The amount the DfE has spent on influencer marketing at a time when schools are struggling for cash has been described as a ‘kick in the teeth’ for teachers

New: DfE's influencer spend tops £700k since 2024, raising questions over gov't priorities from shadow education sec Laura Trott. For Lib Dems' Munira Wilson, it's a “kick in the teeth”. @tesmagazine.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/dfe-spending-on-social-media-influencers-criticised

🚨EXCL: Teachers will get a 3.5% pay deal for the upcoming year. - Schools to fund the first 1% - A further 3% offered for 2027-28 More from @tesmagazine.bsky.social: www.tes.com/magazine/new...

With schools facing statutory phone bans from September, what does the research tell us about how to implement the policy? A new study warns of unintended consequences, finds @jasminenorden.bsky.social

Great piece by Jasmine Norden on what Andy Burnham's record as mayor of Greater Manchester tells us about how he might approach education if (and when) he becomes PM. www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

More than 25% of schools have closed early and DfE faces warnings of a return to "Covid-era school cancellations”. Great piece by @cerysturner.bsky.social ; @jabedahmed.bsky.social and @ktorm-social1.bsky.social on how schools have coped with a record heatwave. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

"If I were a school leader, my burning questions this morning would be: can we afford this? What will our base teach? How will we be held accountable for what is delivered?" @johngroberts.bsky.social with a superb analysis of new inclusion base guidance www.tes.com/magazine/new...

The DfE has published guidance on how schools should run inclusion bases – part of its plan to make mainstream schools more inclusive for pupils with SEND

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson was accused of being ‘a spiteful class warrior’ by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch over the introduction of VAT on private school fees

Ofsted chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver faced MPs' questions today on the new inspections. Here’s what he had to say on…. ➡️ The impact of inspections on leaders' wellbeing ➡️ The controversial achievement grade ➡️ Judging attendance and behaviour together

‘Don’t allow internal politics and past loyalties to jeopardise the progress being made in education': @naht.org.uk chief Paul Whiteman writes for Tes on why the next prime minister should let education stick to the plan

27 degrees will be on the cool side in the next five days... The article goes on to cite research that behaviour gets worse above 25 degrees.

A reminder of this from last month: @ascl-uk.bsky.social and @neunion.bsky.social calling for a temperature limit for school operations as we head into this heatwave. The temps this week look unbearable in classrooms, even if most saying PE kit all week. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

An exam board has apologised after finding mistake in “all versions” of a GCSE science paper. Exclusive by @ktorm-social1.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Excl: Exam board Pearson halted marking on a GCSE higher-tier maths exam after saying it wasn’t “confident” marks were being correctly recorded. Pearson tells Tes the issue is now fixed with no impact on accuracy. @tesmagazine.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/new...

It will take a ‘heroic effort’ for the government to achieve its target of all schools being covered by mental health support teams by 2030, experts tell MPs

Today’s government announcement about banning under-16s from social media has won support from school leaders – but fears have been raised about implementation and holding tech companies to account

The number of pupils with EHCPs has increased by 24 per cent over the past 2 years, according to new DfE data on SEND support

2026 GCSE and A level entries data reveals reductions in entries for 8/15 EBacc subjects and higher uptake in 9/17 non-Ebacc qualifications. Combined science remains the most popular GCSE and maths the A level with highest entry figures. @tesmagazine.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Exclusive: Exam board AQA has apologised after students sitting a GCSE maths paper this morning found that the exam contained information intended for another paper

Heads warn of ‘unsafe’ role of school staff in medical care - @johngroberts.bsky.social reports www.tes.com/magazine/new... @naht.org.uk @tesmagazine.bsky.social

Nearly seven in 10 applications to the Condition Improvement Fund failed to secure funding – but the DfE did approve 813 projects in the 2026-27 round

Exclusive: Headteacher Andrew O’Neill will remain as the DfE’s school policy adviser after being seconded for a second year

Almost one in five senior leaders in primary schools have had to ask a parent to stop vaping on the premises this year, polling reveals. The findings come as the government considers legal changes that would make it illegal to smoke or vape anywhere on school grounds. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

‘There is a real likelihood for schools of increased numbers of parental challenges’: lawyers, charities and school leaders voice fears about the impact of the government’s planned SEND reforms

