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Daily News Summary
8 December 2023

Ofsted inspection contributed to headteacher's suicide, inquest finds
Children will only be referred to transgender clinics with parental agreement under revised NHS rules
Secondary school teacher recruitment at record low, government statistics show
Third highest number of referrals to Prevent since records began, Home Office report finds
Child cruelty offences double in England prompting calls for system reform

Ofsted inspection contributed to headteacher's suicide, inquest finds

 

An inquest has found that Ofsted's inspection process directly contributed to headteacher Ruth Perry taking her own life. A coroner found the “rude and intimidating” inspection, which took place in November 2022, “likely had an effect on Ruth’s ability to deal fully with the inspection process”. By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph

Amanda Spielman has apologised on behalf of Ofsted to the family and friends of Ruth Perry for the distress its inspection caused to her. In a statement issued following the conclusion of the inquest into Mrs Perry’s death, the inspectorate's chief inspector said: “On behalf of Ofsted, I would like to say sorry to them for the distress that Mrs Perry undoubtedly experienced as a result of our inspection.” By Cerys Turner, Tes. 

Schools Week reports that Ofsted's reforms also include a new complaints phoneline for schools to report any concerns about their inspection to a senior Ofsted official, starting next week. By Freddie Whittaker.

Headteachers' leaders have said the inquest's finding “must be a catalyst for change” to inspection. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, said change was needed to ”ensure a tragedy like this never happens again”. By Cerys Turner, Tes.

 

Children will only be referred to transgender clinics with parental agreement under revised NHS rules

 

Under a planned reform of NHS rules, children will only be referred to transgender clinics if their parents agree. Under the new plans, outlined in a public consultation document published last night, children will only be referred to one of the new gender services if they, their parents and a specialist agree that it is in the best interests of the child, in two distinct reviews. By Michael Searles, The Telegraph.

Estelle Morris, a former education secretary under Tony Blair, has backed Kemi Badenoch on trans rights by saying children should not be encouraged to change gender. Speaking in a debate in the House of Lords, Ms Morris said pupils should be taught in biology lessons that there are only two sexes and warned that “psychological damage” could be caused to children if teachers allowed them to “socially transition”. By Daniel Martin, The Telegraph.

 

Secondary school teacher recruitment at record low, government statistics show

 

According to new government statistics, only half of the required number of secondary school trainee teachers have been recruited in England this year, with languages and physics particularly badly affected. The Department for Education's (DfE) latest figures for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) show there were almost 27,000 new entrants in September, down from 28,500 in 2022. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times. 

 
The Times

Third highest number of referrals to Prevent since records began, Home Office report finds

 

Children as young as 11 are being reported to Prevent, including hundreds under the age of 14, a Home Office report has shown. In the year to March, new figures show 6,817 referrals were made to the government's anti-terror programme, an increase of six per cent on the previous year when 6,406 were recorded. By Eirian Jane Prosser, Daily Mail. 

The UK's leading terror expert has warned that social media is behind the rise in referrals to Prevent. Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, told iNews the steep rise in referrals through the education sector and the “strange” types of extremism flagged reflected the increasing problem of online radicalisation. By Poppy Wood.

 

Child cruelty offences double in England prompting calls for system reform

 

Police data suggests cases of adults neglecting, mistreating or assaulting children in England have doubled in five years, with 29,405 cruelty offences recorded from April 2022 to March 2023, compared to 14,263 during the same period in 2017-18. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said the cases also rose year on year and has called on the government to accelerate plans to reform the child protection system through greater investment. By Tim Dodd and PA Media, BBC News.

 
BBC

 

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