Friday
Somerville: Classroom support staff numbers must not fall
Scottish education cannot be improved if there are dwindling numbers of pupil support assistants, says Scottish education secretary
‘Most adults’ should be able to speak a foreign language
People should see language learning as a life skill – like operating a computer or driving a car, says the director of Scotland’s National Centre for Languages
‘Responsibility for teacher strikes lies with government’
The Labour shadow schools minister explains why he believes the first teacher strikes are the culmination of 12 years of under-investment in education by the Conservative party – and why it shows change is needed
Friday
6 charts that show why all schools won’t be in trusts by 2030
From the changing size of multi-academy trusts to the surprising regional variations in academy growth, these six graphs from the NFER show why there is a long way to go before a fully academised system will be achieved
Why the government must slow down plans for an all-MAT system
The co-author of a major new NFER report explains why the data suggests that the government should take time to convince more local authorities of the benefits of a fully trust-led system
Why getting teacher recruitment right is proving so difficult
Many schools are struggling to recruit teachers in Scotland – yet many teachers are struggling to find jobs. Emma Seith explores the reasons for this persistent problem
Thursday
DfE to miss teacher pay review deadline
A school leaders’ union will now also be asking for an extension to the deadline
Government to enforce minimum learning hours
The Scottish government is also expected to ‘lock’ the pupil-teacher ratio at current levels amid council proposals to cut teacher jobs
Labour will ‘demand’ MATs cooperate with councils on admissions
Shadow education secretary tells conference the party wants to ‘smooth the differences’ of a two-tier school system
3 days ‘not enough to fix schools’ RI issues’
DfE-appointed school improvement experts say they are not being given enough time to help schools rated ‘requires improvement’
Ministers’ silence on Schools White Paper ‘worrying’, says CST chief
Leora Cruddas highlights concerns that new DFE ministers have still not said what parts of the Schools White Paper they intend to take forward