The education committee has urged the government to enforce a statutory ban on social media for children under 16, arguing that tech companies can’t be relied upon to self-regulate

The government is set to miss its target to open 3,000 school-based nurseries, with @suttontrust.bsky.social research showing that most school leaders without existing provision are unlikely to open one

Exclusive: Ofsted says it will update its inspection toolkits to clarify how it judges the performance of disadvantaged pupils, amid fears that schools with more children on FSM are being unfairly penalised

Exclusive: Teach First has won the contract to deliver the government’s flagship teacher training scheme – @cerysturner.bsky.social has the full story ⬇️

ADHD has been oversimplified, misreported and misunderstood, argues professor Gaia Scerif. “It’s a spectrum,” she argues, and the environment a person is in can often determine whether support is actually even needed. A must read interview this morning. www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

As the latest Ofsted data is published today showing report outcomes, I have spoken to its national director of education Lee Owston on concerns about achievement and inclusion grades and the watchdog's plans for next year. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

The government’s planned SEND reforms risk creating more bureaucracy for schools, with the proposed individual support plans becoming ‘light EHCPs’, @naht.org.uk warns

Major changes on the horizon for schools from September and beyond. @jasminenorden.bsky.social has pulled it altogether here for @tesmagazine.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

The next academic year brings a huge amount of change for schools to manage and implement. Is your school ready? @jasminenorden.bsky.social has all the details here: www.tes.com/magazine/ana... (A fantastic timeline from our art director Nige, too!)

Excellent piece by @johngroberts.bsky.social assessing the tension between Ofsted findings and inclusion in schools. Data says nearly 90% of schools meet the expected standard but policymakers appear to want major changes. @tesmagazine.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Sendcos need better pay, more strategic input and monthly supervision sessions to prevent ‘burnout’, according to leaders

Specialist provision packages are set to underpin the support pupils with the most complex SEND receive in a reformed system but leaders are concerned that children could fall through the gaps and highlight widespread problems with the categories the DfE has suggested. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Some news - I have rejoined @tesmagazine.bsky.social as senior writer! I'll be working on features and analysis about schools and beyond. Drop me a line on [email protected]

Ofsted is a “driver of misery” and a danger to safe working conditions for school staff, the incoming president of the NAHT school leaders’ union will warn as its conference gets underway in Belfast today. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Really good piece by @ktorm-social1.bsky.social investigating the rise in suspensions among primary school pupils. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Ministers are being warned that “many” schools may lack the capacity to manage complaints about the individual support plans (ISP) proposed in the government’s special educational needs reforms. Story from select committee chair Helen Hayes' letter to DfE. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Ambassadors for the DfE’s flexible-working scheme have voiced concerns that the programme did not reach the schools ‘most in need’ of support, a government review finds

Academy trusts boosted the amount of money they raised themselves by nearly 25 per cent in a year, Tes analysis shows. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Digital literacy should be taught across all subjects, says @aqaeducation.bsky.social - @johngroberts.bsky.social reports www.tes.com/magazine/new... @tesmagazine.bsky.social

Phones in school: Labour's committed to reviewing its guidance via the national behaviour survey and updating 'if needed' by September 2027. Worth noting that the DfE's last survey found far more teachers than students said phone policies were being followed... www.tes.com/magazine/new...

The DfE’s annual academy trust accounts report offers several key sector insights, including: 🔸 More trusts in deficit 🔸 Trusts get millions in extra government support 🔸 More trusts paying at least one person £150K or more @jabedahmed.bsky.social has the full details here ⬇️

New Tes research shows most teachers do not feel equipped to support pupils experiencing emotionally based school avoidance. Greater investment in specialist support from health and social care professionals, and training and resources for schools is essential. https://bit.ly/4u7cabY

An independent inquiry triggered after a Jewish MP’s visit to a Bristol school was postponed last year has concluded that neither the school nor the trust involved are antisemitic

New @fftedudatalab.bsky.social research has identified 73 SEND magnet schools where the level of pupils with EHCPs is markedly higher than would be expected given the rates in their local area. It has also found they tend to achieve negative Progress 8 scores. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

More on the plans set out today, which would put existing guidance on a statutory footing. (The guidance doesn’t say phones can’t be taken to school, but that they should be stored out of sight eg in lockers.) www.tes.com/magazine/new...