Teachers in England have been given some hope in reducing their workload, thanks to new plans issued by Education Secretary Damian Hinds.

In a joint letter sent to all school leaders, the Education Secretary reiterated his commitment to clamp down on teachers’ workload.

The commitment includes:

• only asking for pupil attainment data if a school is at risk of failure, above that which is collected for national assessments, if a school is failing;
• requesting data in a school’s existing format, where possible, to avoid duplication;
• stopping the introduction of resits for year 7 pupils, which would have generated extra workload for teachers;
• providing practical tools for schools to manage pupil data more effectively, including guidance on how to log incidents of poor behaviour in a simpler way, which the report found can be very burdensome for teachers; and
• giving guidance to head teachers on how to conduct teacher appraisals and the use of pupil targets and attainment data.

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School Improvement!

Now, now, bear with me – I can hear those collective groans you know! Everyone in education should have just one shared goal, and that is to offer an education that inspires and gives individuals the tools in life to realise their true potential. That’s where school improvement fits in and, as educators, it’s critical to explore tweaks, changes and research that helps improve the academic outcomes of our students. But, there are just so many variables within each different school that managing a successful improvement plan can seem near impossible.

But making the step from a ‘good’ school towards a ‘great’ school takes time, vision and collegiality, where there is an expectation that everyone can and must make a difference to the success of the school. In advocating The Nine Pillars of Great Schools, David Woods, Rachel Macfarlane and Damian McBeath set out important principles that are needed in place to ensure that schools are offering an outstanding education.

The Nine Pillars advocated throughout this book are by no means rocket science. They ooze common sense. But with many distractions placed upon schools, it is easy to see how the focus has moved away from the core principles that result in a great school environment. Take, for example, Pillar 4 – A relentless focus on engaging and involving students. As pupils are the beating hearts of all our schools, their involvement and engagement in the community should be a priority rather than something that might be ‘added on’. The authors make it very clear that attention should be made in involving students as citizens of the school community in a real sense.

Additionally, with Pillar 5, the authors argue that personalised and highly effective CPD within the school community should be a priority. All members of staff should feel valued, invested in and developed. Similarly, the other Pillars within this book looks at simple, common-sense steps that any school can implement immediately to work at becoming a great school. Vision, leadership, exceptional teaching, inclusion, a rich curriculum, partnerships and self-evaluation also have an important place in this book. Each chapter (Pillar) starts by listing key indicators of great schools but then flow into a commentary, supported by further research and case studies that highlight how changes can be made – some subtle, although some would require further investment in time and resources.

In great schools, the promotion of high-quality learning and teaching is at the heart of the school’s endeavours, with very high levels of exceptional and consistent practice within a rich, innovative and inclusive curriculum. If that definition sounds like the vision you foresee for your school, then the Nine Pillars outlined in this book provide a guiding reference point to help self-analyse, reflect and improve upon some of the challenges faced each day. Even though this book is focused around the systems within England, there are tips, guidance and ideas for great practice that could be implemented within any school globally, whose primary aim is to deliver a well-rounded, inclusive education for all within their community.

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‘Whole-school’ approach using restorative practice likely to improve young people’s health in multiple ways

Led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and UCL, a randomised controlled trial tested a new approach called the ‘Learning Together’ programme, which involved teachers being trained to use restorative practice, as well as students working with teachers to try to make their schools more engaging and supportive places.

When compared to schools that didn’t introduce ‘Learning Together’, the programme was found to have small but significant benefits for student-reported indicators of being bullied (lower scores) and mental wellbeing (higher scores).

‘Learning Together’ was also shown to lower rates of regular smoking (16% compared with 23%), drinking alcohol (38% compared with 44%), drinking in the last week (7% compared with 11%) and trying illicit drugs (7% compared with 11%). The study found ‘Learning Together’ had no effect on aggression.

The researchers say this type of programme could be one of the most feasible and efficient ways of addressing multiple health outcomes in children and young people.

Bullying, aggression, and violence among children and young people are common in the UK and can result in multiple physical and mental health harms in childhood and in adult life, as well as lower educational attainment.

Prevention of bullying and violence is, therefore, a major priority for public health and education systems internationally, with schools a key focus of initiatives to improve young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

A key challenge is to address these inter-related behaviours using single coherent programmes rather than overburdening busy schools with multiple interventions.

In this trial, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Education Endowment Foundation, 20 schools in South-East England were randomly picked to implement ‘Learning Together’ over three years, with 20 ‘control’ schools continuing with their normal practices and receiving no additional input.

Students filled in questionnaires aged 11-12 years at the start, and then again when aged 14-15 years.

All school staff in the intervention group were trained in restorative practices, such as using respectful language to promote good behaviour. Schools were also provided with a manual and external facilitator to guide ‘action group’ meetings in which staff and students looked at data on how students feel to decide local actions to make the school more engaging and supportive places.

The programme had a greater impact for boys (higher quality of life and mental wellbeing; fewer psychological problems, less regular smoking, less drinking and bullying others), and students with a history of bullying victimisation at the start (reduced bullying and psychological problems; higher quality of life and wellbeing).

Dr Chris Bonell, Professor of Public Health Sociology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and first author of the study, said: “Our research has shown that a single programme can improve health across different areas of health – this might be more practical than schools needing a separate programme for issues such as mental health and smoking. This study suggests that restorative practice is an effective way to reduce bullying. It also suggests that the Government could save the NHS money by helping ensure schools are inclusive and supportive places. We now aim to refine the intervention so that it can be made available to schools to implement.”

Professor Russell Viner, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and co-director of the trial, added: “These findings show that if we can help change the way schools engage with students, not only will we see less bullying, but also an improvement in pupils’ well-being, quality of life and even a reduction in smoking and drunkenness. A single programme costing only £58 per pupil can achieve significant impacts across a whole range of health issues.”

