General
Friday
NEU members willing to strike for higher pay
Biggest teaching union will decide whether to proceed to a formal ballot on strike action at its annual conference next week
Gove and Spielman given seats in the House of Lords
Former education secretary Michael Gove and former Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman have been awarded peerages today after being nominated by the Conservatives
Private school claims UK first as it accepts fees paid in Bitcoin
The move comes as independent schools across the UK continue to grapple with a range of pressures – from inflation to the introduction of VAT on fees
British Council to sell historic Spanish school
The Inspired Education international schools group will take over El Colegio Británico, which is the British Council’s only school and has been run by it for 85 years
Anti-racism training must be mandatory for all school staff, says NAHT
School leaders’ union also calls for the government’s curriculum review to promote more texts by authors from diverse cultures
Thursday
Nearly half of children in need persistently absent last year
Latest government data also shows that the percentage of children in need who are severely absent has been rising since 2020
More than half of secondary leaders made staff cuts this year
Many schools are ‘rapidly heading toward breaking point’, warns Sutton Trust as it releases new poll findings
Kebede: DfE should ban phones in schools to alleviate pressures
A national conversation about mobile phone use, online harm and the ‘damaging impact’ it has on young people is much needed, says NEU general secretary
Nearly a quarter of children spend over 4 hours a day on devices
A survey by the children’s commissioner also found that the majority of schools surveyed already have policies in place restricting mobile phone use
Tuesday
NEU: Government doesn’t have ‘much choice’ but to increase pay offer
If next year’s teacher pay award does not take steps to address the recruitment and retention crisis, the system risks ‘grinding to a halt’, says NEU’s Daniel Kebede
State-private school partnerships ‘can struggle to reach pupils’
Research into the impact of partnerships between state and private schools recommends outreach activities to get children and families engaged
