In the news: your weekly round-up

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Last remaining government-funded governance scheme has been withdrawn, despite a rise in board vacancies. From September, Inspiring Governance will no longer receive DfE funding, raising serious concerns from the National Governance Association (NGA) [Schools Week]. 

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge: Read our step-by-step guides for recruiting new maintained school governors, or trustees and local governors.

Early intervention needed, according to children's commissioner, as 32,000 children wait at least 2 years for mental health treatment. Lack of access to specialist mental health support cited as a key issue, in addition to failings in dealing with root causes of mental ill-health [Schools Week]. 

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge: Get inspiration for questions you can ask about pupil and staff wellbeing, so you can monitor it strategically.

DfE set to miss its recruitment targets again this year, according to analysis from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). Pay and workload are key concerns, with the NFER recommending a pay award exceeding 3.1%, as well as a pay hike to compensate for the lack of flexible working [Schools Week].

Support from GovernorHub Knowledge: Understand your board’s role in appointing staff and learn more about your safer recruitment responsibilities.

This week's headlines

Schools Week

• Councils to take £67m from school budgets to counter special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) deficit
• DfE told to appoint poverty 'tsar' and extend universal free school meals (FSMs) to help reduce the impact of poverty on children
• Schools and trusts slow to publish governors diversity data
• Teaching hubs losing CPD role hailed as a “missed opportunity”
• Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for ousted heads could be stopping school leaders from raising issues, new Ofsted chief told
• 40 staff at DfE dedicated to Advanced British Standard
• Ofsted considers changes to inspector role to boost expertise
• Lack of funding could compromise its own reliability, according to Ofsted
• Advanced British Standard risks “blunt choice” between academic and vocational route for pupils, according to unions
• National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) leader calls for long-term school workforce plan

Tes Magazine - registration required

• DfE drops secondary teacher trainee target
• Exam board OCR to trial artificial intelligence (AI) in summer GCSEs
• Education select committee chair raises concerns over £2.6bn SEND funding
• Call for universal FSM rollout in poorer areas
• Trend in absence worsening in poorer students as they get older
• Calls for trusts to do “a lot more” on teacher retention
• Unions demand “fully-funded, inflation-plus” pay rise
• Teachers need AI training due to lack of confidence
• Teachers’ views on wellbeing revealed in new survey

BBC News

• School allergy management not up to scratch, according to new study
• PE staff retraining to fill maths teacher gaps
• RAAC rebuild pledge leaves leaking schools left waiting for support

The Guardian 

• Compensation needed for lack of flexible working opportunities for teachers, says new report
• Every new school being built in England is in an unsafe air pollution area, according to damning new report

The Telegraph - registration required

• Girls reading and maths hit harder by COVID-19 lockdowns

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