Interviews with perpetrators and victims suggest the programme’s potential to transform understanding and relationships:

I just felt so sorry…the boy was just crying. When he was speaking, he could barely speak and it just reminded me why did I do that? You shouldn’t have done that. It just…made me realise… And when we came in, it’s just like…at first I was laughing.. But then when I just saw him there sitting down at this table and his eyes were all red from the tears…I just don’t…it just came to me and just shocked me. (Male student, perpetrator).

The researchers acknowledge limitations of the study including it being restricted to south-east England and that it may have under-estimated benefits because some control schools were also using restorative practices.

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A survey-based study of 153 secondary schools in England and Wales, staff stated that adolescent self-harm is an important concern, but emotional health and wellbeing is the primary health priority for schools. In the Child & Adolescent Mental Health study, counselling was seen as the most useful school-based provision to respond to adolescent self-harm.

Only 53 percent of schools had received staff training on self-harm, with only 22 percent of these schools rating the adequacy of training as high. Key barriers to addressing adolescent self-harm in schools were lack of time, lack of resources, lack of staff training and time, and fear of encouraging self-harm amongst adolescents.

“Adolescent self-harm is a major concern in the UK, and our study reports the extent to which schools are involved in managing incidents of disclosure or detection. Rather worryingly, school staff are not yet receiving comprehensive training to support students. We need to do more to address this, particularly given some schools’ fear of encouraging students to engage in self-harming practices,” said lead author Dr. Rhiannon Evans, of Cardiff University, in the UK. “There are also positive findings from the study, however, not least the extent to which schools see themselves as an appropriate site to provide prevention and intervention activities.”

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Additional Information

Link to the study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/camh.12308

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Government released data claims that disadvantaged primary school pupils in England are closing in on their better off peers as the disadvantage gap index falls for the seventh year in a row.

The figures show the disadvantage gap index has shrunk by 13% since 2010 and 3% in the last year alone.

Statistics released today show:

• The gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils is smaller in MATs than the national average in each progress measure (reading, writing and maths);
• 88% of pupils who met the phonics standard in year 1 reached the expected standard in reading at the end of key stage 2; and
• The attainment gap between girls and boys has remained stable with 61% of boys meeting the expected standard compared to 68% of girls

This release follows statistics published earlier this year that showed 64% of pupils met the expected standard in all of reading, writing and maths this year.

The data is part of a number of publications from the Department of Education that show how England primary schools are performing. It includes the performance tables, which help parents make informed choices about schools in their areas, and how individual multi academy trusts are performing.

The tables show that Dilkes Academy Trust (now known as Catalyst Academies Trust), Yorkshire Collaborative Academy Trust and Hull Collaborative Academy Trust all rank in the top ten trusts in the country for attainment in reading, writing and maths.

The department collects and publishes more information about MATs than they do about local authority schools – including new information about how they are tackling high pay and late filing of accounts. Publications like today’s Key Stage 2 performance measures, which now include around 240 trusts show, they claim, the important role MATs play in our improving system.

New research also published today highlights the approaches trusts take to supporting their schools to succeed.

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The school inspection regime in England, managed by Ofsted, has announced a consultation that proposes changes to the emphasis of judgements, with more of a focus on the quality of education, rather than exam results.

The new framework proposes a shift that will rebalance inspection to make sure that young people are being taught the best of what has been thought and said. Instead of taking exam results and test data at face value, Ofsted will look at how a nursery, school, college or other provider’s results have been achieved – whether they are the result of broad and rich learning, or gaming and cramming.

The key proposals for consultation include:

• a new ‘quality of education’ judgement, with the curriculum at its heart
• looking at outcomes in context and whether they are the result of a coherently planned curriculum, delivered well
• no longer using schools’ internal performance data as inspection evidence, to ensure inspection does not create unnecessary work for teachers
• separate judgements about learners’ ‘personal development’ and ‘behaviour and attitudes’
• extending on-site time for short inspections of good schools to 2 days, to ensure inspectors have sufficient opportunity to gather evidence that a school remains good

The ‘leadership and management’ judgement will remain, and will include looking at how leaders develop teachers and staff, while taking their workload and wellbeing into account. Inspectors will continue to make an overall effectiveness judgement about a provider. All judgements will still be awarded under the current 4-point grading scale. Parents will still get the information they value and understand.

The new framework builds on our existing expertise but marks a change in emphasis towards the substance of education. The proposed changes to the framework will make it easier to recognise and reward good work done by schools in areas of high disadvantage, by tackling the perverse incentives that leave them feeling they have to narrow the curriculum. Shifting the emphasis away from performance data will empower schools to always put the child first and actively discourage negative practices such as off-rolling.

Ofsted has also responded to the demand for parents to give better information about how well behaviour is managed in a school. A new separate behaviour judgement will assess whether schools are creating a calm, well-managed environment free from bullying. Alongside that, proposals for a ‘personal development judgement’ will recognise the work schools and colleges do to build young people’s resilience and confidence in later life – through work such as cadet forces, National Citizenship Service, sports, drama or debating teams.

Launching the consultation in a speech to the Sixth Form Colleges Association, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, said:

The new quality of education judgement will look at how providers are deciding what to teach and why, how well they are doing it and whether it is leading to strong outcomes for young people. This will reward those who are ambitious and make sure that young people accumulate rich, well-connected knowledge and develop strong skills using this knowledge.

This is all about raising true standards. Nothing is more pernicious to these than a culture of curriculum narrowing and teaching to the test.

She continued:

Two words sum up my ambition for the framework: substance and integrity.

The substance that has all children and young people exposed to the best that has been thought and said, achieve highly and set up to succeed.

And the integrity that makes sure every child and young person is treated as an individual with potential to be unlocked, and staff as experts in their subject or field, not just as data gatherers and process managers. And above all that you are rewarded for doing the right thing.

Ofsted is committed to making sure that any changes to the inspection framework and approach are fair, reliable and valid.

