General
Thursday
12th Dec 2024
Unions warn Phillipson 2.8% pay rise would derail recruitment plans
The increase would be ‘a real-terms pay cut’ and undermine the government’s target to recruit 6,500 teachers, a letter from four main education unions tells education secretary
Five things we learned from the 2024 exams
Malpractice reports were down in this year’s exam series, but incidents with an impact on exam delivery showed an increase
FMQs: Tories attack Swinney over ‘collapse of discipline’ in Scottish schools
Opposition parties make education the focus of First Minister’s Questions, after week of concerns over teacher numbers and rising numbers of pupils with ASN
Big rise in children missing education, DfE data shows
Meanwhile, separate DfE statistics show a sharp increase in children who are in elective home education
One in seven local authority schools in deficit, data shows
The income that schools generate themselves is now at its highest since the current form of records began
Wednesday
11th Dec 2024
GTCS confirms rise in teachers’ annual registration fees
Series of rises in GTCS registration fees will amount to a 35% increase on the current level by 2027
Investigation into suspected illegal collusion on school repair bids
The Competition and Markets Authority says it has reason to suspect some companies colluded to ‘rig bids’ for the Condition Improvement Fund
Tuesday
10th Dec 2024
DfE recommends 2.8% teacher pay rise for 2025-26
The Department for Education has published its evidence to the STRB
Ofsted to review use of AI in schools
The watchdog will ask how schools are monitoring ‘intended and unintended impacts’ of artificial intelligence and look at the role of leaders in embedding its use
Gilruth vows to increase teacher numbers under new deal with councils
Councils to get extra £69m to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels – pupil learning hours will also be frozen and teachers’ non-class contact time ‘rapidly’ progressed
Literacy and numeracy attainment remains steady in Scotland
Most primary and secondary pupils are hitting the expected level or better for their age and stage in literacy and numeracy, with Scottish government highlighting marginal gains