With SEND so much in the news lately, it's no suprise that the DfE is providing funding for new resources in education, inlcuding a pilot with up to £1.7m available to help children with SEND achieve and thrive at their local school. ‘Lending libraries’ will be set up in up to 32 local authorities and … Continue reading Thousands of children with SEND to benefit from assistive tech
Tag: DfE
Local authority school places scorecards
The latest scorecards, which display a snapshot of the progress each local authority across England, are now available on the DfE website, here. The scorecards cover the following areas: Number of places that have been delivered between 2009/10 and 2023/24; Percentage of unfilled places in 2023/24; DfEs estimate of places still needed for 2026/27; DfE's … Continue reading Local authority school places scorecards
Updated DfE guidance on governance
The DfE have relased an update (25 June) to the Maintained schools governance guide 2025 which was initially released in October 2024. The June 25 update is summarised on their website here, and the full manual is available here. Similarly updated guidance for academies is available here, and the full manual here.
Ofsted announces delay to consultation outcome
Ofsted had aimed to publish a response to its recent consulation during the summer term, but has now has announced that its response to the consultation on a new inspection model will be delayed until September 2025 due to the high number of responses received (over 6,500 responses from parents, education professionals and representative bodies). … Continue reading Ofsted announces delay to consultation outcome
How DfE handles whistleblowing disclosures
The DfE published information on how they define and deal with whistleblowing on 10 June. Here is the link to their policy statement.
Government AI guidance
The DfE released support materials to help schools and colleges use AI (artificial intelligence) safely and effectively on 10 June. There are four modules for staff and one for leaders: Understanding AI in education;Interacting with generative AI in education;Safe use of generative AI in education;Use cases of generative AI in education; Using AI in education: … Continue reading Government AI guidance
Teacher 2025 pay award
The DfE announced a 4% pay award on 22 may, but the catch is that schools will have to find 1% of this from their own resources. You can read the statement from the DfE on their website, here. The NGA's response both welcomes the early annoucement and level of award, but criticises the fact … Continue reading Teacher 2025 pay award
Improved PE and sport for more than 240,000 pupils with SEND
The DfE has launched its Inclusion 2028 programme which will improve access to PE and school sports for pupils with SEND. The aim is to train 10,000 teachers and practitioners in England across three years and 8,000 schools. You can read the full press release here.
Support for children and young people with special educational needs
In response to the recent Public Accounts Committee report on the Government's handling of SEND, the DfE published their intentions on 9 May. In it they respond to the 7 conclusions that the PAC had published: The SEN system is inconsistent, inequitable and not delivering in line with expectations, which inevitably undermines parents’ confidence in … Continue reading Support for children and young people with special educational needs
Animated guide to Working Together to Safeguard Children
The DfE have produced a colourful animated guide to Working Together to Safeguard Children - you can find it on YouTube here. An accompanying PDF document suitabloe for children and families is on their website, here.
DfE Sustainability and climate change strategy
The DfE's Sustainability and climate change strategy for schools is availbale from their website, here.
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.
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
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
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