In the news: your weekly round-up

Top stories

Government accepts School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) recommendation of a 6.5% pay rise. Unions will recommend that members accept the recommendation. The DfE will provide funding for 3%, with schools to fund the remaining 3.5% from existing budgets [GOV.UK and Schools Week].

SATs results show a fall in reading standards. 73% of year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, with writing and maths levels also still down on pre-pandemic levels [BBC News]. Read our guidance on how to ask questions about your school’s performance data.

DfE reduces statutory supervision ratios in the EYFS. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework has been updated for 2023, including a change in the legal staff-to-child supervision ratio for 2-year-olds from 1:4 to 1:5 [GOV.UK]. Your school may need to update its EYFS policy in response - find out how to review it.

This week’s headlines

• Non-specialist maths teachers are less likely to receive CPD, according to Ofsted [Schools Week]
• SEND cost cutting could mean local authorities won’t be able to comply with their legal duties, charity warns [Tes Magazine - registration required]
• Amanada Spielman says Labour plans to separate safeguarding from Ofsted inspections would be “expensive and complicated” [Schools Week]
• Calls for government to provide a ‘tutoring guarantee’ for disadvantaged pupils [Tes Magazine - registration required]
• Participating in community projects boosts staff wellbeing according to new research [Tes Magazine - registration required]
• Artificial intelligence (AI) could challenge traditional school classroom model, says expert [The Guardian]
• Initial teacher training (ITT) providers call for bursaries to promote teacher retention [Schools Week]
• Changes to the teacher training and early career frameworks will only be ‘moderate’, DfE announces [Schools Week]

Dates for next week

Tuesday 18 July - Mandela Day

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