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‘Ridiculous’ timeline for schools to introduce enrichment benchmarks

Schools will have less than a term to prepare the new enrichment entitlements before Ofsted inspects them, with sector leaders warning this is a ‘recipe for heightening stress’

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Revealed: Exam boards’ inflation-busting fee increases

Price rises for GCSE and A-level exam entries have been branded 'completely unacceptable' by sector leaders

3 questions to tell teachers if AI use is appropriate

SQA guidance also includes subject-specific examples of acceptable and unacceptable use of GenAI tools – but the body warns that it is ‘impossible to create an exhaustive list’

Spanish becomes most popular foreign language GCSE

The rise of the subject could be down to the popularity of Spain as a holiday destination – and a shortage of teachers in other subjects, say headteachers' leaders

DfE tightens iQTS inspection criteria

New guidance means a grade 3 score now equates to non-compliance, but it will be easier for providers to score a grade 1 too

Spending Review could mean teacher pay rises of 2% per year, experts say

Schools could see real-terms falls in actual budgets as pupil numbers fall and more is spent on SEND

Unfilled secondary school places up 50% in two years

Increase comes amid a major demographic shift caused by a falling birth rate that has resulted in the number of available primary places dropping to a decade-long low

Global schools group’s AI hub will harness ‘billions of data points’

GEMS Education says its artificial intelligence hub will offer a 'real-world testing ground' for researchers and edtech innovators

EHCPs up 11% as DfE mulls their future

The number of education, health and care plans has more than doubled since 2016. Here are five key points from today's DfE data

Pay teachers more to tackle staff shortages, says new SLS chief

Secondary heads are under ‘constant pressure’ to drive up attainment – but they can’t do that without teachers, says the incoming general secretary of School Leaders Scotland

DfE ‘should auto-enrol’ pupils for free school meals

Call for all eligible children to be automatically enrolled for FSM follows the government announcement that it is expanding the entitlement from next year

Free school meals to be offered to more S1-3 students

S1-3 students whose families receive the Scottish Child Payment will be eligible for free school meals in eight council areas

Half of teachers unhappy with assessment after Covid changes reversed

Full course assessment returned in Scotland in 2023-24 after the pandemic – but SQA research shows some learners felt ‘thrown in the deep end’ and teachers would have preferred ‘a gradual return’

Spending Review 2025: what it means for schools

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has set out government spending plans up to 2029. Here's what you need to know

DfE proposes changing who is included in school support staff body

The DfE is consulting on excluding certain staff – including MAT leaders – from the new School Support Staff Negotiating Body

Ucas pilot aims to improve accuracy of predicted grades

Personalised reports will be given to more than 1,000 schools and colleges to help improve accuracy amid a 'growing difference between predicted grades and achieved grades'