Today’s proposals are the result of well over a year of research, developmental work and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders. Since June 2017, Ofsted has held over 200 engagement events attended by more than 16,000 people. The feedback from these events has helped shape the new framework and approach. More stakeholder events are planned during the course of the consultation. The draft framework criteria have also been tested in a series of pilot inspections, which will continue throughout the spring term.

The draft framework is accompanied by a research commentary which underpins the evidence base for each of its aspects. As a result, Ofsted is confident that this will be the most evidence-based, researched and transparent framework in our history.

The consultation is open until 5 April 2019. Views are sought on the overall changes to the framework as well as on how they will work in practice for the individual education remits. All responses received will be considered carefully, and will help Ofsted to refine and improve the proposed approach before the final framework and inspection handbooks are published in summer 2019.

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Thousands of young people in England will have the chance to take part in international exchanges and visits thanks to a new £2.5 million programme, the Education Secretary announced today (19 January).

Schools in England will be able to apply for grants to take pupils aged 11 and above to visit partner schools around the world, giving them the chance to experience different cultures, improve language skills and build independence, character and resilience.

The programme, which will be principally focused on supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds, will be run in partnership with the British Council – whose own research has found that only 39% of secondary schools run international exchanges. For independent schools, the figure is 77%.

As education ministers from around the world prepare to gather in London for the Education World Forum, Damian Hinds has stressed the importance of ensuring disadvantaged young people don’t miss out on the life-changing experiences and academic opportunities offered by overseas visits.

Evidence shows that businesses are increasingly looking for employees with international experience and language skills – and, according to a British Council survey, almost two-thirds of university language students said that an international exchange helped inspire them to choose their degree course.

The programme will build on the government’s work to encourage more pupils to study a foreign language, including their inclusion in the English Baccalaureate. Since 2010 we have seen 45% more entries in GCSE Chinese and 51% more entries in GCSE Spanish.

Funding will be targeted at schools with above-average numbers of pupil-premium students. Over the course of the programme, it is estimated that trips could be funded for 2,900 pupils. Young people will be encouraged to stay with host families abroad where possible, maximising their opportunity to practise language skills and be fully immersed in another culture.

To make the scheme as easy as possible for schools to take part in, there will be a simple application process, grants to cover the administrative cost of organising trips, and seminars to help schools without much experience of international visits find partner institutions abroad – in Europe or further afield.

Schools will be able to register their interest on the British Council website from Monday.

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Teachers in England will receive more early career support, opportunities for flexible and part-time working, and a reduction in their workload – in a new strategy aimed at boosting the number of teachers in the profession and making sure talent stays in schools across the country.

Launching the government’s first-ever integrated strategy to recruit and retain more teachers in schools – developed alongside and welcomed today (28 January) by teachers, education unions and leading professional bodies – Education Secretary Damian Hinds has set out plans to attract and retain the next generation of inspirational teachers.

The strategy will deliver on the Education Secretary’s commitment to champion the profession and will build on the 30,000 classroom teachers the government aims to recruit each year, support the 450,000 teachers already working in schools in England, and boost outcomes for pupils by:

• Providing new teachers with the foundations for a successful career – by creating the Early Career Framework, the biggest teaching reform in a generation, backed by at least £130million a year in extra funding when fully rolled out. New teachers will receive a two-year package of training and support at the start of their career, including a reduced timetable to allow teachers to make the most of their training. Extra investment will also be pledged, through the £42million Teacher Development Premium, to roll-out the Early Career Framework
• Extra financial incentives to encourage talented teachers to stay in the classroom – Bursaries will be reformed to include retention-based payments for those who stay in the profession by staggering additional payments throughout the first years of their career.
• Simplifying the process of applying to become a teacher – introducing a new one-stop application system to make applications easier for would-be teachers and making it easier for more people to experience classroom teaching.
• Helping school leaders to reduce teachers’ workload – helping school leaders strip away unnecessary tasks such as data entry; simplifying the accountability system to clarify when a school may be subject to intervention or offered support; and working with Ofsted to ensure staff workload is considered as part of a school’s inspection judgement.
• Creating a more diverse range of options for career progression – helping schools to introduce flexible working practices through a new match-making service for teachers seeking a job-share and developing specialist qualifications and non-leadership career routes for teachers that want to stay in the classroom, with additional incentives to work in challenging schools.

The Education Secretary is calling on the profession to work with the Department for Education to deliver the plan and help meet the “shared challenge” of recruitment and retention.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:

When I took this job a year ago, I made championing teachers my number one priority. Over the past year I have worked with Ofsted and the unions to bear down on workload. I think teachers work too many hours – aggravated by unnecessary tasks like excessive marking and data entry, spending more than half their time on non-teaching tasks.

But those who choose to become teachers chose to do so to inspire young people, support their development and set them up for a bright future – not stay late in the office filling in a spreadsheet.

This ambitious strategy commits to supporting teachers – particularly those at the start of their career – to focus on what actually matters, the pupils in their classrooms. In a competitive graduate labour market we must continue to ensure that teaching is an attractive profession so we can train and retain the next generation of inspirational teachers. Working with teachers, school leaders, trusts and unions, this strategy will help to support teachers to do what they do best – teach.

The priorities in the strategy have been defined with leading education unions, who have co-signed a commitment to help teachers and school leaders implement the strategy so that it has maximum impact in schools. To deliver on these priorities, and build on the 34,500 trainees that joined the profession in 2018, the strategy also commits to:

• support proposals in Ofsted’s new inspection framework, including to focus on reducing teacher workload;
• introduce a new Ofsted hotline for head teachers to directly report any breaches of its commitments around the information schools do not need to provide to inspectors, including internal assessment data;
• launch a new ‘Discover Teaching’ initiative to give more people an opportunity to discover the joys of teaching;
• Challenge Education Technology (EdTech) providers to see how innovative timetabling solutions can help support part-time and flexible working patterns;
• Call on head teachers and school leaders to embrace flexible working in their schools;
• launch a new, digital ‘match-making’ service for teachers looking for a job-share partner – helping more people join or return to the profession; and
• invest £10 million to create regional centres of excellence to facilitate sharing of best practice on classroom and behaviour management.

