Category Archives: Education policy

Pizzas, iPads and praise stamps: pupils reap rewards for attending school

Posted on by

Schools combining incentives with sanctions saw better response than those relying purely on punishment

Pizza parties and iPads are being offered to pupils as incentives to improve school attendance, according to a new report which says sanctions alone are less likely to work.

While some schools in England are using fines, detentions and letters home to crack down on absence, others prefer a rewards-based approach, with prize draws for bikes and iPads, trips and “praise stamps” which pupils collect then trade in for chocolates or stationery.

Continue reading...

Toilet training and cutlery use key part of England’s ‘school-readiness skills list’

Posted on by

Checkpoints backed by education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, follow complaints from teachers of children arriving in nappies

Toilet training and the ability to use cutlery are two key checkpoints in a new list of “school-readiness” skills developed by a coalition of early-years educators and endorsed by Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary.

The group said the guidance was the first of its type, intended to help parents to prepare children starting in reception classes in England from the age of four and came after complaints from teachers of children arriving at school in nappies, lacking basic skills and unable to play with others.

Continue reading...

‘Worse than the Tories’: cultural figures question Labour plans for arts in schools

Posted on by

Government must scrap English baccalaureate to make arts more accessible to working-class children, critics say

Leading cultural figures have expressed doubts about the government’s commitment to restoring the creative arts in English schools, with one warning that Labour has “lost the plot” and “the current signs are they are worse than the Tories”.

When Labour won the election, it promised to expand opportunities for working-class children by broadening the school curriculum to include more drama, art, music and sport alongside the core academic subjects.

Continue reading...

Ministers urged to add audiobooks to England’s new schools curriculum

Posted on by

Charity calls for move after poll finds ‘crisis’ levels of reading for pleasure and rise in 8- to 18-year-olds enjoying audio

The government has been urged to include audiobooks in the new schools curriculum in England, after research showed fewer children were reading books for pleasure and more were listening to them instead.

A poll by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) found that children’s enjoyment of listening to audio and podcasts had risen compared with the previous year, overtaking their enjoyment of reading for the first time since the charity began asking about audio in 2020.

Continue reading...

Ofsted’s new school report card worse than old system, say headteachers

Posted on by

Unions as well as school leaders say proposed changes to replace four-grade approach in England are ‘demoralising’

Moves to overhaul the way schools are inspected in England have been criticised by headteachers and teaching unions as “demoralising” and worse than the system they are aiming to replace.

The changes by the Ofsted schools inspectorate would replace single judgments such as “outstanding” with a new report card for parents. They will be unveiled by Ofsted’s chief inspector, Martyn Oliver, on Monday alongside the launch of a public consultation.

Continue reading...

Ofsted overhaul for English schools to be put out for public consultation

Posted on by

Five-step rating from ‘exemplary’ to ‘causing concern’ set to replace single-word judgments

Schools in England are likely to be judged on a new five-step scale, under proposals by the Ofsted inspectorate to be put out for public consultation as soon as next week.

The consultation is the culmination of plans by the government to overhaul the way schools are rated, with Labour having pledged to scrap inspection reports using single headline grades such as “outstanding” or “inadequate” after a coroner’s report said an Ofsted inspection had contributed to the death of Ruth Perry, a headteacher, in 2023.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

Continue reading...

State school pupils in England may have to drop GSCE Latin after funding pulled

Posted on by

DfE urged to delay ending funding of popular programme so that hundreds of students can complete their courses

• Axing the Latin excellence scheme: a classic mistake

State school pupils taking GCSE Latin may be forced to drop the subject or even have to teach themselves after the government ends funding for a popular programme that has increased the numbers learning Latin across England.

School leaders, scholars and authors are urging the Department for Education to offer a reprieve to the Latin excellenceprogramme, to enable hundreds of students to complete their GCSE courses and allow schools time to find additional support.

Continue reading...

Labour’s private school tax plan strongly backed by public, poll shows

Posted on by

Government accuses Tories and rightwing media of being ‘out of touch’, as VAT policy due to come into force

The government has accused critics of its plan to put VAT on private school fees of being detached from the real world after polling showed the policy, which will come into force on 1 January, is strongly backed by the public.

The poll, commissioned by the Private Education Policy Forum (PEPF) thinktank, found that 54% of people backed the idea, with 22% opposing it. This is an even greater margin of support than seen in similar polls carried out before the election.

Continue reading...

Children’s development ‘put back by years’ due to failure of special educational needs system

Posted on by

Local government ombudsman report into SEND in England offers damning assessment

England’s special education system is failing, causing thousands of children to have their development put back by months or even years, according to a damning report by the local government ombudsman.

Amerdeep Somal, the local government and social care ombudsman, said her caseload was now dominated by complaints from families involving special educational needs (Sen) provision and schools, with more than 90% of complaints being upheld.

Continue reading...

