Ofsted's chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, has said that stopping or preventing school inspections in England would be against "children's best interests" after unions called for them to be paused in light of the death of Reading headteacher Ruth Perry. By Vanessa Clarke and Nathan Standley, BBC News.

The debate over reforming inspections to remove grades and end one-word school ratings is a "legitimate one", according to Ms Spielman, in her first statement since the watchdog was criticised by the sister of Ms Perry. By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

BBC News reports that a number of headteachers and school staff presented ministers with a petition yesterday, calling for Ofsted to be replaced. The petition was started before Ms Perry took her own life ahead of her school's Ofsted report being published. By Vanessa Clarke.

Tweeting “#ReformOfsted”, teaching staff and headteachers are calling for change to the inspection system in England, with some saying that “punitive” inspections are placing a devastating personal strain on school leaders. By Rosa Silverman, Benedict Smith and Genevieve Holl-Allen, The Telegraph.

In an opinion piece for The Guardian, former senco, headteacher and current executive director of a primary heads' association, Rebecca Leek, says: "There are countless ways the inspection programme could change for the better."

Schools Week includes a long read on the debate surrounding Ofsted reform. By Amy Walker.

A number of charities and organisations have written to education secretary Gillian Keegan calling for her not to let 'culture wars weaken sex education'. The groups say England’s schools have a vital role in tackling misogyny and abuse, as the prime minister begins a review of relationship and sex education (RSE) in schools. By Alexandra Topping, The Guardian.

Data from the Department for Education (DfE) has found almost a quarter of state secondaries to be over capacity in 2022, meaning they had enrolled more pupils than their reported number of available places. This marks a rise from a 'decade-low' of 477 schools, or 14 per cent of secondary schools, in 2013-14. Readers can use an interactive tool to find out how many secondary schools are oversubscribed by area. By Louisa Clarence-Smith and Ben Butcher, The Telegraph.

A report by MPs suggests pupils from black Caribbean backgrounds are “acutely” underrepresented throughout all levels of maths, science and technology subjects in England. Fewer black Caribbean students studied triple science than students of any other background, according to the findings. By Sally Weale, The Guardian.

Teaching staff in Wales have called an end to their industrial action after voting to accept the Welsh Government's latest pay offer. The National Education Union (NEU) has said the offer equates to an 11.8 per cent rise for all teachers (with 6.5 per cent in 2023, followed by 5 per cent in 2024) plus a 1.5 per cent non-consolidated payment this year. By Henry Hepburn and Emma Seith, Tes.

The Guardian explores the issue of "persistent absence" following the COVID pandemic and how pupils' relationships with school have been disrupted. By Clea Skopeliti, The Guardian.

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