ESFA

ESFA annual report and accounts: 8 things we learned

£4.5m academy write-offs, risks of ‘errors’ and bumper £107k ‘exit package’ payout

Jack Dyson
Jack Dyson
SATs

SATs helpline struggling, and 9 more findings from STA accounts

Agency plans to ‘transform’ how it engages with schools, but still misses phone targets

Samantha Booth
Freddie Whittaker and Samantha Booth
Private schools

Explainer: Labour’s VAT plan for private schools

The new government has published a policy paper on one of its flagship education proposals

Jack Dyson
Jack Dyson
Teacher pay

STRB backs careful move to targeting pay by subject

If ‘done well’ targeting pay by subject might be ‘a useful approach’ to address shortage subject recruitment in a…

Samantha Booth
Samantha Booth
Teacher pay

Teacher pay 2024: Everything you need to know

Is it really ‘fully funded’? Can schools afford it? And what else has been announced?

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Teacher pay

Reeves accepts 5.5% teacher pay recommendation

DfE confirms it will hand schools £1.2bn to help pay for staff rises, but they’ll have to contribute £600m…

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker


Politics

Starmer adviser Peter Hyman won’t join Downing Street team

School founder and former Blair speechwriter had played key role in drawing up PM’s core ‘missions’

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Politics

Curriculum review must avoid ‘soft bigotry of low expectations’ – Barran

Ex-minister invokes Gove as she says curriculum review should ‘scale best practice’

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
BTECs

BTECs reform pause and review: Everything you need to know

DfE to conclude review of defunding reforms by December, but Labour accused of ‘betrayal’ amid lack of long-term pause

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Recruitment

Trainee teacher drop-out rate doubles in four years

But of those who do qualify, a higher proportion end up teaching

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
Tutoring

Over 4 in 10 schools snub tutoring in final year of subsidies

Course starts likely halved in last year of subsidies for flagship catch-up programme

Freddie Whittaker
Freddie Whittaker
SEND

Eight reforms to fix ‘broken’ SEND system from councils-backed report

A national regulator, greater clarity over needs, clampdown on private sector profits and ‘less adversarial’ system proposed

Jack Dyson
Jack Dyson