DfE
The latest news and analysis on the Department for Education and the secretary of state for education, including new policy, legislation and appointments
Tuesday
28th Jan 2025
DfE announces new early years training routes
Ministers unveil a three-year early years teacher degree apprenticeship and a new experience-based training route
Phillipson dismisses Conservative call for school phone ban law
Education secretary calls the proposals a ‘headline-grabbing gimmick’
Former No 10 adviser leads campaign against ‘risky’ schools bill
The New Schools Network has appointed an ex-Downing Street and DfE special adviser as its director to fight for academy freedoms and free schools
Friday
24th Jan 2025
Leaders challenged to create school cultures where all pupils belong
CST chief executive Leora Cruddas warns that the school system is not working as well as it should for some pupils with SEND
Breakfast clubs won’t improve attendance, say most heads
Teachers’ and leaders’ doubts about the government’s plan for free breakfast clubs in all primary schools have been revealed by a new poll
Exclusive
Thursday
23rd Jan 2025
DfE names 19 inclusion advisers
The experts will work across two groups on plans to make mainstream schools more inclusive
Inclusion is not about ‘dumbing down’, says DfE adviser
‘Generic’ policy on SEND support risks exposing pupils to ‘inappropriate practice’, warns the government’s inclusion lead
Wednesday
22nd Jan 2025
Safeguarding action ends too soon, heads’ leader tells MPs
Even when school safeguarding concerns result in an intervention, this can end too soon, requiring repeated referrals, the education committee heard
School maintenance backlog stands at £13.8bn, says watchdog
But the National Audit Office reveals the true cost of repairs and replacements in the school estate could be ‘substantially higher’
The struggle for curriculum control - and how it impacts teachers
England is just the latest example of a government using curriculum change to make its mark on education, but things rarely go to plan for anyone involved, explains Professor Mark Priestley
Tuesday
21st Jan 2025
Government to amend schools bill to clarify teacher pay
Trust leaders had raised concerns that the current wording of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill suggested academies would lose pay freedoms
Schools bill: Experts tell MPs what changes are needed
MPs on the committee scrutinising the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill heard from sector leaders today