Term-time holidays a ‘small part’ of attendance woes – minister Catherine McKinnell says she’s focused on children who regularly miss ‘significant amounts of school’
Free school meals data now ‘less useful for research’, warns EPI Make-up of children who receive free lunches becoming ‘more diverse and uncertain’ as a result of government policies and demographic changes
Investigation: How councils routinely breach exclusion duty Councils have six days to find excluded pupils a suitable full-time education. But some youngsters are waiting two years
Free School Meals check system redesign to boost take-up The DfE say the redesign will make it ‘quicker and easier’ for parents to check eligibility for free school meals.
‘We can’t run at a loss’: Heads snub flagship breakfast clubs Government is seeking 750 pilot schools, but some heads say they can’t make it work for a basic funding rate of 60p per pupil
Reasonable force reporting requirement: What schools need to know DfE proposes first update to guidance in over a decade, with changes effective from September 2025
Head scores victory as Google agrees to delete school reviews Tech giant says all school reviews will now be deleted because of ‘consistent off-topic and harmful’ comments
‘I don’t remember it being this bad’: Teachers reveal scale of Labour’s school-ready promise Survey reveals mismatch in expectations between teachers and parents over what ‘being school ready’ means
More duties? Some councils have no home education staff Labour’s schools bill will give councils new duties to check family homes are a ‘suitable learning environment’