Education secretary @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social being interviewed at packed @csjthinktank.bsky.social and Parentkind fringe here at #lab2025

'What was incredible was the enormous generosity of the teachers and the leaders that we met, who were so open and honest about ‘look, this worked. This wasn’t great. If we did it again, we’d probably look at this’, warts and all'

Scoop: Mandatory reading test for year 8s (age 13) incoming in the schools white paper, due out this autumn DfE and Ofsted will have access to school results, but data will only be reported nationally and we understand it won't prompt intervention/early inspection

Edition 405, sneak peek: Scoop: Labour's white paper to introduce mandatory year 8 reading test Watchdog sides with school in fair banding row Long-read: Ofsted chief slams schools over 'tech tax' An inside look on how SEND reforms are shaping up

Scoop: Mandatory reading test for year 8s (age 13) incoming in the schools white paper, due out this autumn DfE and Ofsted will have access to school results, but data will only be reported nationally and we understand it won't prompt intervention/early inspection

Exclusive: The leadership of the NAHT is considering whether to ballot members for industrial action over Ofsted reforms Comes after snap poll of 2,000 members at an emergency meeting on Tuesday found 89% supported exploring industrial options schoolsweek.co.uk/naht-to-cons...

Which, of course, does not rule out the possibility of (a) restricting what 'support' is available, or (b) restricting how many children can access the support.

This form of words first emerged from DfE in mid-July; it's a slight dilution on an previous line, and obviously it's not a pledge to maintain children's current legal rights

The voices of children, their families and teachers will be 'at the forefront' of SEND reforms, the new education minister has said, as she promised 'there will always be a legal right to additional support' schoolsweek.co.uk/new-minister...

Standing room only for Westminster Hall debate on SEND, called in response to this petition calling for legal rights to be maintained petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71... Shows the deep concern about upcoming reforms among MPs Watch here: www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...

Politics is a brutal business. It was good to sit down and talk to @cmckinnellmp.bsky.social about her time as schools minister, the 'jolt' of the reshuffle and what life outside government may look like schoolsweek.co.uk/mckinnell-i-...

Ofsted has renamed its controversial five new headline grades, reduced the number of core areas for inspection and will enlarge its inspection teams in response to its consultation on planned new report cards Here’s what you need to know… schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-repor...

New Ofsted report cards will create more anxiety on leaders with already 'concerningly high' stress levels, a wellbeing impact report commissioned by the watchdog has warned schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-repor...

Proud to present edition 402 of @schoolsweek.bsky.social Scoop: Ofsted plans more 'shadow' inspections to test consistency Locked down: The schools forced to take emergency measures Profile: Gareth Conyard of the Teacher Development Trust Subscribe: schoolsweek.co.uk/subscribe-to...

It's GCSE and other level 1 & 2 qualifications results day and team @schoolsweek.bsky.social has you covered... Here's our breaking news story on how top grades have risen (again), but Ofqual insists results remain 'stable' schoolsweek.co.uk/gcses-2025-t...

Good to speak to new NASUWT leader Matt Wrack this week - Rules out merging with another union 'for now' - Insists lack of teaching background won't hamper him - Says union must better engage members after election turnout of 4.7% schoolsweek.co.uk/matt-wrack-g...

Ofsted's answer to growing unrest about the pace of its report card reforms? Webinars. schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-plans...

So after DfE publishes its 150-page writing framework right at the end of term but with a note saying it will have to be changed once the final curriculum review report is out, the DfE has clarified it won't update it until after curriculum changes are actually put in place...

Teachers shape lives. Ros Tyler inspired a lifelong love of music in me and countless others. I recently had the privilege of going back to my school to celebrate her memory, in aid of Longfield care. Donations are still open youtu.be/lnFuIN5vGYY www.justgiving.com/page/stars-r...

Breaking: After four years and hundreds of thousands of points of public money spent, the first DfE-backed legal action by an academy trust against its former trustees is over, after it reached secret settlements with the remaining three defendants schoolsweek.co.uk/schoolscompa...

It sure is good to live on the southeastern network during a heatwave. Boy the air conditioning on those 100 year old trains is existent

Appointment of former chief inspector Christine Gilbert as chair of Ofsted is fascinating. She didn't hold back in her review of Ofsted's response to the death of Ruth Perry, and specifically ordered it to strengthen its board to rein in the chief inspector schoolsweek.co.uk/christine-gi...

Big scoop from Schools Week today

There are now more adverts on paid-for Amazon prime than there were on terrestrial telly in the bloody 90s

Rift Widens Between Elon Musk, Anyone Who Ever Met Him

Interesting from @theifs.bsky.social on the FSM extension to all UC households. They predict 1.7m children will benefit long-term and it will lift 100k out of poverty But costs and benefits smaller in short-term due to UC transitional protections schoolsweek.co.uk/free-school-...