The leaders of teaching unions and professional bodies have today welcomed the plans.

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The BBC reports that analysis by the National Deaf Children’s Society shows that deaf children in England are falling behind their classmates from primary school through to GCSE.

Analysis shows that only 30.6% achieve a GCSE strong pass – Grade 5 or above – in both English and maths, compared with 48.3% of children with no special educational needs.

And 57% fail to reach expected levels in reading, writing and maths in Sats tests at the end of primary, compared with 26% of children with no SEN.

The NCDS urges more government funding.

Its analysis of government data suggests the average Attainment 8 score (how well pupils do across eight core subjects) for deaf children was 39.2 – but for those with no SEN, the average was 49.8.

In the story, a spokeperson for the Department for Education said: “Our ambition for children with special educational needs and disabilities, including those who are deaf, is exactly the same for every other child – to achieve well in education, and go on to live happy and fulfilled lives.

“We recognise that local authorities are facing cost pressures on high needs and that there is more to do which is why in December 2018 we announced an additional £250m in funding for high needs over this and next year.”

Read the full story at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-47212462

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Boys from disadvantaged backgrounds benefit most from early schooling, helping to narrow the skills gap with boys from high socio-economic backgrounds, according to new research.

The study, by researchers from the University of York and UCL, reveals that an additional term (4 months) of early schooling has a positive effect on boys from disadvantaged backgrounds up until age 11 – improving relationships with teachers, academic interest and disruptive behaviour.

For this group, early schooling also increases test scores in language and numeracy at age 5 by 16-20 percent, personal, social, and emotional development at age 5 by 8 percent, and language and numeracy skills at age 7 by about 10 percent. For boys from high socio-economic backgrounds, on the other hand, many of these effects are close to zero.

Impact on skills

The researchers analysed information on more than 400,000 children born in 2000-01 who attend state schools in England and whose records are included in the National Pupil Database. This was combined with information on more than 7,000 English children from the same birth cohort who took part in the Millennium Cohort Study.

They examined locally varying school entry rules according to which most children entered reception class (first year of primary school) at the start of the academic year, but summer-born children in some local authorities were deferred by one or two terms.

The study investigated how earlier versus later transition into reception class impacts on cognitive and non-cognitive skills up until age 11 (final year of primary school).

They showed that universally all children benefit from early schooling, however the average effects are stronger for disadvantaged boys.

Optimal age

On average across all children, an additional term of early schooling increases age 5 test scores in language and numeracy by 6-10 percent and age 7 language and numeracy skills by about 2 percent. The effects on cognitive skills largely disappear four years later at age 11.

Co-author of the study, Professor Thomas Cornelissen from the Department of Economics at the University of York, said: “The starting age of formal schooling differs widely across countries, with the UK among the countries in which formal schooling starts the earliest. Yet, to date, there exists little evidence on what the optimal starting age for formal schooling is.

“Overall our findings confirm that exposure of 4 year olds to early learning in a school setting fosters a range of important social skills throughout age 5, 7 and 11.”

The study also suggests there are lasting effects on non-cognitive outcomes. At age 5, there are positive effects on physical development (covering coordination and fine motor control); creative development; and personal, social, and emotional development, with increases of about 5 percent for one additional term of early schooling. Earlier school entry further improves the pupil-teacher relationship and non-cognitive skills such as academic interest and good behaviour at ages 7 and 11.

Positive effects

Co-author of the study, Professor Christian Dustmann from UCL said: “An important finding of the study is that the large skills difference between boys from advantaged and disadvantaged family backgrounds can be substantially reduced by early schooling.

“This is in line with findings of higher positive effects for disadvantaged children of early childcare programmes in other countries, such as Germany.

“The reason why boys from low socio-economic backgrounds benefit more strongly from early schooling may be that they experience lower-quality childcare when not enrolled in early childhood education.”

The study also found impact of summer-born children deferring school entry because the flipside of the positive effect of an additional term of early schooling is that there is a negative effect of losing one term due to deferment.

School-entry policy

Professor Cornelissen added: “The idea behind deferment by one or two terms is to give the youngest children some time to become more mature and school ready. But it seems that on average the negative effect of losing one term of reception class outweighs the potentially positive effect of deferment, in particular for boys from disadvantaged family backgrounds.

“The school-entry policy that should be recommended based on our results is a uniform school-entry date at the start of the academic year, while allowing deferment in exceptional circumstances. Importantly, this is the policy that most local authorities today have adopted.”

Early School Exposure, Test Scores, and Noncognitive Outcomes. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pol.20170641

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Thousands of new school places are being created for children with special educational needs or those facing additional challenges in mainstream education, providing tailored support to help children thrive.

Every region in the country will benefit from a new school, which include 37 special free schools and two alternative provision free schools. This will create around 3,500 additional school places, boosting choice for parents and providing specialist support and education for pupils with complex needs such as autism, severe learning difficulties or mental health conditions, and those who may have been or are at risk of being excluded from mainstream schools.

It follows a commitment from the Education Secretary Damian Hinds to give the green light to all high-quality special free school bids last December when he announced an additional £250 million for local authorities for their high needs budget. This builds on an additional £100m of capital funding for local authorities to invest in additional places and better facilities for pupils with special educational needs and disability at mainstream schools, special schools and colleges, taking total investment from 2018 to 2021 to £365 million.

Applications will now open in the 39 successful local authorities to find providers – including community groups, teachers, charities, existing education providers and other organisations – that will run them.

