General
Yesterday
Microsoft outage: schools scramble amid day of disruption
Schools relying on pre-digital forms of communication as mass unavailability of Microsoft services forces ‘snow day’ response
Schools face ‘dramatic drop in pupil premium’, leaders warn
Expansion of free school meals creates an ‘impending cliff edge’ that could hit funding for the most disadvantaged schools, say trust finance chiefs
Only 1 in 6 SEND area inspections gets positive outcome
Majority of inspections published in 2026 show pupils with SEND face inconsistent experiences, with some reports containing warnings over lack of inclusion in schools
‘Ill-equipped’ RHSE teachers struggle with subject’s full content
Schools may lack the expertise to protect children from misogyny, pornography and AI, warns charity after exploring staff views on relationships, health and sex education
Thursday
Restricting GCSEs to two years makes inclusion ‘more challenging’
The government’s clampdown on GCSEs being taught early will affect more than a quarter of schools, findings suggest
Schools seek guidance on what to do with books by David Walliams
ASCL plans to discuss the issue in a meeting with the DfE after numerous MATs removed the author’s books
Schools must set ‘clear red lines’ when entering international deals
Most international partnerships are ‘beneficial’, says new government guidance, but schools opening overseas campuses must ensure they engage in thorough due diligence
Jonathan Dando-Laing named first CEO of Centre for Education Systems
Dando-Laing will leave Oak National Academy to join the research institute set up by Sam Freedman and Patrick Wall
Teaching salaries ‘thousands less’ than comparable jobs
Research commissioned by the NEU urges the government to change how teachers move up the pay scale
Tuesday
DfE sets out edtech safety standards
The government’s proposals cover AI tutoring tools, SEND platforms and management information systems
Half of heads consider quitting amid ‘increased inspection intensity’
A year after the new Ofsted framework was introduced, the NAHT has found it is having a worse impact than the one it replaced
