Friday
‘Something bad will happen’: how social care cuts hit exclusions
School leaders trying to uphold good behaviour are facing impossible decisions because the decline in social services has removed the safety net for vulnerable students who are suspended or excluded, finds Dan Worth
Schools’ hunt for attendance support as crisis continues
Huge hike in vacancies comes amid major government attendance drive and ‘decimation’ of local authority support
Thursday
SNP under fire for changing free laptops policy
Scottish education secretary forced to defend rowing back on government promise to provide a free laptop or other digital device to every pupil
Four councils agree new deals to cut high-needs deficits
Five councils have also seen their government payments to help balance high-needs deficits put on hold as their agreements have been put under review
Weekly round-up: Teacher pay and staff shortages
This week’s essential education news includes unions demanding an above-inflation teacher pay rise and warnings about another shortfall in trainee teachers
Revealed: Absence still much higher after pandemic
More than one in three pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds were persistently absent last year, DfE data shows
How to get the most out of education conferences
Conferences can highlight the gaps between research and practice, says Christian Bokhove, but they also have the power to unite the education community
NPQ funding slashed for next year
Fully funded National Professional Qualifications will remain for Sendcos, primary maths, headship and staff in high-disadvantage areas only
Pay offer backed by teachers and leaders in Northern Ireland
School leaders warn that teacher workload and many others issues have still to be resolved, but hope that higher pay will boost recruitment to the profession
Wednesday
Unions demand ‘fully-funded, inflation-plus’ pay rise
ASCL, Community, NAHT, NASUWT and NEU say STRB pay recommendations must address ‘reality of pay cuts, sky-high workload and the recruitment and retention crisis’
End of governor recruitment funding ‘a severe blow’
National Governance Association warns the end of recruitment funding in October will leave boards ‘entirely to their own devices’
Majority of teachers need AI training to boost confidence
A new study has found that teachers also want pupils to be taught the ‘ethical implications’ of using artificial intelligence
