• Coronavirus: Heads expect 'better' safety guidance

    The NAHT headteachers’ union has said it expects the government to publish “better” safety guidance for schools after vague advice was circulated last night. The new guidance on implementing social distancing in education and childcare settings, published by the Department for Education and Public Health England, has been criticised for telling leaders little that they…

    9.49 Mar. 25th, 2020 | News

  • Coronavirus: Schools may have to prioritise remaining pupils 'according to need', warns NAHT

    Schools may have to “prioritise according to need” when admitting vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers next week, it has been warned, as leaders wait on further details of the government’s closure plans. The National Association of Headteachers has said it is seeking guidance from the government on how schools with capacity concerns…

    19.57 Mar. 19th, 2020 | News

  • Coronavirus: Leadership unions say school closures 'likely' after DfE crunch talks

    The general secretaries of England’s two school leadership unions have said it is “likely that a number of schools will have to close”, following a meeting with ministers. Geoff Barton, the leader of ASCL and Paul Whiteman, who heads up the NAHT, said they had had a “very productive meeting” with education secretary Gavin Williamson…

    18.25 Mar. 16th, 2020 | News

  • 'We are not convinced' - leaders' union ASCL won't back #PauseOfsted campaign

    The Association of School and College Leaders will not back calls for school staff to stop working as Ofsted inspectors because its leaders are “not convinced” it’s the best way forward. The #PauseOfsted campaign, launched by Headteachers’ Roundtable chair Stephen Tierney at the think tank’s annual conference last week, calls for those working part-time as…

    13.51 Feb. 11th, 2020 | News

  • 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