Of the 37 new special free schools:

• three will be in the North East, providing over 200 places in total mostly for children with social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH);
• six will be in the North West, providing over 400 places including for children with SEMH, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD) and speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN);
• five will be in Yorkshire and the Humber, providing over 500 places including for children with SEMH, ASD, SLD, Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) and SLCN;
• one will be in the East Midlands, providing 50 places for children with SEMH;
• four will be in the West Midlands, providing over 400 places including for children with SEMH, ASD and Multiple Learning Difficulties (MLD);
• four will be in the East of England, providing over 300 places including for children with SEMH, ASD and SLCN;
• five will be in London, providing over 400 places including for children with SEMH, ASD and SLCN;
• three will be in the South East, providing over 300 places including for children with SEMH and ASD;
• six will be in the South West, providing 500 places including for children with SEMH, ASD, Complex Learning Difficulties (CLD) and SLCN; and
• two AP free schools will provide over 100 places in the West Midlands for children who have been, or are at risk of being, excluded from mainstream education.

The 39 new free schools will offer an extra 3459 extra places for pupils. The schools add to the 34 special and 42 AP free schools already open, and come on top of a further 54 special and 12 AP free schools approved in a previous application rounds, which will open in future. The total number of special free schools will come to 125 upon completion.

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The use of technology in education will be transformed by a new Government strategy published today to reduce teacher workload, boost student outcomes and help level the playing field for those with special needs and disabilities.

Unveiling the Education Technology strategy at the Schools and Academies Show in London, the Education Secretary will set out plans – backed by £10 million – to support innovation and raise the bar in schools, colleges and universities across England.

Teachers, lecturers and education experts will unite with innovative businesses to harness the power of technology to tackle common challenges, and to ensure those working in education are equipped with the necessary skills and tools to meet the needs of schools, colleges, and their pupils.

EdTech exports are worth an estimated £170 million to the UK economy, and the strategy will deliver on the Government’s ambition for tech firms to work with the education sector and create innovative solutions to 10 key education challenges, including:

• Reduce teachers’ marking workload – using technology to cut the time teachers spend preparing and marking homework.
• Boost training opportunities for teachers – looking at how technology can make training more accessible and tailored to individual needs of teachers.
• Identify how anti-cheating software can be improved – setting out more detail on how the Government can help to tackle the problem of essay mills, particularly in universities.
• Promote the use of innovative tech to level the playing field for people with special educational needs and disabilities – identifying the technology that best suits individual needs.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds will say:

We are living in a digital world with technology transforming the way we live our lives – both at home and in the workplace. But we must never think about technology for its own sake. Technology is an enabler and an enhancer. For too long in education, technology has been seen as something that adds to a teacher’s workload rather than helps to ease.

This strategy is just the first step in making sure the education sector is able to take advantage of all of the opportunities available through EdTech. We now call on schools, businesses and technology developers to realise the huge potential of technology to transform our schools so that teachers have the time to focus on teaching, their own professional development, and – crucially – are able to cater to the needs of every single one of their pupils.

For some children, technology can have a profound effect in opening up channels of communication – making learning accessible in ways not possible without the intervention of technology. Technology has the power to bring children with certain special education needs new independence in learning and communicating.

So as part of the strategy, the Education Secretary will announce that leading assistive technology developers and education experts will make recommendations to the Government on ways to harness the power of technology to support learners with conditions such as dyslexia or autistic spectrum disorders to thrive in the classroom.

Overseeing work on the wider EdTech agenda, a new EdTech Leadership Group will be convened to bring together educators within industry and will report back by the end of the year. The Group will make commitments to determine future use of technology and practice throughout the education sector.

Government will also work in partnership with the UK’s innovation foundation Nesta, to find technological solutions on essay marking, formative assessment, parental engagement and timetabling technology – four of the ten EdTech challenges set out in the plan.

The collaboration will stimulate industry interest, and support the development of products, to ensure that they meet the needs of teachers, lecturers, pupils and students.

Working with the British Education Suppliers Association (BESA), schools will also receive help to identify the right products when buying technology through LendED, a free service which enables schools to try educational software before they buy them.

This platform will help to ensure that schools and colleges are getting the best value from the hundreds of millions spent every year on digital technology, to ultimately improve student outcomes, reduce teacher workload and help schools save money.

Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation Chris Skidmore said:

As the way we interact with technology is changing at an ever-increasing rate, it is more important than ever that the education system keeps pace with the change around us. We need to work with leading head teachers, education experts and tech companies to unlock the benefits for our children and young people.

The collaboration enabled by this strategy will provide an unprecedented boost to the role technology has to play in schools, colleges and universities, and support the UK’s dynamic EdTech sector to develop an ever-wider range of exciting products and technology solutions.

Drawing on existing expertise in the system, the strategy will also launch a series of ‘demonstrator schools and colleges’, which will showcase best practice and provide peer-to-peer support and training for teachers, lecturers and school leaders.

This will be supported by free online training courses for teachers and school leaders, produced by the Chartered College of Teaching, which will provide access to high-quality continued professional development and equip them with the knowledge required to make the best use of technology.

Head of Education Europe at Google Liz Sproat said:

The strategy published today takes an important stance in supporting schools, colleges and universities to invest in technology, not only for the benefit of educators, but for their students too.

From our work across Europe we are seeing how schools are embracing technology with impressive results. These positive developments come as a result of coupling technology with investment in professional growth, equipping educators with the knowledge they need to use technology effectively.

It is encouraging to see how the DfE is pledging to support schools, not just with investment, but guidance on infrastructure and teacher skills to assist them in taking full advantage of the exciting array of technologies on offer.

Director of Education at Nesta Joysy John said:

We welcome the launch of the Department for Education’s new EdTech Strategy, which will bring much needed coordination to the field. Part of the Government’s new EdTech Fund will be supported by Nesta to bring together schools and the tech industry, building an evidence base and supporting the EdTech products that really work.

Schools and colleges will be involved every step of the way in product development and implementation, and we believe this is a crucial step in creating a smarter system that benefits both teachers and students.

