• Heads 'not scared' of industrial action over funding, says union leader

    Headteachers are “not scared” of taking industrial action over school funding, says the head of the country’s largest school leaders’ union, as members prepare to vote on the direction of their campaign. The annual conference of the National Association of Head Teachers will begin in Telford today, with delegates set to hear from Damian Hinds,…

    0.11 May. 3rd, 2019 | News

  • DfE won't issue guidance on 'exceptional circumstances' for sex education withdrawal

    Headteachers will be left in the “invidious position” of deciding whether they have grounds to refuse parents’ requests to withdraw their children from new sex education lessons. School leaders’ unions have called for clarity after the new guidance confirmed that schools will be allowed to turn down such requests in “exceptional circumstances”. But the Department…

    5.00 Mar. 1st, 2019 | News

  • Heads concerned after 'lifeline' school improvement funding cut

    A “lifeline” government scheme that issued school improvement grants has closed, with £85 million from its coffers left unspent. The National Association of Head Teachers has expressed concerns after the Department for Education announced this week that no further routine grants will be awarded from the strategic school improvement fund, though emergency funding will still…

    12.38 Aug. 2nd, 2018 | News

  • Out-of-date pregnancy guidance isn’t helping schools, say critics

    A worrying lack of up-to-date guidance on how to ensure pregnant pupils continue their education is fuelling a rise in the use of alternative provision for those expecting a baby. The government claims five-year-old advice on how to deal with pupils with “health needs” – which makes no specific mention of pregnancy – is good…

    5.00 Jul. 22nd, 2018 | News

  • Teach Firsters return to the classroom ten years on

    Teachers who trained with education charity Teach First when it launched 15 years ago are returning to the profession, after leaving it behind to try out different industries. Data gathered by Teach First on trainees who joined the programme in 2003 and 2004 have shown that more of them were back in the classroom last…

    5.00 Jul. 14th, 2018 | News

  • Hinds challenged over 'dangerously inadequate' SEND funding

    A coalition of trade unions and 39 local authorities have written to the education secretary to warn of “dangerously inadequate funding” for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The School Cuts Coalition was first formed in November 2016 and now includes NEU, NAHT, ASCL, Unison, GMB and Unite. In a letter to Damian Hinds, the…

    0.01 Jun. 18th, 2018 | News

  • Paul Whiteman, General secretary, NAHT

    Almost a year to the day since he was unveiled as the NAHT’s preferred candidate to replace Russell Hobby as its general secretary, Paul Whiteman is preparing to deliver his inaugural keynote speech at the union’s annual conference. But Whiteman’s address in Liverpool this weekend will be delivered under very different circumstances to his predecessor’s…

    5.00 May. 8th, 2018 | Features

  • NAHT: Schools can't get hold of mental health support for children

    Over 90 per cent of teachers are unable to access specialist mental health support for the children in their school when it’s needed, according to a poll taken by school leaders’ union NAHT at its national conference in Liverpool today. Paul Whiteman, NAHT’s general secretary, said the system is “in crisis”, with unsupported children and young…

    15.13 May. 4th, 2018 | News

  • NAHT partners with Institute of School Business Leadership

    School leaders’ union NAHT has announced a new partnership with The Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), in response to the growing role of school business leaders. A joint conference is being planned for next year and members who join both NAHT and ISBL will receive a 25 per cent discount on each membership. School…

    0.01 May. 4th, 2018 | News

  • Heads back call for more male early-years teachers

    Members of school leaders’ union NAHT will debate the need for more male early-years teachers on Friday. The government must tackle the perception that early years education “lacks status and importance” and attracts lower pay to attract more men, according to James Bowen, who represents middle leaders at the union. Currently, just three per cent…

    0.01 May. 2nd, 2018 | News

  • Nine in 10 heads are headed for an 'unmanageable' budget deficit

    More than 90 per cent of headteachers expect their schools to rack up an unmanageable budget deficit in the near future, a poll has revealed. Twenty-one per cent of the 589 heads who responded to a survey by the school leaders’ union NAHT said their school was already in deficit this year, an increase of…

    22.02 Mar. 21st, 2018 | News