More funding needed for food standards boost - caterers But the government says switching to more fruit, vegetables and fibre won’t cost more

Catering experts say more funding is key to the successful roll-out of an 'ambitious' government overhaul of school food standards.

From financial pressures to monitoring compliance, we examine some of the challenges that could be in store...

schoolsweek.co.uk/we-need-more...

Big Education's merger with Oasis given go-ahead The London trust decided to join forces with another MAT after deciding 'three schools is too small'

✅ High-profile academy merger plans for a pioneering three-school trust in London to join one of England’s biggest MATs have been given the official go-ahead
schoolsweek.co.uk/big-educatio...

DfE set to make school phone ban guidance statutory The department said it will give 'legal force to what schools are already doing in practice'

The Department for Education is set to introduce a statutory mobile phone ban in schools, to give 'legal force to what schools are already doing'

schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-set-to-make-school-p...

Time for a reality check over health services in schools If the government is serious about improving outcomes, it must be honest about its intent

'Clinical healthcare in education settings cannot keep shifting to schools. The SEND proposals and draft medical conditions guidance do nothing to address the structural gaps and fall short of the policy rhetoric'

schoolsweek.co.uk/its-time-for...

SEND reforms make the home-school relationship more critical When parents feel heard it’s easier for families and schools to work together for the benefit of everyone

'Many parents feel the system is working against them. Some get stuck in combat mode as they may have had to fight to get their child’s needs met'

schoolsweek.co.uk/parents-send-reforms-mak...

More funding needed for food standards boost - caterers But the government says switching to more fruit, vegetables and fibre won’t cost more

An 'ambitious' government overhaul of school food standards is on the table, but catering experts say more funding will be essential to its successful delivery.

We've looked at some of the challenges that could be in store...

schoolsweek.co.uk/we-need-more...

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White paper reforms must enrich all pupils The enrichment framework will only succeed if the needs of all pupils and their schools are factored-in

'For the initiative to succeed for all pupils, we need generous support from government, charities and altruistically minded businesses'

schoolsweek.co.uk/white-paper-reforms-must...

Academy CEO pay rises again, but women miss out at the top Almost 100 academy trust bosses are paid eye-watering salaries of more than £200,000

💸 Investigation: Almost 100 academy trust bosses are paid eye-watering salaries of over £200,000, prompting calls for an NHS-style executive pay framework

Read our annual CEO pay audit in full 🔽
schoolsweek.co.uk/academy-boss...

Education questions in Parliament: Live blog Education secretary Bridget Phillipson and her ministers will take questions from MPs in the Commons

Education ministers were asked about school food standards, falling rolls and MAT accountability in the House of Commons this afternoon.

Catch up on our live blog ⬇️
schoolsweek.co.uk/education-questions-in-p...

Trust posts £3.4m deficit after raiding reserves Brooke Weston's strategy 'has been to utilise cash reserves to invest in resources'

📉 The bosses of a cash-strapped academy trust have blamed its £3.4 million deficit on a strategy that considered hoarding reserves 'inappropriate' and saw them plough resources into securing ‘good’ Ofsteds
schoolsweek.co.uk/ailing-trust...

Education questions in Parliament: Live blog Education secretary Bridget Phillipson and her ministers will take questions from MPs in the Commons

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is set to be grilled by MPs in Parliament this afternoon.

Follow our live blog for updates...
schoolsweek.co.uk/education-questions-in-p...

📰 Schools news: The weekly round-up

Check out this week's news summary. If you still need to register for our newsletter updates, you can sign-up at the below link.

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Children not in education registers 'burdensome', says pilot Department for Education data suggests 117,000 children were missing from school in 2022-23

England’s councils could face an uphill battle when creating compulsory registers of children not in school after a Welsh pilot found it took staff a 'disproportionate effort'
schoolsweek.co.uk/registers-of-children-no...

'SEND reforms are stronger because we engaged' Georgia Gould on the schools white paper, her early view of unfairness and making school 'unmissable'

'I think the way the previous government framed education was too narrow'

Schools minister Georgia Gould speaks on the SEND white paper, her early view of unfairness and making school 'unmissable'

schoolsweek.co.uk/send-reforms-are-stronge...

Lessons from Singapore in shaping school system culture Timeless constants come from the institutions willing to think and act with the same long horizon

'If large trusts can cultivate the kind of shared culture and long-term orientation seen in Singapore, then coherence is not beyond our reach'

schoolsweek.co.uk/lessons-from-singapore-i...

