General
Tuesday
10th Dec 2024
High rates of persistent pupil absence in Scottish schools
School attendance data shows slight improvement in persistent absence rates, but they remain at high levels compared with pre-Covid years
Number of teachers in Scottish primaries drops by over 600 in a year
Teacher numbers fell in 26 of Scotland’s 32 councils between 2023 and 2024 – with just 13 per cent of new primary teachers securing a permanent job by September
Oak independent review delayed until next year
The review into Oak National Academy was originally expected to conclude by September 2024, but is now expected in ‘early 2025’
SEND: Deficits to reach ‘absurd’ £8bn without reform
Increasing specialist provision in mainstream schools will be costly and require ‘massive change’, warns Institute of Fiscal Studies
Friday
6th Dec 2024
The reasons Scottish teachers give for leaving the profession
GTCS research over a 19-month period looks at why thousands of teachers did not renew their registration
MAT Tracker regional deep dive: West Midlands
ÌÇÐÄVlog examines the outlook for the academies sector in the West Midlands, as part of our MAT Tracker series delving into regional movements and trends
‘Excessive workload’ pushes teachers to switch into support roles
Findings suggest many qualified teachers are working as TAs, but the notion they’ll get an ‘easy ride’ is ‘well wide of the mark’, warns union leader
Exclusive
Thursday
5th Dec 2024
Tough conditions forced ‘poorly informed’ cutbacks on school estate
DfE capital advisers found that smaller trusts and SATs, in particular, often did not have the funds to employ dedicated estates specialists
Creative Education Trust announces new chief executive
Nicole McCartney will take over at the 17-school trust in 2025-26, with Marc Jordan stepping down after 15 years in charge
Extending report card consultation is not ‘off the table’, Ofsted chief says
Sir Martyn Oliver says Ofsted’s plans for new inspections have not yet been tested because it is about to launch a ‘genuine consultation’ rather than presenting a solution
Drop in recruits to primary teacher training
The government saw an increase in entrants to secondary ITT, but still missed its target by 38 per cent