In the news: your weekly round-up

Top stories

Ministers pledge to publish overdue data on school building conditions. Nick Gibb says the government will publish the school building condition data collection this parliamentary term, amid concerns that school buildings are at risk of collapse [Schools Week]. Remind yourself of your role in premises management, and find out what checks your board should be doing.

Safeguarding concerns on the rise, survey finds. Almost 3/4 of school staff reported an increase in safeguarding issues, while 1/4 said pupils don’t feel safe at school [Tes Magazine - registration required]. Use our checklist to help your board monitor safeguarding practice in your school.

School support staff balloted for strike action. Unison is to ballot 140,000 school staff, after pay offer from local councils is rejected [Schools Week]. Check the rules and requirements around ballots and industrial action in your school with our strike FAQs.

This week’s headlines

• Pay review body reportedly recommends a 6.5% salary increase, as pressure grows on Gillian Keegan to publish the School Teachers’ Review Body report [Schools Week]
• Teacher training should include guidance around artificial intelligence (AI), say British Computer Society (BCS) [The Independent]
• DfE to increase subsidy for the National Tutoring Programme to match schools’ contribution in 2023-24 [GOV.UK]
• Mass lobby of parliament organised over ‘unprecedented crisis’ facing schools [Tes Magazine - registration required]
• Pupils who depended on food banks during COVID-19 fared worse at GCSEs than their peers, study finds [The Guardian - free registration required]
• Ofsted should accept a duty of care to school leaders, says British Medical Journal [Tes Magazine - registration required]
• School repair costs rise, as Condition Improvement Fund outcomes reveal a 25% drop in successful bids [Schools Week]
• High levels of nickel, lead and chromium found in vapes confiscated from school pupils [BBC News]
• Oak Academy to allow commercial use of its lessons [Schools Week]
• DfE to review its headship coaching scheme amid low take-up [Tes Magazine - registration required]
• Exam board Pearson apologies following error on GCSE history exam [The Telegraph - registration required]

Dates for next week

Monday 29 May - Spring Bank Holiday

Wednesday 31 May - Deadline for academies to file audited accounts with Companies House

Thursday 1 June - Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month begins

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