Most parents want the government to ban smartphones for under-16s, a poll by Parentkind has revealed. Of the parents surveyed, 83 per cent said they believe smartphones are harmful to children, prompting the charity to call for all political parties to put age restrictions on smartphones. By Louisa Clarence-Smith, The Telegraph.

Secondary school teacher vacancies continue to be more than a third higher than pre-Covid levels in some areas despite an overall improvement nationally, SchoolDash data seen by Tes has revealed. Founding manager of SchoolDash Timo Hannay said: "It may be that school recruitment in England will never quite return to its pre-pandemic state." The article is accompanied by a map, which shows teacher vacancies by region in 2018-19, 2022-23 and 2023-24. By Matlida Martin.

Headteachers whose schools are struggling with structural challenges that include leaking roofs and ageing classrooms have told BBC News they fear that the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) crisis will leave them with no chance of securing government funding for school buildings. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) said: "The fact that schools are having to compete with each other in terms of which is the most dilapidated or dangerous is simply unacceptable". By Hazel Shearing, Daniel Wainwright and Nathan Standley.

Pupils in Wales have performed only as well as disadvantaged children in England, a study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found. Wales’ lower attainment cannot be explained by higher levels of poverty, according to the IFS, since children in areas of England with higher or similar levels of deprivation achieved “significantly higher” GCSE results than their peers in Wales. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

Writing in Tes, Kirsty Stokes explains why she created 'TEACHER', an education-specific model to track the progress of teachers. Describing how the model has proven to be so impactful, Ms Stokes says: "Its emphasis on celebrating achievements and empowering teachers to follow their own plans for success can lead to greater improvements in pupils’ education and more fulfilled teachers." Kirsty Stokes is director of studies, pre-senior baccalaureate lead and head of geography at St Andrew’s School.

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