In the news: your weekly round-up

Top stories

NEU votes in favour of strike action, with 7 dates announced for February and March. The DfE has advised schools to prioritise vulnerable pupils and those sitting exams, to consider remote education, and to take “all reasonable steps” to stay open [BBC News and Schools Week]. Get your head around all the rules for strikes and your role in the process with our industrial action FAQs.

New safeguarding survey finds 1 in 10 pupils have missed school because they felt unsafe. 13% of children reported feeling unsafe because of a teacher, in a poll of 70,000 pupils conducted by The Key and Edurio [The Guardian - free registration required]. Take a look at our checklist to make sure you’re monitoring your school’s safeguarding practices effectively.

Assistant headteacher vacancies rise by 72% since 2020. Deputy head vacancies are also 53% higher, with school leaders warning that the growing pressures of the job are discouraging teachers from moving into senior leadership roles [Tes Magazine - registration required]. Use our interview questions and tasks for assistant headteachers, to help you find the right person to fill the role.

This week’s headlines

• NASUWT announces plans to reballot members, after failing to meet turnout thresholds in their recent strike votes [Schools Week]
• Almost 90% of schools inspected this year have received ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ judgements [Schools Week]
• Schools can use pupil premium funds to extend free school meals, says schools minister [Tes Magazine - registration required]
• Numbers of Safer Schools Officers rises by 43% [BBC News]
• Over 75% of schools hit by cyber attacks in 2022 [Tes Magazine]
• Gillian Keegan says minimum service levels in schools would protect vulnerable children during strike action [Tes Magazine - registration required]
• Special schools face the biggest challenges in staff recruitment [Schools Week]
• NEU warns of scam operation targeting its members [Schools Week]

Dates for next week

Wednesday 25 January - Burns Night

Wednesday 25 January - Deadline for UCAS applications

Friday 27 January - Holocaust Memorial Day

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Re-cap on the past few weeks