Weekly round-up: Teacher strike and Ofsted inquiry

Catch up on all your must-read Tes news and analysis content from the past week right here:

• Gibb: More targeted funding would undermine school autonomy
  The only way the DfE can move away from “averages” in calculating school funding is if the government more strongly dictates how schools spend their money, the schools minister tells Tes exclusively.
   
• Heads and teachers to plan for joint strikes
  Plan to be revealed as school leaders’ union the NAHT reveals it will ballot members on strike action over pay, funding, workload and wellbeing.
   
• School leaders warn Keegan they still expect 15% teacher pay rise 
  The NAHT school leaders’ union has written to education secretary Gillian Keegan to reiterate that it expects a 15 per cent pay rise for teachers and leaders for the next academic year, after rejecting the government’s pay offer earlier this month.
   
• Strikes: MATs leader urges DfE to resume pay talks
  The government must come back to the negotiating table over teachers’ pay and “return some certainty” to schools ahead of the exam period, the head of an organisation representing academy trusts has urged.
   
• Parents’ support for teacher strike softens 
  As teachers walked out over pay on Thursday, a new poll showed that while most parents still back teachers going on strike, opposition to the action has increased since February.
   
• Plan for ‘a range’ of teacher pay levels, schools told
  School leaders should plan for a “range of potential outcomes” on pay this year when making budget decisions, the government has said.
   
• Inquiry will ‘rigorously investigate’ Ofsted inspection system
  An inquiry chaired by a former schools minister, launched in response to concerns about the approach to inspection being taken by Ofsted, will investigate what is needed to make school inspections “fairer and more effective”.
   
• ‘Something has gone badly wrong at Ofsted’ 
  Ofsted seems deaf to the legitimate concerns being voiced about inspection - and its biggest problem is a lack of consistency among inspectors, writes Tom Campbell, CEO of the E-ACT multi-academy trust.
   
• Ofsted: No MAT inspection leaves the DfE in the dark 
  The fact that multi-academy trusts are not being inspected means they are not being held fully “accountable” or receiving enough “credit” for their work, a new Ofsted report warns.
   
• Ofsted MAT checks: seven key findings
  Ofsted might not have the power to inspect multi-academy trusts but it is carrying out summary evaluations of MATs. Tes analyses these evaluations over the past 12 months to highlight key themes.
   
• Why the DfE’s ITT targets prove teacher pay must improve
  A teacher training data expert explains why the latest DfE recruitment targets make for grim reading and show that something must be done to make more young people consider teaching as a career.
   
• ITT: Primary applications plummet by a fifth 
  Applications to primary initial teacher training courses have fallen by almost a fifth year-on-year as experts warn of a “worrying” trend.
   
• Most heads ‘have to cut teaching assistants’ 
  Nearly two-thirds of senior leaders say they are having to cut teaching assistants - up from 42 per cent last year, according to new research showing the most likely cutbacks in schools amid the current funding pressures.
   
• Falling rolls fund will open to schools with lower Ofsted grades
  Schools that are not rated as “good” or “outstanding” by Ofsted will be eligible for additional funding to help manage a significant decline in pupil numbers, after rules are relaxed from next year.
   
• Raise mental health lead grant to boost school take-up, DfE told
  Heads’ leaders say £1,200 mental health lead grant is not enough to meet the training costs and pay for staff cover, as data reveals that DfE is just halfway towards its sign-up target for this year.
   
• ISO 27001 accreditation: what schools should know
  Mark Steed explains why he made achieving information security standard ISO 27001 a top priority for his schools - and the work required to get there.
   
• Why schools should get work experience funding
  If we are to close the “opportunity gap” and ensure more state school students can reach top jobs, schools should be given funding to help them experience the world of work.