Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

DfE consults on extending teacher pension survivor rights to civil and same-sex partners

The Department for Education has opened a consultation into plans to extend survivor benefits under the teachers’ pension scheme to civil and same-sex partners. The change, one of three proposed to the scheme, comes after the Supreme Court ruled in 2017 that the husband of former cavalry officer John Walker was entitled to the same […]

Schools to get curriculum review grace period under new Ofsted inspection framework

Schools will be given the chance to implement a new curriculum before being judged on it under new plans announced by Ofsted today. The watchdog plans to build in a grace period of at least a year into its proposals to rate schools on what they teach, rather than the outcomes of pupils. Under the […]

Deep dives: Will Ofsted’s plan to check up on the curriculum really work?

Ofsted has finally revealed more about how it will rate the quality of education in schools across England under its new inspection framework. Tom Richmond looks below the surface at whether it will work. ‘Top-level view’, ‘Deep dive’, ‘Bringing it together’ – no, this is not a collection of cheesy management jargon from the corporate […]

New Ofsted inspection framework: What schools need to know

Ofsted has published the finalised version of its new inspection framework, which will govern all school visits from this September. The watchdog’s leaders have made a number of changes to the framework since the draft was published earlier this year, in response to a consultation to which more than 15,000 people and organisations responded. Here […]

DfE will issue further guidance on right to withdraw from sex education

The Department for Education will issue further guidance on how heads should handle requests to withdraw pupils from sex education, a senior adviser to the government has said. Ministers have come under increasing pressure to clarify the “exceptional circumstances” in which headteachers can refuse to allow pupils to be withdrawn from the lessons. Under the […]

DfE pledges recruitment process for behaviour network team

The Department for Education insists it will launch a recruitment process for its new “behaviour network” experts, after the project’s lead adviser was appointed without competition. It was announced on Saturday that Tom Bennett, who led the DfE’s independent review of behaviour in schools, will head a £10 million project to share best behaviour practice […]

Ofsted scraps plan for inspectors to arrive with 2.5 hours notice

Plans to have Ofsted inspectors arrive at schools within two-and-a-half hours of heads being notified of an inspection have been scrapped. The watchdog announced today it will not proceed with plans to have lead inspectors conduct “on-site preparation” on the day before inspections, after three quarters of respondents to a consultation rejected the move. But […]

Timpson review: Questions over councils’ role in oversight of pupil movement

The government will consider giving councils a key role in tracking pupils who move out of schools – sparking warnings they could “get in the way” of turnaround academy heads. The Timpson review calls for a “clear role” for councils in reviewing data on pupil movement, including the power to “take action” to ensure children […]

I want ‘broad range’ of schools for new network, says DfE behaviour tsar Bennett

Schools that demonstrate “consistency” in behaviour management are being sought for a new £10 million government project – and there is no preferred strategy, the government’s behaviour tsar has said. The government appointed Tom Bennett (pictured) last week to lead the three-year project to support up to 500 schools across England in developing better behaviour […]