Director of Corporate Strategy at Ofsted, Chris Jones, said:

The Government’s EdTech strategy highlights some exciting opportunities for teachers to harness technology that allows them to dedicate their energies to the substance of education: effective teaching of the curriculum that produces great outcomes for pupils.

UK Director of Education for Microsoft, Chris Rothwell, said:

Technology is having incredible impact in all aspects of education today, but there is always more to be done. We welcome the announcement of an EdTech strategy for England, with its focus on building on existing best practice and lowering barriers to adoption for all.

The launch of the EdTech strategy is the latest step taken to reduce the burden on teachers and schools, including the launch of the Teacher Vacancy Service, which has now been rolled out nationwide. This will help schools bear down on the estimated £75m spent on recruitment advertising per year, providing a simple, free and easy-to-use platform for teachers to find their next career move.

The UK’s innovative EdTech businesses are integral to the success of the strategy, and through the modern Industrial Strategy we are supporting these businesses to start, scale and grow, placing the UK at the forefront in the development and adoption of new technologies.

The new EdTech Strategy will go further by ensuring businesses are better equipped to develop products which meet the needs of educators, enabling them to build a robust evidence base to demonstrate the impact of their products; and driving demand for both innovative and proven products.

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Free sanitary products will be offered to girls in all primary schools in England from early next year, under plans announced today by the Department for Education.

The Government committed to provide access to free sanitary products in England’s secondary schools and colleges in last month’s Spring Statement, and today Children and Families Minister Nadhim Zahawi confirmed access to the free products will also be fully-funded by the Department for Education in all primary schools across the country.

Extending the programme to all primary schools follows feedback from teachers, students and parents, and the DfE is now working with key stakeholders in the public and private sector to roll-out the programme in a cost-effective manner that supports girls and young women across the country.

Children and Families Minister Nadhim Zahawi said:

This Government is determined to ensure that no-one should be held back from reaching their potential – and wants everyone to lead active, healthy, happy lives.

That is why earlier this year we committed to fully-fund access to free sanitary products in all secondary schools and colleges in England.

After speaking to parents, teachers and pupils, we are now extending this to more than 20,000 primary schools so that every young person in all our schools and colleges gets the support that they need.

The announcement builds on bold new relationships, sex and health education, published earlier this year, to ensure every pupil learns about leading healthy lives, including menstrual wellbeing, as part of a well-rounded education on mental and physical health.

It also follows other steps taken by the Government, including the introduction in 2015 of a £15 million annual Tampon Tax Fund to support women’s charities – and a commitment to end period poverty globally by 2030.

This commitment included the creation of a government-wide taskforce, backed by £250,000, to work with businesses and the third-sector to develop new ideas to tackle period poverty.

Today’s announcement – which will see all primary and secondary schools and colleges offered fully-funded products at the earliest possible opportunity to roll-out the scheme nationwide in early 2020 – has been welcomed by charities and campaigners who have heralded the “fantastic news”.

Amika George, founder of #FreePeriods, said:

This is fantastic news, and we’re so glad that the government has extended this pledge to primary schools. Period poverty should never be a barrier to education.

With free access to menstrual products for every child in compulsory education, every student can go to school without the anxiety or stress of worrying where their next pad or tampon will come from. This commitment will ensure that all children can fully participate in lessons and focus in class, and their period will never hold them back.

Isla, 19, a member of Girlguiding’s panel of Advocates, said:

A third (30%) of girls aged 11-21 told Girlguiding they have missed school or college because of their period. That’s unacceptable. Every girl should have access to something so basic – and I am so excited that the government is making sure that they do. Free menstrual products in primary schools will help make period poverty a thing of the past.

It’ll also help break down the stigma girls deal with every month. Too many people think periods are a secret or something to be ashamed of. But giving primary school girls access to tampons and pads will help break the taboo of periods from a young age.

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The practice of excluding students from schools is set to be placed under scrutiny with plans announced that the number of exclusions is set to be reported publicly in school league table data.

The intention is to stop so-called “off-rolling”, where schools remove difficult or low-achieving pupils. On average about 2,000 pupils are excluded from school each day – with 40 being permanently excluded.

The government-backed review called for a more consistent approach to “make sure no child slips through the net”. There are warnings of a “worse trajectory” for excluded pupils, including an increased chance of becoming a young offender or being out of work.

The Education Secretary for England’s schools, Damian Hinds, endorsed the report, promising “greater clarity” for schools over the appropriate use of exclusions, saying a consultation in the autumn would consider how accountability measures, such as league tables, could be used to keep schools responsible for the future outcome of excluded pupils.

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Teachers in England are being invited to join a professional development opportunity through EarthEcho International sponsored by the Northrop Grumman Foundation. The ‘EarthEcho Expeditions: What’s the Catch?’ programme leverages the rich Cousteau legacy of exploration and discovery to bring Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education alive for today’s 21st-century learners and their educators.

The free, expenses-paid opportunity is planned to allow secondary school teachers to participate as Expedition Fellows to learn first-hand from scientists and engineers the consequences of fisheries mismanagement and how this can be changed for the better with new technological approaches and discoveries.

Twenty-five teachers from England will be selected to join local scientists and community leaders to create a collaborative curriculum that introduces students to the innovative engineering and technology solutions that are being implemented in Plymouth, England, and beyond to help fisheries become more sustainable.

Expedition Fellows participate in on-site video production, classroom content creation, and post-expedition distribution and evaluation of adventure-based STEM learning modules to their own and other classrooms across the world. Resources are shared free of charge on EarthEcho’s digital platforms.

Participating teachers serving as Expedition Fellows have the chance to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that they can take back to their classrooms to engage and inspire their students and others around the world. The programme – at venues including the University of Plymouth, National Marine Aquarium and Plymouth Fisheries – includes an on-site production experience and collaborative curriculum creation to develop adventure-based STEM learning modules that introduce students to the innovative engineering and technology solutions addressing fisheries management, policy and community impacts. During 2020, the EarthEcho Expedition modules created by the educator team will be distributed digitally to classrooms across the world at no charge.

