The House of Lords has amended the children’s wellbeing and schools bill to include a clause that would force ministers to enact a social media ban for under-16s schoolsweek.co.uk/lords-passes...

This joint judgment area has prompted lots of discussion since the first Ofsted report cards were published. At least one school has been downgraded because their attendance was lacking, despite inspectors praising good behaviour. Martyn Oliver says it's something he'll be watching...

If a pupil is found with a phone at The Fulham Boys School, it is confiscated for six school weeks. It is thought to be one of the strictest restrictions on phone use in the country. Timely feature by @lydiach.bsky.social schoolsweek.co.uk/the-school-t...

Amid the ministerial churn towards the end of the Conservative government, academies minister Baroness Barran became the consistent face for the sector. I sat down with her to talk about handling the RAAC crisis, her childhood and whether she considers herself particularly political...

Ian Bauckham, Ofqual chief regulator, said the gov's plan to cut the time pupils spend taking GCSE exams by up to 3hours is 'sensible, rational and achievable'. Edu committee MPs are quizzing him this morning. Follow below for key points (story on the detail) schoolsweek.co.uk/ofqual-wont-...

Since it's starter pack season again, here's some reporters who report on social affairs, poverty, public services etc. Some of them post here more than others go.bsky.app/Hp9iayA

This is at one of my local family hubs - a testament to Bedford council, their breastfeeding support groups and children’s centres were a massive crutch on mat leave. My friends in other areas say they don’t have as many so I was very grateful.

The government looks set to hand itself sweeping powers to close MATs based on trust-level education failures alone, once new Ofsted trust inspections are introduced Here's everything you need to know... schoolsweek.co.uk/trust-inspec...

DfE is rolling this out nationwide - it remains optional for schools and pupils. But only 29 out of nearly 500 invited schools and colleges took part in a regional pilot last year. DfE has also given us further info on how it estimated a £30m saving for the sector (bye bye, photocopying) ⤵️

Exclusive: One of England’s biggest academy trusts is set to give up two special schools after deciding they would be better off in a specialist chain schoolsweek.co.uk/lift-academy...

Want to join the team here at @schoolsweek.bsky.social? We're looking for a brilliant reporter. Details below...

We are looking for a reporter to join team @schoolsweek.bsky.social - here's the qualities that we need ⤵️ Fit the bill? See how to apply here: www.journoresources.org.uk/job/reporter... Any questions, please feel free to drop me or @fcdwhittaker.bsky.social a message

Just a note to readers, we are waiting for the government's violence against women and girls strategy to be published in full before covering - a detailed piece on what's new should be on Schools Week later today

I've always been so proud to report for Schools Week, so I'm even more delighted to be able to have a part in editing it. @fcdwhittaker.bsky.social will be an immense editor, his historical knowledge of the education sector is hard to beat and his journalistic integrity is second to none.

We'll be saying more about our vision for Schools Week in the final edition of the year this Friday. If you don't already subscribe, please consider doing so. Great journalism is worth paying for schoolsweek.co.uk/subscribe-to...

Honoured to have been appointed as the next editor of Schools Week, starting in January. It's been a privilege to watch our fantastic newspaper grow in reach and influence since its launch in 2014 I'm also delighted our award-winning chief reporter Samantha Booth will be our deputy editor

I've always been so proud to report for Schools Week, so I'm even more delighted to be able to have a part in editing it. @fcdwhittaker.bsky.social will be an immense editor, his historical knowledge of the education sector is hard to beat and his journalistic integrity is second to none.

We're excited to name Freddie Whittaker as our next Editor and Samantha Booth as Deputy Editor from Jan 2026! Their leadership and reporting experience will drive Schools Week forward. Got story ideas? They’re listening. #EducationJournalism #SchoolsNews

❗The success of one of the highest-performing schools in the country has been 'achieved at too high a cost for some pupils', a safeguarding investigation has found

Big story from @lydiach.bsky.social - buried in Treasury documents, the government confirms it intends to allocate disadvantage funding to schools based on income data, not free school meals eligibility. It follows criticism that FSM is a poor proxy for poverty

Exclusive: Family income data will replace free school meals eligibility as the trigger for pupil premium and other deprivation funding for schools, the government has said schoolsweek.co.uk/pupil-premiu...

Presenting edition 413 of Schools Week 💷 Investigation: The council schools with million-pound deficits 🏫 School spotlight: Internal AP 👂 Fears over last-minute SEND listening exercise Plus teacher recruitment, free school meals, falling rolls and more Subscribe: schoolsweek.co.uk/subscribe-to...

Breaking: Trainee teacher numbers have grown by 11 per cent this year, with government over-recruiting would-be primary teachers but still missing its target for secondary schoolsweek.co.uk/trainee-teac...

Schools will be 'expected' to use a new government framework for supply teacher agency spending, which will include new caps on the rates companies can charge, ministers have announced schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-expe...

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson and DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood are appearing before the Education Committee. Follow along for live updates as they answer questions from MPs...