Tests for year 1 pupils in England should be dropped, headteachers urge

Posted on by

NAHT says early checks on phonics, arithmetic and English in primary schools are potential waste of time and funding

Primary school pupils in England should not face compulsory tests on phonics, times tables or grammar and punctuation, an influential headteachers’ union has advised the government.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) told the government’s national curriculum and assessment review that there was an “urgent need” to reconsider the phonics check of reading ability, along with the multiplication check and tests of spelling, grammar and punctuation, as a potential waste of school time and funding.

Continue reading...

Schools in England could be judged on scale of colours in Ofsted proposals

Posted on by

Inspectorate aims to replace single headline grade such as outstanding with assessment of 10 key areas

Schools could be judged on a five-step scale of colours or descriptions across 10 separate areas, such as inclusion and belonging, according to proposals by England’s schools inspectorate.

The proposals by Ofsted aim to replace inspection reports that culminate in a single headline grade such as outstanding, which Labour pledged to scrap after a coroner’s report said Ofsted’s inspection had contributed to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry last year.

Continue reading...

Special educational needs bill in England hits record £10bn a year

Posted on by

National Audit Office report finds no signs of improvement in lives of pupils despite record spending

The bill for special needs education in England has hit £10bn a year, with the number of children and young people entitled to government support in the form of education, health and care plans set to double to 1 million within a decade, a landmark report has found.

The investigation by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that despite record levels of spending there had been no signs of improvement in the lives of children with special educational needs (SEN).

Continue reading...

Widen access to classical music with free lessons, says Errollyn Wallen

Posted on by

First Black woman to become Master of the King’s Music says cuts to education means ‘we’ve lost so much talent’

All children should be taught musical instruments for free at school to widen access to classical music, according to the first Black woman to be appointed Master of the King’s Music.

The Belize-born composer, pianist and singer-songwriter Errollyn Wallen says she plans to use her new role to influence “the things I feel are important in music-making today,” in particular better music education for children.

Continue reading...

Reports to NSPCC helpline of physical punishment of children triple in year

Posted on by

Charity says rise ‘hugely concerning’ and calls for change in law in England and Northern Ireland in line with rest of UK

Concerns raised to the NSPCC helpline about children being physically punished have more than tripled in a year, the charity has said.

Helpline staff heard about children being hit, slapped and shaken, with 45% of the concerns raised requiring a referral to social services, the police or other agencies.

The NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000.

Continue reading...

Education secretary warns of ‘baked-in’ inequality in English school system

Posted on by

Bridget Phillipson says she is determined to reduce attainment gap as teenagers anticipate A-level results

The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has warned of “massive” inequality in England’s education system, as students brace themselves for this week’s A-level results.

After 14 years of Conservative government, Phillipson said educational inequalities were “baked in”, citing regional disparities in results and attainment gaps between children at state and private schools.

Continue reading...

English pupil funding at same level as when Tories took power, study finds

Posted on by

Real-terms funding per pupil at 2010 levels, teacher pay at 2001 levels, and building investment 25% below mid-2000s

Spending on each schoolchild’s education in England has suffered an unprecedented 14-year-freeze since the Conservatives came to power, according to Britain’s leading economics thinktank.

Funding per pupil is now at 2010 levels in real terms, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said in its latest analysis of school spending, while teacher pay was at about the same real-terms level as in 2001.

Continue reading...

UK free school meal allowances too low for healthy lunches, study finds

Posted on by

Researchers also find lack of fresh fruit and vegetables in schools and say portion sizes sometimes not enough

Free school meal allowances are not enough for students from lower-income backgrounds to buy healthy school lunches, research suggests.

The study, presented at the European Congress of Obesity (ECO), involved 42 pupils aged between 11 and 15 at seven schools across the UK.

Continue reading...

One in three teachers have no behaviour support for pupils with additional needs, poll finds

Posted on by

Long waiting lists and insufficient resources part of system that is ‘failing’ children, according to NEU members in England and Wales

One in three teachers say they have no behaviour support team for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), while one in four have no educational psychologist or speech and language therapist to help them, according to a union survey.

The online poll, which attracted responses from 8,000 members of the National Education Union (NEU), indicated that seven in eight teachers feel resources are insufficient to meet growing demand, with three-quarters calling for more learning support assistants in classrooms.

Continue reading...

Labour under pressure to say whether it would keep free hours childcare system

Posted on by

Gillian Keegan asks Bridget Phillipson to clarify after party refuses to commit to sticking to plan if it wins power

Labour is under pressure to clarify whether it would keep the government’s free hours childcare system, after the party refused to commit to the plan beyond the next election.

A shadow cabinet minister said on Monday that Labour “will not reduce” the number of free childcare hours parents were entitled to in England if it entered government.

Continue reading...

Goldsmiths academics to strike over ‘incomprehensible’ redundancies

Posted on by

Union says cuts will make the creative powerhouse unrecognisable and risk unprecedented industrial unrest

Staff at Goldsmiths, University of London have voted to strike over plans for an “almost incomprehensible” number of redundancies, a trade union has announced.

More than 87% of University and College Union (UCU) members at the south London institution voted for strike action in a ballot with a turnout of 69%, as well as backing action short of a strike, such as a boycott on marking papers and submissions.

Continue reading...