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• Labour Party Persistent School Absence Plans

  Wednesday, January 10, 2024

  Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson set out the party’s proposed measures yesterday. These include improved mental health support for pupils, free breakfast clubs for primary schools, and using Ofsted to review attendance data.

• DfE Announces Campaign to Improve School Attendance

  Tuesday, January 9, 2024

  Eighteen new attendance hubs across six regions will increase the total number of hubs to 32 - supporting almost 2,000 schools. School leaders interested in joining a hub this term need to register their interest by Monday, 15 January.
  
  Direct support offered to pupils and their families is also increasing by expanding the attendance mentor pilot programme with an investment of up to £15 million.
  
  Plus a national communications campaign aimed at parents on the importance of attendance has been launched.

• Ofsted Inspections Paused to Allow for Inspector Training

  Monday, January 8, 2024

  School inspections are being paused until Monday, 22 January to accommodate mental health awareness training for all inspectors. Ofsted’s new Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver also announced the launch of the Big Listen, to begin later this term, to hear directly from parents and professionals about the strengths and weaknesses of Ofsted’s current approach to inspection and regulation.

• Pearson Announces Plans for On-screen Exams

  Saturday, January 6, 2024

  Pearson Edexcel announced yesterday that 125,000 pupils will be offered the opportunity to sit their GCSE English Language and English Literature exams on-screen from Summer 2025, subject to Ofqual approval.
  
  Sharon Hague, managing director for Pearson Schools, said the online exams mark a “pivotal moment” and they have heard “loud and clear from students and teachers that they want a choice in how they take exams”.

• Prevention of Future Deaths Report

  Thursday, January 4, 2024

  The prevention of future deaths report, published following inquest into death of headteacher Ruth Perry, has left Ofsted and the government with 56 days to set out proposed actions to be taken to respond to the coroner’s concerns.

• DfE SEND and Alternative Provision Change Programme

  Wednesday, January 3, 2024

  Now it’s 2024, the DfE’s £70 million SEND and Alternative Provision Change Programme will start moving into a slightly higher gear. As part of this programme, the DfE and its consortium of consultants will be road-testing some new policy proposals, including the creation of a ‘tailored list’ of placements.
  
  Under this proposal, when an EHCP is created or amended, parent carers and young people would select a preferred placement from a so-called ‘tailored list’ that has been prepared by the local authority.
  
  The ‘tailored list’ is one of the more controversial policies in the SEND & AP Improvement Plan. At this stage, it’s a proposal, not a legal requirement. In the Improvement Plan, the DfE says it is “committed to delivering” tailored lists – but for now, the intent is to see if the policy is workable (SpecialNeedsJungle.com).

• New Draft Guidance on Gender-Questioning Pupils

  Tuesday, January 2, 2024

  Teachers in England will not be made to inform pupils’ parents when their child asks questions about gender identity, but parents will need to be told if the pupil requests any changes related to gender, such as using a different name or wearing a different uniform.

• Unions React to DfE’s ‘Gender Questioning Children’ Guidance

  Thursday, December 21, 2023

  The NASUWT and the ASCL have commented on the release of the DfE’s new ‘Gender Questioning Children’ guidance. ASCL General secretary, Geoff Barton, said he welcomed the fact the draft guidance had been published but criticised the government for delaying publication. Mr Barton added: “Getting to the stage of publication is only one part of the equation – the other important consideration is whether it is actually helpful”. The ASCL will review the guidance to see if it is clear and deliverable, and examine the extent of the additional workload that will be placed on staff. The NASUWT also criticised the timing and delay of the draft guidance and advised schools not to pre-empt the conclusions of the consultation. Controversially, DfE lawyers advised against elements of the guidance that were still included in the draft publication despite being flagged as placing schools at “high risk” of successful legal challenges.

• ‘Gender Questioning Children’ Draft Guidance and Consultation Released

  Wednesday, December 20, 2023

  The DfE published its draft ‘Gender Questioning Children’ guidance document for consultation. The non-statutory guidance aims to provide practical advice to schools to “help them make decisions regarding children who are questioning their gender”. A forward by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and Minister for Women and Equalities Kemi Badenoch states that the guidance has been produced in response to a “significant increase in the number of children questioning the way they feel about being a boy or a girl”, adding that “this changing picture has left schools and colleges in a position where they are having to navigate a highly sensitive, complex issue, which is still not properly understood”.

• ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023’ (WTSC) Published

  Monday, December 18, 2023

  The changes include an improved emphasis on the importance of strong multi-agency partnership working across the whole system to safeguard and protect children.
  
  Further revisions were made to chapter three to reiterate attention on how organisations and agencies help children and their families. In later chapters, existing information has been clarified including the role of children’s social care and the expectation for keeping in touch with care leavers over the age of 21.