In the news: your weekly round-up

Top stories

Only 1% of school leaders say they get enough funding to meet their pupils’ needs. Schools are relying on community fundraising, parent/carer donations and charity grants to cover the costs of basic resources, according to a recent survey by the NAHT [Tes Magazine - registration required]. 

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge: Find a selection of grants and freebies available to your school across a range of areas, and learn about cost-of-living support available for your school and community.

Schools are losing almost a quarter of lesson time to poor behaviour, according to the DfE’s latest behaviour study. 76% of teachers, up from 64% in 2022, report that misbehaviour “stopped or interrupted teaching” [Schools Week]. 

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge: Understand how to fulfil your role in promoting good behaviour and find questions to ask to monitor behaviour in your school. 

Teachers urged to warn pupils about the threat of sextortion following a surge in cases. The National Crime Agency (NCA) has asked schools to warn pupils of the dangers of sharing intimate pictures online due to the risk of blackmail [BBC News]. 

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge: Ask the right questions when monitoring your school’s internet policies and practices as part of your role in keeping pupils safe online.

This week's headlines

Schools Week

• Quarter of secondary schools missing 1-hour a week music target
• Review of T-level content launched after rise in drop-outs
• £10k special schools place funding under active review by DfE
• GCSE results set to suffer into 2030s, as a result of COVID, says new study
• Funding for Now Teach axed, as DfE re-assesses how to attract career-changers into teaching
• New anti-terror advice for schools
• Ofsted inspections should feel like “peer review system”, according to Sir Martyn Oliver
• SEND reforms pilot already 9 months behind schedule
• Significant investment needed to deliver Advanced British Standard plans, Ofqual warns

Tes Magazine – registration required

• MAT Tracker tool: how the DfE's trust capacity fund is allocated
• Almost 10,000 more places found in schools previously predicted to have shortfalls
• Only a third of heads believe GCSE marking is accurate
• Nearly 4 in 10 heads have raised cash for building repairs, new survey reveals
• Increased teaching cover warning from TAs
• Schools with RAAC can defer Ofsted for rest of academic year
• Drive to challenge Holocaust misinformation
• How to reform childcare to benefit teachers
• Former senior inspectors launch 'alternative big listen' to probe single-word Ofsted ratings

GOV.UK

• Government to lift cap on faith school places

The Guardian 

• Headteachers acting as school caretakers amid budget cuts
• Axing of teacher recruitment scheme will worsen crisis
• Only 2 in 5 pupils feel safe in school in England, new survey finds
• Girls are suffering from urinary tract infections (UTIs) as they don’t want to use gender-neutral toilets, according to Equalities minister

The Telegraph - registration required

• Mobile phone-free schools twice as likely to be rated ‘outstanding’, according to new report
• Children of the pandemic need to stay in school until 18, says new think tank report

Upcoming dates

Friday 3 May – World Press Freedom Day

Sunday 5 May – Yom HaShoah

Monday 6 May – Early May bank holiday

Tuesday 7 May – World Asthma Day

Wednesday 8 May – Bike and Roll to School Day

Wednesday 8 May - Victory in Europe (VE) Day

Thursday 9 May - Summer term GCSE exams period begins

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