Don't scrap industry-prized diploma, pleads BRIT School boss Cuts to qualifications could force pupils to study outside school, says head of high-profile arts school

The head of the BRIT School, which counts Adele and Olivia Dean among its alumni, has warned against cuts to qualifications that allow creative students to “go deep into their art form”.

schoolsweek.co.uk/dont-scrap-industry-priz...

Teachers' pensions delays 'unacceptable', says minister Georgia Gould insists government is 'putting more resources in to support it'

Exclusive: Delays in the administration of teachers’ pensions are 'unacceptable', the schools minister has said, as a union called on the government to 'step in'

schoolsweek.co.uk/teachers-pensions-delays...

DfE invites bids from AI tutoring pilot partners The new technology is already used extensively in the classroom but, warns a union, is no 'magic bullet'

The government has invited ed tech companies and AI labs to work with teachers to develop “safe, personalised” AI tutoring tools

schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-invites-bids-from-ai...

Children not in education registers 'burdensome', says pilot Department for Education data suggests 117,000 children were missing from school in 2022-23

England’s councils could face an uphill battle when creating compulsory registers of children not in school after a Welsh pilot found it took staff a 'disproportionate effort'
schoolsweek.co.uk/registers-of-children-no...

'SEND reforms are stronger because we engaged' Georgia Gould on the schools white paper, her early view of unfairness and making school 'unmissable'

'I really believe that inclusion and academic achievement are two sides of the same coin'

Schools minister Georgia Gould speaks to Schools Week about the SEND white paper, her early view of unfairness and making school 'unmissable'

schoolsweek.co.uk/send-reforms...

Ofqual: Scrapping long coursework 'never off table' Ian Bauckham said there are 'various possible courses of action' for AI risks

Exclusive: Scrapping extended writing coursework because of fears of artificial intelligence cheating is 'never off the table,' Ofqual’s boss has warned

schoolsweek.co.uk/rise-of-ai-c...

Teachers' pensions delays 'unacceptable', says minister Georgia Gould insists government is 'putting more resources in to support it'

Exclusive: Delays in the administration of teachers’ pensions are 'unacceptable', the schools minister has said, as a union called on the government to 'step in'

schoolsweek.co.uk/teachers-pen...

Don't ‘prolong staggered starts’ in reception, schools told The DfE has published advice on 'getting children ready for reception'

Schools have been told to avoid 'prolonged staggered starts' for children who are starting reception in new DfE guidance

schoolsweek.co.uk/dont-prolong-staggered-s...

Children not in education registers 'burdensome', says pilot Department for Education data suggests 117,000 children were missing from school in 2022-23

England’s councils could face an uphill battle when creating compulsory registers of children not in school after a Welsh pilot found it took staff a 'disproportionate effort'
schoolsweek.co.uk/registers-of-children-no...

Inclusion promise rests on a workforce DfE can't count EPs are already stretched thin, unevenly distributed and partly invisible to government

'Educational psychologists are already stretched thin, unevenly distributed and partly invisible to the department now trying to expand their numbers'
schoolsweek.co.uk/the-white-pa...

Teacher job adverts hit historic low as market 'contracts' Secondary vacancies drop by a third in one year as staffing problems are driven 'underground'

The teacher labour market has 'contracted', with the number of secondary school job adverts down by around a third compared to last year, a new report suggests

schoolsweek.co.uk/secondary-teacher-job-ad...

Educational psychologist shortage puts SEND reforms 'at risk' Pupils in some areas are 20 times less likely to get support from an educational psychologist

Delivery of the government’s new 'experts at hand' SEND support service is 'at risk' because of a chronic shortage of educational psychologists, an influential think tank has warned

schoolsweek.co.uk/educational-psychologist...

'Experts at hand' cash must not plug 'existing gaps' £1.8bn fund for external support must not be 'disproportionately accessed by the most proactive schools'

Funding for a new scheme aimed at bolstering external support for pupils with SEND must not be used to 'fill existing gaps or replace current provision', councils have been warned

schoolsweek.co.uk/send-experts-at-hand-cas...

What schools need to know about proposed food standards Government is planning an 'ambitious' revamp of the rules. But what exactly is being proposed?

ICYMI: From cutting cake, chips and cheese to increasing fibre and fruit, here are the key changes government is planning to make in its 'ambitious' overhaul of school food standards...

schoolsweek.co.uk/cake-out-lentils-in-what...