Need to know: Gillian Keegan, Gibb’s return and falling birth rates

Five different education secretaries in four months. With tenure at the helm of the Department for Education now apparently measured in weeks, Gillian Keegan’s appointment on Tuesday left everyone asking the same question: how long will she last?

Given that schools are in the grip of a funding and recruitment crisis, everyone in education was keeping their fingers crossed for some stability and support from Sanctuary Buildings. This week, Tes examined the big challenges in Ms Keegan’s in-tray, and also looked at what Rishi Sunak as prime minister could mean for schools.

Catch up on your must-read Tes news and features articles from the past week right here:

News

• Gillian Keegan appointed as education secretary 
  On Tuesday, Kit Malthouse was out as education secretary after just seven weeks in the job - and former skills minister Gillian Keegan was in.
   
• What are Gillian Keegan’s big priorities? 
  Taking up the job of education secretary after a period of political turmoil and with schools caught in a funding crisis, Gillian Keegan has a lot on her plate. Callum Mason looks at the six key issues she needs to tackle.
   
• What will Rishi Sunak as prime minister mean for schools? 
  With the former chancellor moving into 10 Downing Street this week, Callum Mason and Matilda Martin look at his policies on education - and the challenges that he faces.
   
• Nick Gibb is back at the DfE 
  Nick Gibb, who served as schools minister for most of the past decade and has been at the heart of major reforms of exams, testing and curriculum, has returned to a ministerial role at the Department for Education. Robert Halfon, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee, has also been appointed a minister in the department.
   
• What can teachers expect from the DfE’s top team?
  Now that Gillian Keegan has been joined at the DfE by former schools minister Nick Gibb and ex-skills minister Robert Halfon, Tes asks a raft of experts what they think is in store for the schools system.
   

• Teacher sabbaticals and curriculum reform: Blunkett’s plan for Labour 
  Sabbaticals for teachers every five years, a “creative” curriculum and a greater focus on digital literacy are among the recommendations set out by Lord Blunkett, a former education secretary, for a Labour government.

• Revealed: the impact of soaring teacher vacancies on schools
  Teacher recruitment problems are having a “severe” effect on schools, leaders have warned as Tes analysis reveals that the number of vacancies for teachers or leaders is up by 67 per cent in some subjects compared with pre-pandemic levels.

• Ofsted: “Most schools don’t know if catch-up tuition is working” 
  The majority of schools “lack a system” to properly assess tutoring so don’t know if it is working, Ofsted’s chief inspector has said after the watchdog carried out a review into the implementation of the National Tutoring Programme.

Features

• The falling birth rate: a looming crisis for schools 
  Fewer babies are being born across the UK, which will have a huge impact on schools because they are funded according to the number of children on their rolls. John Morgan investigates the implications.
   
• EYFS: How to assess the development of summer-born children 
  Summer-born children arrive at school at a disadvantage - but how can teachers tell whether any difficulties they are facing are down to their level of maturity or something more problematic? Early years expert Helen Pinnington shares her strategy for assessing development.
   
• Why more money isn’t a fix for “drastically overworked” teachers 
  Increasing teachers’ pay is not enough on its own to solve our recruitment and retention problems - we need to cut workload and improve professional development opportunities, too, writes International Baccalaureate boss Olli-Pekka Heinonen.
   
• Sats: How to fix Year 6 writing moderation
  Key stage 2 assessments include a teacher-assessed level for writing - but there are worries about a lack of consistency in the moderation of the marking. Grainne Hallahan asks the experts how the issue can be overcome.
   
• Would a later school start time improve results? 
  Teenagers sleep later and for longer for the benefit of their health, research shows ­- but does the available evidence justify altering the start of the secondary school day? Kate Parker investigates.
   
• Why does the DfE think we need fewer maths teachers? 
  The Department for Education has lowered its target for the recruitment of trainee teachers for maths, raising suspicions among subject leaders, who warn that there is still a shortage of maths teachers.