From September 2026 all schools have to implement the updated guidance from the DfE on the Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum. This includes having an updated policy. There are various provisions at both primary and secondary level. For example there is stronger focus on physical and digital safety, the use of accurate anatomical … Continue reading Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education
Tag: Primary
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
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) Annual Report
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) Annual Report looks at the state of education in England, with a focus on the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. EPI’s 2025 Annual Report considers the attainment of vulnerable groups of students at the ages of 5, 11, 16 and by 18. The report analyses attainment gaps based … Continue reading The Education Policy Institute (EPI) Annual Report
The Age 11 Dip
We all know that transition from primary to secondary school is a big change and challenge for young people, so it's no surprise - but very alarming - that this new report based on 80,000 children's responses, shows that more than one in four pupils begin to disengage from school during Year 7. The findings … Continue reading The Age 11 Dip
New trial will find out if Oak’s AI-powered lesson planning tool can reduce workload while maintaining quality
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is inviting primary schools to take part in trial of Aila, Oak National Academy’s AI-powered lesson planning assistant. Launched on 12th May, the EEF is recruiting around 450 primary school teachers to take part. Find out more here.
Providing Safe Spaces for neurodivergent children and why it’s important.
An interesting blog article from Cheryl Warren of Hope Education, covering the principles of Vestibular – the sense of movement, Proprioception – the sense of body position, and Interoception – the internal senses, what’s going on inside. 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
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
Schools’ responses to financial pressures 2023
This newly published report from the DfE is based on last year's figures so is not entirely up to date, but it tells a story we are all familiar with, and which has not improved since then. The research and analysis was carried out by BMG Research and CooperGibson Research. Most schools felt they were … Continue reading Schools’ responses to financial pressures 2023
How Schools Can Close the Digital Skills Gap
This is a new report from ProjectEVOLVE based on an annual research review conducted by Professor Andy Phippen. The report highlights most teachings with ProjectEVOLVE happens in primary schools, with by far the biggest proportion being in Key Stage 2. There is a significant tail off around aspect use in secondary schools. The report identifies … Continue reading How Schools Can Close the Digital Skills Gap
School-Based Nursery Capital Grant
The School-Based Nursery Capital Grant is a one-time grant available for eligible state-funded primary-phase schools. Schools can bid for up to £150,000 of funding to use solely for capital expenditure, to convert surplus space within a school building so that it is suitable for nursery provision. Schools must submit their application, including all supporting documents, … Continue reading School-Based Nursery Capital Grant
What happens to bright 5-year-olds from poor backgrounds?
The results of a longitudinal study by John Jerrim and Maria Palma Carvajal of the UCL Social Research Institute conclude that "We find that "the cognitive skills of bright 5-year-olds from low-income families keep pace with those of children from high-income families through to the end of primary school. However, the transition into secondary is … Continue reading What happens to bright 5-year-olds from poor backgrounds?
Understanding current practice and research priorities in teaching Writing
A new report from The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) focuses on furthering the understanding of current practice and research priorities in teaching Writing. Key findings include: Similarities in schools between all key stages in terms of their approaches and/or programmes to teach Writing, and how the decisions on the approach to Writing are made and … Continue reading Understanding current practice and research priorities in teaching Writing
How do the last five years measure up on levelling up?
The IFS has issued a new report looking at the effectiveness of the Levelling Up strategy. It covers more than just education, but in the case of education it finds that The share of pupils in England meeting the expected standards at the end of primary school has fallen from 65% in 2018–19 to 60% … Continue reading How do the last five years measure up on levelling up?
Free breakfast clubs in schools
An article by the Institute for Fiscal Studies looks at the issue of school breakfast clubs and analyses Labour's promise to expand provision to all primary schools. Some of their conclusions are: breakfast clubs can be a cheap way to provide nutritional support to children; breakfast clubs have been shown to boost grades; breakfast clubs … Continue reading Free breakfast clubs in schools
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