General
Friday
Plans for new MATs risk ‘collapse’ after grant cut
MAT plans that have been months or years in the making could be thrown into turmoil by the withdrawal of a ‘vital’ fund, warn leaders
Behaviour: Third of support staff witnesses verbal abuse every day
The formation of the government’s support staff negotiating body must lead to improved pay and conditions, says the UK’s largest union
Thursday
6 findings on how schools have coped with financial pressures
Many schools reported having to make cuts in response to stretched funding last year
Senior MPs demand more details on child poverty task force
Child poverty strategy must ensure that children with SEND are taken into account, says Commons Education Select Committee chair
Curriculum panel to ask why teachers face ‘content overload’
Curriculum and assessment review chair Professor Becky Francis says concerns about volume of content in classrooms have come up in conversations with teachers, pupils and parents
Maths ‘repetitive, lacking challenge and disconnected from real life’
Scottish inspectorate’s review of maths also flags inconsistent CPD, staff shortages and ‘strain’ on teachers due to rising numbers of pupils with ASN
Heads warn 2025-26 funding levels could mean more cuts
ASCL says more government funding will be needed to address historic pay erosion and meet ministers’ target of recruiting 6,500 more teachers
Widen teacher recruitment pool for shortage subjects, says expert
Recruitment difficulties in shortage subjects are not down to shrinking graduate numbers in related fields, finds research
Wednesday
Headteacher input ‘completely lost’ in inspection system
School leader tells conference ‘we need to get back to a point’ where heads are listened to on Ofsted processes
Trainee educational psychologists face ‘unprecedented financial challenges’
Grants have not been increased since 2018, with trainee educational psychologists saying financial pressure is ‘immense’ and ‘life feels bleak’
Ofsted ITT inspections paused after Bridget Phillipson request
Ofsted has paused updates planned for teacher training inspections in 2024-25, ahead of major changes being introduced in September 2025
2 in 5 teachers say mobile phones can be a teaching tool
Teachers have mixed views about phones in schools, research shows, with few saying that banning them would have a big impact on behaviour
