In the news: your weekly round-up

Top stories

School leaders and teachers are working more hours than last year, according to a DfE survey. The latest working lives of teachers and leaders report shows that hours worked has gone up, while wellbeing has gone down, despite a government push to reduce workload [Schools Week]. 

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge: Learn how you can promote a healthy staff work-life balance without stepping on the toes of the day-to-day running of your school.

Ofsted has published its latest subject report, focusing on how schools teach English. The report highlights that although more pupils are learning to read earlier, those who don’t need more support to build a reading habit [GOV.UK]. 

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge: Understand your role as a literacy link governor and see examples of questions you can ask literacy subject leaders to challenge and support them. 

The school readiness survey, published by Kindred2, shows 1 in 4 school-starters are not toilet-trained. Teachers say their schools are bridging the gap, resulting in a loss of learning in the school day, as well as increased stress for staff [The Guardian, Kindred2]. 

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge : Read everything you need to know about the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and profile, so you’re clued-up and ready to hold your school leaders to account.

This week's headlines

Schools Week

• ”Double digit” pay rise for teachers and leaders recommended by NAHT
• Most schools failing to meet target for Gatsby career benchmarks
• ”Fully-funded, above-inflation” pay rise in 2024, demanded by ASCL
• Six-figure sums paid by trusts to support “crisis” families
• £250m from capital coffers used by DfE towards teacher pay grant
• Gillian Keegan calls for return to “more sustainable” teacher pay rises in School Teachers Review Body report
• 1 in 4 severely absent kids “rejected” for social care support
• DfE told to improve Freedom of Information response times, with 1 in 4 late
• 1 in 5 pupils could fall below threshold for new absence fines
• 20 new alternative provision (AP) free schools approved by ministers
• £105m for 15 special free schools announced in Budget

Tes Magazine - registration required

• 9 in 10 large multi-academy trusts (MATs) expect to grow by 2025
• 1 in 5 new teachers not prepared for workload at the end of ECT induction
• Rise in vexatious complaints for 8 in 10 school leaders
• MAT leaders in a small school strategy group aim to stop “irreparable” damage to small schools
• Urgent policy change needed to help schools with parental complaints

BBC News

• Around 70% of year 6 pupils in London get their first choice secondary school

The Guardian 

• NEU members in England asked to consider strike action later this year
• Disadvantaged pupils in England are further behind in maths since the pandemic
• London secondary school applications down by 4,000, following fall in birthrate
• Around 10,000 more children being homeschooled in England, according to latest DfE figures
• Less than 3% of artists named in GCSE art exams are Black or south Asian, new research finds
• Government undermining efforts to improve financial education for children, according to financial advice expert Martin Lewis
• Autistic pupils in England denied right to education as absenteeism surges, says charity
• Cost of living pushes schools to ditch World Book Day dress-up plans

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