Click here to apply now for 2019 Expedition: What’s the Catch?

ABOUT EARTHECHO INTERNATIONAL:

EarthEcho International is a nonprofit organisation founded on the belief that youth have the power to change our planet. Established by siblings Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau in honour of their father Philippe Cousteau Sr. and grandfather legendary explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, their mission is to inspire young people worldwide to act now for a sustainable future. EarthEcho’s programmes are developed for youth and teachers with resources are designed to equip new generations of leaders and problem solvers to identify and tackle environmental challenges in their own communities and beyond. For more information about EarthEcho International, visit www.earthecho.org.  

Click here to explore the expeditions initiated by EarthEcho

About ‘What’s the Catch?’

Overfishing and poor fisheries management is a global issue impacting more than 3 billion people worldwide who depend on seafood as their primary source of protein. Populations from the Pacific Island to the United Kingdom are addressing this complex problem that is heavily influenced by ecology, economics, and anthropology. EarthEcho International will travel to the Plymouth, to explore fisheries that were thought to be beyond recovery but have rebounded in recent years thanks to new technology guiding resource managers.

EarthEcho Expeditions: What’s the Catch? will take to the seas exploring the technological advances and policy solutions that have allowed the initial recovery of fisheries working with fisheries biologists, ecologists, fishermen, policy-makers, and young people who are taking the lead in making sure that the UK’s beloved fish & chips are sustainable. Philippe Cousteau and the EarthEcho International team will set out to explore the history of fisheries and discover what solutions are on the horizon.

Click here to apply now for 2019 Expedition: What’s the Catch?

The General Itinerary for this opportunity currently is:

Tuesday, August 27, 2019: Location: Marine Station at University of Plymouth

○ Exploration of fisheries, plankton tow, and base of the food web, walking tour to evaluate impacts of the built environment on fisheries

Wednesday, August 28, 2019: Location: The National Aquarium

○ Assessment of sustainable seafood at the fish market followed by an afternoon workshop on fisheries with aquarium education staff

Thursday, August 29, 2019: Location: Jurys Inn

○ Collaborative curriculum development lead by EarthEcho International to include work on Project Based Learning in STEM and Engineering Design Process.

Friday, August 30, 2019: Location: Marine Station at University of Plymouth

○ Exploration of juvenile fish habitat (catch and release of fish), fish tracking technology, and Lyme Bay Discussion

Saturday, August 31, 2019:Location: Marine Station at University of Plymouth

○ Workshop on Aquaculture followed by continued Collaborative Curriculum Development with EarthEcho staff on design challenge development for students.

Click here to apply now for 2019 Expedition: What’s the Catch?

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Research undertaken by University College in London has found that school break times in England have shortened, with infants receiving 45 minutes less per week, with their secondary peers losing 65 minutes over the same period.

Researchers analysed questionnaires completed at 993 primaries and 199 secondaries in 2017 along with separate pupil surveys at 37 schools. These were compared with surveys in similar schools in 2006 and 1995.

The report claims their results gave the impression that breaks were being kept as “tightly managed and as short as possible” and this meant pupils could be missing out on social development and highlighted how “school is increasingly the main, and in some cases the only, context where young people get to socialise”.

The report from the UCL Institute of Education, warns of a near “virtual elimination” of afternoon breaks, especially in secondary schools, and shorter lunch breaks.

One in four secondary schools now leave only 35 minutes or less for lunch, the research reveals.

Lead author Dr Ed Baines said: “Despite the length of the school day remaining much the same, break times are being squeezed even further, with potential serious implications for children’s well-being and development.

“Not only are break times an opportunity for children to get physical exercise – an issue of particular concern given the rise in obesity, but they provide valuable time to make friends and to develop important social skills – experiences that are not necessarily learned or taught in formal lessons.”

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Teachers want to see more support for parents to help them resist the practice of ‘off-rolling’. New research for Ofsted finds that a quarter of teachers have seen off-rolling – when a child is removed from the school roll for the school’s benefit, rather than in the child’s best interests – happen in their schools. Two-thirds of these teachers believe the practice is on the rise.

The study, based on survey responses from over 1000 teachers, paints a concerning picture of the extent of off-rolling in England’s schools. Teachers believe that parents with less understanding of the education system and their rights are most likely to be pressured into taking their child out of school.

Some spoke of “fear-mongering”, with school management giving parents a “worst case scenario” for their child’s future if they remained in the school. Teachers said that they want to see better support for parents, so they understand their rights and options.

The YouGov survey for Ofsted looks at teachers’ awareness of, and views about off-rolling.

It also finds that:

• there is mixed understanding among teachers of what off-rolling is, but many teachers are aware that it is happening and believe that it is on the increase
• teachers agree that it usually happens before GCSEs, either during years 10 to 11 before results are collected, or in year 9 before exam teaching begins
• vulnerable students with special educational needs (SEN) or other needs are more likely to be affected
• many teachers think there is an overlap between off-rolling and other, sometimes legitimate, practices

Teachers believe that academic achievement is central to schools’ decision-making when pupils are off-rolled. Half of those that responded to the survey said the main reason for schools to off-roll a pupil is to manipulate league tables. Some teachers felt that it was easier to justify off-rolling when there are behavioural concerns, and that behavioural issues are “dressed up” to support the pupils’ removal.

The vast majority of teachers taking part in the research opposed off-rolling, but some thought it was understandable when there are underlying issues at play. Teachers also thought that schools needed more support to address special educational needs and other behaviours that are linked to off-rolling.

Only a third of teachers that had experienced off-rolling believed that off-rolled pupils went on to other mainstream schools, while just a fifth of those with experience of off-rolling said that there was any follow-up to check what had happened to pupils.

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From September 2019, Ofsted will refocus inspections of schools in England, early years settings and further education and skills providers, to make sure that learners are receiving a high-quality education that puts them on a path to future success.