Breaking: Too many children are ‘falling out of step with the expectations of school life’ through absence, making them ‘more likely to cross boundaries, challenge teachers’ and disrupt learning, the head of Ofsted has warned schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-too-m...

'Missed opportunities' to keep pupils with SEND in school, and 8 more things we learned from Ofsted’s annual report for 2024-25 schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-warns...

So the £6bn SEND budget blackhole predicted by the OBR for 2028-29 is a 'matter for the next spending review', Phillipson has told Parliament This is due in 2027, and as set out earlier this year, will review budgets set at the latest SR in June for 28-29 and 29-30 Still, cutting it fine...

The government will set out how it intends to plug an estimated £6 billion shortfall in SEND funding at the next spending review in 2027, the education secretary has said schoolsweek.co.uk/6bn-send-sho...

Revelation of a £20 billon SEND blackhole has sparked a row between the Department for Education and the spending watchdog and upped the stakes on ministers to fix the system before the government absorbs its soaring costs schoolsweek.co.uk/budget-2025-...

Councils get allocated education funding via the DfE's Dedicated Schools Grant. This includes funding for SEND provision that educates and trains children and young people Some is delegated directly to schools & academies to spend, some goes via to LAs to allocate for high-needs provision

Finally got to the bottom of a confusing set of budget documents and OBR forecasts - Once override ends in 2028, govt takes on burden of rising SEND costs - OBR estimates £6.3bn pressure in year 1 - Govt has set out no plans to meet it, nor on whether existing deficits (to hit £14bn) will be wiped

No mention that I heard in Reeves' speech on this v. big deal - so we are waiting for the budget docs to confirm the situation

Breaking: Leaked OBR document states government will fund full cost of SEND provision from within central government departmental spending from 2028 - not clear if this means wiping the existing council deficits

❗A cash-strapped council facing a £183 million SEND black hole is warning ministers the deficit is 'forcing' them to make 'impossible financial decisions' with 'devastating consequences', ahead of tomorrow’s budget schoolsweek.co.uk/council-faci...

ICYMI: A council cited as a 'success' story of the government’s controversial £1 billion SEND spending bailout scheme for mostly clearing its deficit is facing a £4.5 million black hole schoolsweek.co.uk/send-safety-...

A social media post by the Department for Education lauding its achievements appears to have gone viral for the wrong reasons, as sector leaders slammed it as 'smug' and 'tone deaf' schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-social-m...

This post from DfE is going down like a sack of spuds. Many teachers replying with their experience from the frontline right now…

Interesting analysis by NFER today looking at the characteristics of 'high-SEND' schools...

Edu committee chair @helenhayes.bsky.social has written to ed sec @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social asking for more info on the SEND reforms "co-creation" process. ⤵️ Announcing the delay last month, BP decided to have a "further period of co-creation" to test proposals w parents, educators, experts.

🤖 Ministers will use AI to set minimum attendance targets for every school in England Targets will not be published, or be given to Ofsted - but failure to improve will result in a referral to RISE teams schoolsweek.co.uk/ai-to-set-mi...

📋Ofsted's new education inspections have launched this week, and I'm keen to find out what leaders and teachers make of them. If your school's inspected this week or next and you're up for sharing your thoughts, anonymously or otherwise, please do get in touch! Email in bio.

Sir Alan Carr

Exclusive: Ofqual will not publish detailed modelling that informed a key curriculum review policy to reduce the time pupils spend taking GCSE exams by around three hours schoolsweek.co.uk/ofqual-wont-...

📢 Join us on Friday for Under the CAR Bonnet - a free Schools Week webinar on the curriculum and assessment review We'll interview review chair Professor Becky Francis to get behind the headlines of her landmark report, followed by audience Q&A Sign up: events.zoom.us/ev/AofhjYOxI...

Breaking: The government is proposing sweeping reforms to progress 8, the main league table measure for secondary schools, in a bid to boost arts take-up – and will ditch the EBacc from this academic year https://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-ignores-francis-review-and-proposes-sweeping-progress-8-reform/

The government will introduce a new national curriculum from 2028, scrap the EBacc league table measure, make citizenship compulsory in primary schools and force all secondaries to offer triple science GCSE https://schoolsweek.co.uk/new-curriculum-to-be-introduced-in-2028-as-review-published/

🚨The curriculum review is out! First: Government commits to a new national curriculum in 2028. Will also replace year 6 writing test, new oracy framework, financial literacy in primary Our news story on the government's response to the key review findings: (1/4) schoolsweek.co.uk/new-curricul...

Professor Becky Francis has published her final curriculum and assessment review report. She spoke to Schools Week about some of its key recommendations and the thinking behind them https://schoolsweek.co.uk/interview-becky-francis-on-the-big-ideas-in-her-curriculum-review/

Breaking: Teacher pay should rise by 6.5 per cent over the next three years, government has said in its evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body https://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-suggests-6-5-teacher-pay-rise-but-over-three-years/