General
Tuesday
21st Jan 2025
Dame Alison Peacock: State schools ‘self-impose’ accountability
Chartered College of Teaching boss says the independent school sector has ‘a lot to teach the state sector’ in how to help pupils ‘flourish’
Heads’ union ‘not convinced’ schools bill rules out pay ceiling
ASCL wants an amendment to the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to avoid setting limits on teacher pay and conditions
Measure pupil wellbeing, DfE told
But including pupil wellbeing in school accountability measures is ‘fraught with dangers’, headteachers’ leader warns
Monday
20th Jan 2025
Ban mobile phones in Scottish schools, say Tories
A ban would help to address violence and disruption in classrooms, the party argues, as it accuses the Scottish government of failing to get a grip on behaviour in schools
Call for ‘content clarity’ in Scottish curriculum
All pupils in Scotland should experience the same knowledge, skills and experiences ‘regardless of the school they attend’, argues a new paper
Expansion of major MAT referred to ministers
Plans for Delta Academies Trust to take on six schools run by a coastal trust have been sent to the education secretary for a decision
Most school budgets will fall short in 2025-26, unions find
School Cuts coalition’s analysis shows 94% of secondary schools and 76% of primaries are not on course to meet rising costs
Friday
17th Jan 2025
Give private schools public funds to widen access, says commission
Pupil premium funding could be given to private schools that take on more disadvantaged pupils, says commission funded by the independent sector
Exclusive
Should children spend more time in school?
Scottish pupils generally receive 950 learning hours in primary and 1,045 in secondary – but a survey finds a ‘range of views’ on these norms and a ‘prevalent theme’ that there are not enough hours
Rob Haring to step down as CEO of Westcountry Schools Trust
Having led the 31-school trust since its inception in 2011, Rob Haring will retire at the end of December
CST calls for changes to DfE bill over pay flexibility
The Confederation of School Trusts is ‘very concerned’ about the schools part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
Heads urge Ofsted to delay new inspections until 2026
Over 90% of heads do not have confidence in Ofsted being able to design an effective new inspection framework, NAHT warns