Ofsted inspectors will spend less time looking at exam results and test data, and more time considering how a nursery, school, college or other education provider has achieved their results. That is, whether they are the outcome of a broad, rich curriculum and real learning, or of teaching to the test and exam cramming.

The changes follow a 3-month public consultation, which prompted more than 15,000 responses – the highest number Ofsted has ever received.

Read the consultation outcome report.

Ofsted confirmed today that it will proceed with its headline proposal for a new ‘quality of education’ judgement after it received strong support from three-quarters of respondents.

More than three-quarters of respondents also supported plans to introduce 2 new key judgements, evaluating learners’ ‘behaviour and attitudes’ separately from their ‘personal development’.

The ‘behaviour and attitudes’ judgement will assess whether leaders are creating a calm and orderly environment, where bullying is tackled effectively by leaders when it occurs. While the ‘personal development’ judgement will recognise the work early years providers, schools and colleges do to build young people’s resilience and confidence in later life, including through participation in sport, music and extra-curricular activities.

Together, these changes will make it easier for Ofsted to recognise and reward early years providers, schools and colleges that are doing the best they can for their pupils, particularly those working in challenging circumstances.

Schools will be empowered to always put the child first and be actively discouraged from negative practices, such as ‘off-rolling’, where schools remove pupils in their own best interests, rather than that of the pupils. Such schools are likely to find their ‘leadership and management’ judged inadequate under the new framework.

All inspection judgements will continue to be awarded under the current 4-point grading scale: outstanding; good; requires improvement; and inadequate. Reports will be redesigned and shortened to give parents the key information they need to know about a school and a sense of how it feels to be a pupil there.

HM Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman said:

This was the largest-ever consultation Ofsted has undertaken and I am very grateful to all those who took the time to respond.

The new framework puts the real substance of education at the heart of inspection and supports leaders and teachers who act with integrity. We hope early years, schools and college leaders will no longer feel the need to generate and analyse masses of internal data for inspection. Instead, we want them to spend their time teaching and making a real difference to children’s lives, which is why they entered the profession in the first place.

Our goal is really simple: to be a force for improvement through our inspections. We want to provide parents with the assurance they need, support teachers and leaders to excel – and help make sure all children and learners to get the education they deserve.

The consultation was the result of nearly 2 years of research and engagement with teachers, headteachers, governors, unions, academics and parents. The new framework and inspection handbooks, will be used across all education inspections from September 2019.

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Children of similar cognitive ability have very different chances of educational success; it still depends on their parents’ economic, socio-cultural and educational resources. This contradicts a commonly held view that these days that our education system has developed enough to give everyone a fighting chance.

The researchers, led by Dr. Erzsébet Bukodi from Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention, looked at data from cohorts of children born in three decades: 1950s, 1970s and 1990s. They found significant evidence of a wastage of talent. Individuals with high levels of cognitive ability but who are disadvantaged in their social origins are persistently unable to translate their ability into educational attainment to the same extent as their more advantaged counterparts.

The research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, found that only about half of the difference in educational attainment between children from advantaged and disadvantaged parental backgrounds is due to differences in their cognitive ability. The other half is due to other factors associated with their backgrounds.

“If we compare the educational attainment of children born in the 1990s to those in the late 1950s and early 1970s, we see that parent’s economic resources have become a less important factor, but their socio-cultural and educational resources have grown in significance,” says Dr. Bukodi. “That means that your parents’ place in society and their own level of education still play a big part in how well you may do.”

These experts are now calling for policy-makers to acknowledge that formal qualifications are only one channel for upward mobility for high-ability individuals of disadvantaged backgrounds. Dr. Bukodi says: “These findings show that there are limits to how far inequalities of opportunity can be reduced through educational policy alone. Changes in educational policy aren’t having the impact we want.” Apart from education, job training programmes, promotions or becoming self-employed in higher-level occupations are important channels for upward mobility.

Bukodi co-authored a recent book on this issue with Dr. John Goldthorpe who commented that, “The real mobility problem is that upward mobility is falling while downward mobility is rising. Young people now face less favourable mobility prospects than their parents or grandparents.” If we are to reverse that trend, we need to look beyond formal education to find other channels for success.

More information: Erzsébet Bukodi and John H Goldthorpe. Social Mobility and Education in Britain. Cambridge University Press, 2018. doi.org/10.1017/9781108567404

Bukodi, E., et al. Social Origins, Cognitive Ability, Educational Attainment and Social Class Position in Britain: A Birth Cohort and Life-Course Perspective, University of Oxford. 2019. www.oxes.org.uk/wordpress/wp-c … aper-for-website.pdf

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Supported by Routledge Education

Within the education system of England, there is a serious issue of early career teachers leaving the profession, and many schools struggling to retain staff as they feel disillusioned by a career that is severely more demanding than expected. Without the right support, it is difficult for early career teachers to know where to turn. Although surrounded by a lot of people, teaching can sometimes feel a really lonely pursuit, but it doesn’t need to end in despair.

That’s the message that strongly shines through in Victoria Hewett’s new book ‘Making it as a teacher’ where she inspires early career teachers to explore a vast world of online opportunities to help, support and develop the teaching process. A valued contributor to UKEdChat (click to see resources and ideas), Victoria has shared some of her experiences, findings and ideas in a resourceful book that explores the issues and challenges teachers may face, including: Lesson planning, marking and feedback; behaviour and classroom management; work-life balance, and; progression, CPD and networking.

With examples of classroom pedagogical ideas, along with useful links for further exploration, this book can help the reader explore a rich online environment that supports individual teachers to be inspired by the opportunities available. Along with the real-life photographs scattered throughout the book, Victoria also points to research, online-resources and anecdotes sharing her experiences within the profession.

Although aimed at early career teachers, this book is filled with great ideas and inspiration that can support colleagues in most phases of education, including primary and secondary school educators.

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