Policy
The latest news, analysis and advice on government policy and legislation. Find a breakdown of new documentation, case studies from leaders and comment from high-profile educators
Monday
19th Jan 2026
Government launches ‘tougher’ guidance on phones in schools
Ofsted will check mobile phone policies in every inspection, with schools expected to be ‘phone-free by default’
Gilruth calls for primary teachers to move to secondaries
Scotland’s education secretary ‘urgently’ wants to find ‘creative ways’ to encourage primary teachers to retrain for the secondary sector to help with staffing problems
Friday
16th Jan 2026
Teachers to be reballoted on strike action in Scotland
EIS members are to vote again on strike action over workload, with the teaching union hitting out at ‘restrictive’ laws that meant it failed to win a mandate from its initial ballot
MAT inspections: leaders warn of duplication and ‘poor value for money’
School sector leaders raise concerns about the value, purpose and equity of the government plan to push ahead with Ofsted inspections of multi-academy trusts
Revealed: where teacher pay falls furthest short of living costs
Teachers in London get thousands in pay uplifts to compensate for historically high housing costs. But, given that staff in many other parts of the country now also face high property costs, does the pay weighting system need reform? Tes investigates
Wednesday
14th Jan 2026
Almost all teachers want under-18 social media limits, survey shows
Exclusive polling comes as the government appears to move towards greater regulation over children’s social media use
Exclusive
Ofqual boss: AI can’t take over exam marking any time soon
Writing exclusively for Tes, Ofqual chief Sir Ian Bauckham explains the difficulties AI would have to overcome to replace humans in marking national qualifications
Exclusive
SEND reform must protect children’s legal rights - not dilute them
With the government soon to announce reforms to the SEND system, two experts warn of the dangers of changing the existing legal framework for providing support
Tuesday
13th Jan 2026
Schools urgently need medical guidance, DfE told
Pupils and school staff are being left ‘extremely exposed’ because of a lack of guidance on supporting young people with medical conditions, MP warns
Ofqual chief reveals ‘anxiety’ about AI use in exam coursework
Sir Ian Bauckham tells MPs that he has informed the DfE of his concern about students using AI in A-level English and history coursework