that it leads to unfair inequalities in children's mental health and wellbeing. The report notes that wealthier families may be able to provide more enriching experiences, live in … Continue reading The Wealth Gap
Windows 10 End of Support: What Schools Need to Know
A useful summary for schools on Windows 10 support coming to an end is available here on the S4S website.
Additional inequalities holding more girls back from sport
New data from the Youth Sport Trust’s annual Girls Active Survey has found that girls with multiple characteristics of inequality are being left behind in PE and school sport. The survey reveals that girls with two or more characteristics of inequality, such as being from a low-income family, a non-majority ethnicity, or having Special Educational … Continue reading Additional inequalities holding more girls back from sport
Double Disadvantage?
"Double Disadvantage?" is the title of a new report from the Sutton Trust focussing on support for children with SEND. It concludes that The number of children with SEND is growing. Since 2014, the rate of growth has been faster for children not eligible for free school meals (FSM) in many categories of SEND, with … Continue reading Double Disadvantage?
Bridget Phillipson annonces Year 8 reading assessment
In her speech at the Confederation of School Trusts conference on 15 October Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson announced that statutory assessment in year 8 to assess reading fluency and comprehension is to be introduced. She followed this up with an open letter explaining her reasoning. You can read it on the DfE … Continue reading Bridget Phillipson annonces Year 8 reading assessment
How is the decline in pupil numbers affecting schools
The recent NFER Teacher Voice Omnibus Survey found that the majority of primary and secondary leaders reported anticipating an in-year budget deficit for 2025/26. Previous Teacher Voice surveys have shown that senior leaders’ expectations may be overly pessimistic, which may also reflect the impact of corrective actions taken mid-year by schools and the Government to … Continue reading How is the decline in pupil numbers affecting schools
Fraud awareness: good practice for education and training providers
The DfE has published guidance on fraud covering: general advice on fraud; suggestions for developing counter fraud policies and approaches; information on cyber related fraud You can download it here.
SEND reform
The Education Select Committee has published its long-awaited report on SEND reform on 18 September 2025. You can download it from the UK Parliament website here. Speech and Language UK gave the report an 8 out of 10 mark and identify two areas where it falls short - you can read about them on their … Continue reading SEND reform
New statutory guidance on RHSE comes into force
From September this year a new set of statutory guidance for RHSE has been published by the DfE. In paragraph 61 it states: "As well as fulfilling their legal obligations, governing boards and proprietors of academy trusts should also make sure that: all pupils make progress in achieving the expected educational outcomes teaching is accessible … Continue reading New statutory guidance on RHSE comes into force
What is the effect of the two-child limit on children’s school readiness?
A new report from The Institute for Fiscal Studies looks at the impact of the so-called "two-child limit" on child benefits. It shows that despite the average loss in benefit income for the child from the policy was an average of £10,200 over the first five years of the third or subsequent child’s life, there … Continue reading What is the effect of the two-child limit on children’s school readiness?
Edurio Parent Experience Report 2025
Edurio have published their new Parent Experience Report for 2025. It brings together feedback from more than 72,000 parents in the 2024/2025 academic year. It offers a three-year perspective on how communication, engagement, and trust in schools have shifted over time. You can download it from their website here (required fee registration).
Ofsted confirms changes to education inspection
On 9th September Oftsed announced that the new report card based inspection regime will commence in November 2025. You can view videos of the report cards from their website here, this page also summarises the announcement. Here are the links to the full toolkits for each of the educational settings: Early years State-funded schools Non-association … Continue reading Ofsted confirms changes to education inspection
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