General
Thursday
PE and sport premium for primary schools scrapped
Replacement of the PE and sport premium with a new school sports ‘partnerships network’ has been described as ‘deeply concerning’ by heads’ leaders
Schools could face more legal disputes, SEND experts warn
Lawyers, charities and school leaders voice fears about the impact of planned SEND reforms on schools’ relationships with parents and the volume of complaints
Give review panels power to reinstate excluded pupils, says charity
Tens of thousands of pupils are being removed from mainstream education through an increase in ‘informal practices’ such as off-rolling, Coram Children’s Legal Centre warns
Statutory social media ban for under-16s demanded by MPs
Schools should not be able to adopt the ‘not seen or heard’ policy on mobile phones, education committee argues
DfE set to fall ‘significantly short’ on school nurseries target
Most primary schools without a nursery do not intend to open one and many lack suitable space, research finds
Wednesday
Globeducate acquires Spanish school with 75-year history
The acquisition strengthens the international school group’s presence in Spain, where it originated
Teach First to be awarded flagship teacher training contract
The High Potential Initial Teacher Training programme will be a key part of the government’s plans to recruit 6,500 more teachers by the end of the current Parliament
Ofsted will update toolkits to ‘clarify’ approach to disadvantage
Watchdog director insists that achievement grades from inspections are ‘fair’ – despite fears that schools with more disadvantaged pupils are being penalised
DfE urged to tackle unequal spread of pupils with SEND in schools
Pupils with SEND are being ‘clustered’ in a small number of schools that are strong on inclusion, creating unsustainable pressure and limiting others’ ability to build stronger practice, warns NFER research
Tuesday
Trott urges ‘separate provision’ for boys and girls in AP
Shadow education secretary says the current alternative provision system is ‘patchy’ and the quality is ‘not good enough across the board’
DSLs suffer ‘vicarious trauma’ and need supervision, say leaders
Designated safeguarding leads should be given ‘protected time’ for supervision support to help them cope with the stresses of the job, leaders tell a ÌÇÐÄVlog safeguarding event
SEND reforms risk ‘light EHCPs’ and more bureaucracy, leaders warn
Responding to the government’s consultation on its SEND reform plans, sector leaders also flag fears about funding and the workload implications
