Teacher recruitment and retention in England remains in a “critical position” despite a pay increase in September 2023, according to analysis by the National Foundation for Educational Research. The report, commissioned by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, suggests the government should adopt a long-term strategy to address the issue, including increasing teacher pay at a faster rate than in the wider labour market. By Eleanor Busby, The Standard.

More than half of England’s primary schools do not have any black or Asian teachers, new analysis has found. The study, from the University of Warwick, found 55.4 per cent of state-funded primary schools do not have any classroom teachers from an ethnic minority background. The report’s author, Joshua Fullard, said: “While ethnic representation in schools is improving year on year, the rate of change is slow – today over half of primary schools in England still do not have a teacher from an ethnic minority background.” By Nadine White, the Independent.

The majority of senior leaders and headteachers in England do not believe that all schools should be legally required to hold daily acts of collective worship, according to a poll conducted by the Teacher Tapp app, with only 12 per cent of senior leaders expressing support for the practice. The National Secular Society, which commissioned the survey, has called on the government to acknowledge the "divisive and deeply unpopular nature" of the collective worship law in schools and repeal it. Tes.

A landmark effort to tackle sedentary behaviour among children in China has been deemed a success after researchers found it led to youngsters spending more time outdoors and going to bed earlier. The trial found that reducing homework and screen time encouraged children to be more physically active. By Kaya Burgess and Rhys Blakely, The Times. 

Luke Ramsden writes in Tes outlining five measures senior leadership teams can take to mitigate against the effects of extreme heat, should it occur this year. Luke Ramsden is deputy head of an independent school and chair of trustees for the Schools Consent Project. 

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