Thursday
KCSIE criticised for ‘watered down’ advice on online searches
Legal experts challenge the DfE’s decision not to mandate social media checks when schools are recruiting staff, in its updated Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance
Almost 1 in 5 pupils off school at peak of heatwave
Schools in England had the highest daily absence rate so far during the 2025-26 academic year in June, when temperatures reached 37.7C
Suspensions and exclusions data: sanctions for pupils with EHCPs rise
Suspensions and permanent exclusions have reduced nationally for the first time since the pandemic, but suspensions are up in primary and for pupils with education, health and care plans
Bridget Phillipson: Support body will end staff pay inequality
The education secretary writes for ÌÇÐÄVlog to explain why she hopes new anti-bullying guidance and a negotiating body for support staff will have a real impact for all those in schools
The MAT CEO pay cap is a watershed moment - but it’s risky
The government is right to tighten oversight of trust executive pay, but the policy must not lead to approval bottlenecks or battles between MATs and ministers, says NGA’s Sam Henson
Wednesday
Experts play down DfE role in teacher workforce recovery
The Department for Education has engineered ‘very little’ of a recovery in the teacher workforce, with factors beyond the government’s control playing a big part, says EPI
DfE standards must guide the sector, not tell us what to do
The government’s creation of new standards for trusts and inclusion offers an opportunity to set out clear principles – instead of just writing up new checklists, says the Confederation of School Trusts’ Leora Cruddas
Tuesday
AI tutors ‘make more work’ for teachers, experts say
With the DfE planning to introduce AI tutoring tools next year, experts tell an MPs’ committee that some tools can leave teachers ‘bogged down’ with ‘low-level’ work
Nearly half of primaries struggle to find time for languagesÂ
Languages are coming ‘under pressure’ from primary school onwards – but the primary experience is key to enthusiasm for languages in secondaries, finds British Council
Andrew O’Neill: ‘A school usually fails due to its systems, not its staff’
In our How I Lead series, we ask education leaders to reflect on their careers, their experience and their leadership philosophy. This month we talk to Andrew O’Neill, headteacher and currently school policy and delivery adviser to education secretary Bridget Phillipson