Edition 395 of @schoolsweek.bsky.social done and dusted Everything you need to know about today's pay announcement @jackydys.bsky.social on high needs funding woes Plus @johndickenssw.bsky.social long-read on the backlash to government SEND thinking Subscribe: schoolsweek.co.uk/subscribe-to...

Daniel Kebede of @neunion.bsky.social: 'Unless the government commit to fully funding the pay rise then it is likely that the NEU will register a dispute with the government on the issue of funding' schoolsweek.co.uk/teacher-pay-...

Conservatives in Parliament livid teacher pay announcement won't come until this afternoon (22 May) STRB publication dates in previous years... 29 July 2024 13 July 2023 19 July 2022 21 July 2021 21 July 2020 22 July 2019 24 July 2018

I went into business selling velcro but they called me a rip off merchant

Breaking: Officials are considering shaking up the system of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) that would likely lead to a narrowing or new structure of support as part of major SEND reforms, a government adviser has said schoolsweek.co.uk/ehcp-shake-u...

Edition 393 sneak peek: Scoop: Ofsted mulls inspection reform delay Story: how budget cuts are putting trusts and unions on collision course @matthewhood.bsky.social on why it’s time to ditch EHCPs (and how to replace them) @steverollett.bsky.social on changing the trust funding narrative

found a TfL FOI response about buses, made a thing to play with: edjefferson.com/busiestbusst...

#NAHTconf now debating an emergency motion following the recent Supreme Court ruling It states the judgment 'is putting school leaders in a very difficult positions as they try to understand what it means for their staff and children'

This motion has also passed here at #NAHTconf

Today at #NAHTconf delegates have passed a motion calling on its leadership to explore all 'legal and industrial options' in opposing Ofsted's reforms. The union lodged a claim for judicial review yesterday schoolsweek.co.uk/naht-launche...

Spotted in the hall at #NAHTconf: DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood and lead non executive director Sir Kevan Collins

Now #NAHTconf is hearing from general secretary Paul Whiteman He says 'overall message today to people today, especially to those that seek to criticise unions speaking for their members is this: be in no doubt that what NAHT says is a faithful and accurate articulation of the views of its members

NAHT conference in Harrogate is about to hear a speech by its new president, Angi Gibson #NAHTconf

Good to speak to Paul Whiteman ahead of @naht.org.uk conference We discussed a motion calling for academies to be allowed to return to council oversight, why govt shouldn’t ‘flinch’ at accusations it’s soft on standards and his Ofsted reform fears schoolsweek.co.uk/heads-union-...

Parliament's education committee hearing from experts from the health sector about the SEND crisis. Lisa O’Connor, vice president of the Association of Educational Psychologists, says ‘major changes’ to council budgets to have impacted on capacity and delivery of EP services

In February, the DfE named 754 schools that were to be 'early adopters' of its breakfast clubs programme A list published this week shows 79 of them have already dropped out 89 new schools have been added, but it points to serious funding and logistical concerns schoolsweek.co.uk/79-schools-w...

Except the funding for schools is woefully inadequate. Just like funding for free school meals has failed to keep up with actual costs, funding for breakfast clubs means schools will have to subsidise whilst also battling unfunded pay rises. Once again rhetoric trumps delivery

Nominations for NASUWT gen sec have closed. Union not saying if anyone has secured 25 branch nominations to challenge Matt Wrack 'The union will undertake the required checks on the validity of all nominations received and an announcement will be made at the conclusion of this process next week'

NASUWT conference debating an urgent motion stating the Supreme Court ruling this week 'may lead to policies both inside and outside of educational workplaces, that put transgender and non-binary teachers at significant risk of abuse, inequality and harm'

This motion has passed. @nasuwt-official.bsky.social's executive has been ordered to 'reiterate publicly that there is no desire by NASUWT to consider any union amalgamation or merger'

Fresh calls for a merger between the NASUWT and NEU have riled up some NASUWT members (including on its ruling executive) They are now calling on the leadership to 'reiterate publicly that there is no desire by NASUWT to consider any union amalgamation or merger'

Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of @nasuwt-official.bsky.social, is addressing its annual conference in Liverpool, his final address as general secretary 'At this Conference last year, we called for change. A New Government for a New Deal

This is fascinating. Already fined £150k in 2023 for its ballot of support staff members, the NEU now resolute in its determination to defy agreements with Unison, GMB, Unite not to actively recruit their members. A fight is brewing in the TUC…

Cheers then Harrogate and #NEU2025. Now off to Liverpool for @nasuwt-official.bsky.social conference!