Several articles focus on the issues with SEND funding - here are a few of them: Schools Week has documented the growing crisis; BBC: Councils in England are forecasting a massive shortfall in budgets for SEND; The Guardian: Record 576,000 pupils have special needs support plan in England; The Independent: Children with special needs are … Continue reading Problems with SEND provision
Tag: DfE
Climate and Sustainability Education Toolkit
The Foundation for Education Development (FED) have released a toolkit to equip teachers, sustainability leads and their teams, with the tools, knowledge and confidence they need to deliver their Climate Action Plans, which need to be in place by 2025. The toolkit is linked to the DfE's "Sustainability and climate change: a strategy for the … Continue reading Climate and Sustainability Education Toolkit
Keeping children safe in education 2024
The updated version of Keeping children safe in education is now available from the DfE (comes into effect in September). There aren't many changes, but you can read a summary by The Key of the new version. Links to both the full document and the summary are on our website on the Key Documents page.
Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision
The latest data release on transforming children and young people’s mental health provision from the DfE notes that only 44% of pupils have access to the Mental Health Support Team (MHST) programme, marking progress towards the target of 54% by March 2025. The data also shows that 74% of schools and colleges have applied for … Continue reading Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision
New RSHE guidance
The DfE has launched a consultation on its proposed new RSHE guidance: What it means for sex education lessons in schools. The guidance includes the following: Introducing age limits, to ensure children aren’t being taught about sensitive and complex subjects before they are ready to fully understand them. The concept of gender identity – the … Continue reading New RSHE guidance
Safeguarding Children in Schools and Colleges
The Department for Education (DfE) have launched a 12-week call for evidence (from 28 March), to take the views of schools, colleges, and other professionals on safeguarding practice development and direction, in advance of Keeping children safe in education 2025 (KCSIE). Your reflections, experience, and suggestions in this call for evidence will help to inform … Continue reading Safeguarding Children in Schools and Colleges
Government ends Inspiring Governance contract
The DfE have agreed to continue funding the Inspiring Governance service to support schools and academies for a further six months, but DfE funding of the Inspiring Governance school governor recruitment service will come to an end on September 30th, 2024. DfE funding for the service was reduced by 45% from April 2021, and over … Continue reading Government ends Inspiring Governance contract
List of administrative tasks that teachers should not be expected to undertake
In the latest update of the government's School teachers' pay and conditions report (19 March 2024), a new section has been included that lists tasks that teachers should not be expected to undertake (an earlier version had existed back in 2013). This is one of the actions resulting from the initial recommendations from the government’s … Continue reading List of administrative tasks that teachers should not be expected to undertake
New governance guides replace the Governance Handbook
The Department for Education (DfE) has published two new governance guides, to replace the Governance Handbook: Maintained Schools Governance Guide Academy Trust Governance Guide The new guides change the format and streamline things, but do not include any new requirements. So Boards/Trusts do not need to take any action other than to ensure they are aware … Continue reading New governance guides replace the Governance Handbook
DfE approach to teacher pay award for 2024/25
A newly published document (February 2024) sets out Department for Education’s view on the considerations for an appropriate pay award for teachers and leaders in 2024/25. It notes that "Great schools need great teachers and leaders, and a competitive salary" but then goes on to state: it is the department's view that [there should be … Continue reading DfE approach to teacher pay award for 2024/25
Responding to requests for wraparound childcare
This new guidance from the DfE will help schools and academy trusts understand how to respond to: parents’ and carers’ requests that the school their child attends considers establishing wraparound or holiday childcare childcare providers’ requests to use school facilities for wraparound or holiday provision at times when the school is not using them It … Continue reading Responding to requests for wraparound childcare
Primary assessments: future dates
The DfE provides guidance that summarises future assessment dates in primary schools, to assist schools with their forward planning. This covers: Academic year 2023 to 2024 Academic year 2024 to 2025 Academic year 2025 to 2026 This is available on the DfE website, here.
Flexible working in schools
The DfE has issued an updated version of its non-statutory guidance for employers and staff who want to make arrangements for flexible working. This guidance is for: employers developing flexible working policies or processing flexible working requests, including headteachers governors chief executive officers local governing bodies trustees school employees requesting flexible working local authorities providing … Continue reading Flexible working in schools
Government confirms plans to permanently remove RAAC from all schools and colleges in England
The DfE announced on 8 February 2024 that measures to permanently remove Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) from all affected schools and colleges, have been confirmed by the Government. You can read the announcement on their website here, which includes a list to all the schools and colleges affected.
Government responds to Ofsted criticism in RE row
The BBC reported that Ofsted had criticised Wolverhampton's RE - in a report to Wolverhampton SACRE, Oftsed had said that the city's religious education was not sufficient to prepare young people for adult life in such a diverse and multicultural community. The BBC then approached the DfE for a response, and reports that they stated … Continue reading Government responds to Ofsted criticism in RE row
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