In the news: your weekly round-up

Top stories

Most popular education policies for voters revealed in a new poll by Public First. Well-received policies include Labour’s pledge to hire 6,500 new teachers and the Conservative’s plan to increase the number of apprenticeships [Tes Magazine - subscription required]. 

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge: Ahead of voting, get to grips with what each party is promising for schools in England, and what these changes could mean for your school or trust if the party is successful. 

Almost as many teachers left the profession as entered it last year, according to new school workforce data. Recruitment has stalled, with the workforce growing by only 259 full-time equivalent teachers in the year to November 2023 [Schools Week]. 

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge: Read our top tips to make sure you attract the best headteacher candidates for your school and take our headteacher recruitment training module to be fully prepared.

Access to counselling in schools could save money for the government by improving attendance and job prospects. School counselling would help those children who don’t meet mental health treatment thresholds [Schools Week]. 

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge: Get inspiration for questions you can ask your school leaders about wellbeing, so you're able to monitor wellbeing strategically.

This week's headlines

Schools Week

• State school teachers more likely to move to private sector than vice versa
• Ofsted trust inspections: school leaders divided over Labour plan
• Unions warn that 2 in 3 special schools face real-terms cuts, with spending power diminishing by £419 million since 2010
• Alternative provision (AP) placements rise to pre-pandemic levels
• 'Safety-valve' councils with high-needs deficits facing bankruptcy
• Conservative funding pledge could actually be the biggest cut in 50 years, Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) warns
• Conservatives manifesto 2024: All the education policies
• Labour manifesto 2024: All the education policies
• Lib Dems manifesto 2024: All the education policies
• Green Party manifesto 2024: All the education policies

Tes Magazine – registration required

• Union for inspectors warns Ofsted about wellbeing impact of inspection target
• Schools are under “severe strain”, ASCL warns party leaders
• Funding crisis “will increase class sizes” in most schools
• Most bullying in secondary schools linked to sexuality or gender, according to new DfE-funded research

The Guardian 

• Heads warn Labour that retention is just as important as recruitment
• 17 London secondary schools plan to go smartphone-free
• Quarter of state school pupils in England receive free school meals

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