* The school workforce agreement: The third and final phase of the workforce deal means that from this month all teachers are entitled to 10 per cent planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time, the introduction of dedicated headship time and the end of exam invigilation for teachers.
* Ofsted: New lighter-touch inspections, with days’ rather than weeks’
notice but more work for heads filling in self-evaluation forms.
* A change in role? Teaching and support staff positions should come under review as all schools draw up new staffing structures. An unlucky minority, expected to run into thousands, are likely to lose out because management allowances will be replaced by new payments that are tightly focused on teaching and learning.
* More controversy over academies: Ten more of the semi-independent secondaries open this term. The position taken on them in the forthcoming education white paper is already promising to be a major battleground between the Government’s Blairite and Brownite wings.