- Government consulting on scrapping Ofsted inspection subsidy for independent schools
- Heads worry new Ofsted school inspections will be worse for wellbeing, poll shows
- More teacher tools and training needed to support pupils with SEND, says DfE report
- Year 8 pupils to take mandatory reading test under government plans
- White pupils from low-income families 'report lowest enthusiasm for school' in England
- 'Cliff-edge decline' in non-native students choosing Mandarin, expert warns
Government consulting on scrapping Ofsted inspection subsidy for independent schools
Independent sectorMinisters are proposing to increase Ofsted inspection fees for independent schools and to send the funding to the schools watchdog, a Department for Education (DfE) consultation has shown. Published yesterday, the consultation reveals that independent schools would see the subsidy for inspections cut over five years from 2026. According to the DfE, around half of the 2,311 registered independent schools are currently inspected by Ofsted. The rest are usually inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, and the proposals do not affect these inspections. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has said the funds raised would go to Ofsted to help improve standards in state schools. The eight-week consultation is running until 20 November. By Jasmine Norden, The Independent.
Schools Week looks in detail at the two options being considered by officials. One would see the fee rising sharply to £4,000 in 2026 before rising gradually to £4,600 by 2030. The second would see the fee increasing to £6,000 next year, with it gradually growing to £6,900 by 2030, an increase of 176 per cent. By Freddie Whittaker. Also reported by Hazel Shearing for BBC News, and by Cerys Turner in Tes.
Heads worry new Ofsted school inspections will be worse for wellbeing, poll shows
InspectionAlmost two thirds of school and college leaders fear the new Ofsted school inspections will be worse for their wellbeing than the old framework, a poll of 1,080 members of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has revealed. Describing the finding as "deeply worrying", Pepe Di’Iasio, the union's general secretary, warned that the new inspection system will deter people from becoming teachers and school leaders. "We’re faced with a continuation of the bad old days dressed up in a new set of adjectives," he said. Tes.
More teacher tools and training needed to support pupils with SEND, says DfE report
SENDThere is a need for more teacher-focused tools and training to help staff identify pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a new report published by the Department for Education (DfE) has said. In research documents published yesterday, ministers laid out the findings of their research into identifying, supporting and collaborating for children and young people with SEND. The report explains that while formal diagnosis remains the responsibility of specialists, by playing a central role in the early recognition of educational needs, high-quality teaching can help reduce reliance on individual interventions. By John Roberts, Tes.
Year 8 pupils to take mandatory reading test under government plans
Education policyTeenagers will sit a compulsory school reading test at 13 under plans expected to be set out in the Department for Education’s forthcoming white paper. The Times understands that ministers want to introduce a mandatory test of reading ability at the end of Year 8, when pupils have completed two years at secondary school. Results of the tests would be shared with the government and Ofsted, and potentially with individual children’s parents, but would not be published in league tables. By Nicola Woolcock.
White pupils from low-income families 'report lowest enthusiasm for school' in England
General educationWhite pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds have already switched off school before they start secondary, according to findings from University College London’s social research institute. The study found that both girls and boys from lower-income white families reported weak levels of engagement from Year 7 onwards. Girls were less likely to enjoy being at school while the boys made less effort with their school work. Professor John Jerrim, who conducted the research, said the results reveal a difficult problem for policymakers at a time when improving education for white working-class children is high on the political agenda. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.
'Cliff-edge decline' in non-native students choosing Mandarin, expert warns
Teaching and learningWriting in Tes, Justin Watts, head of modern foreign languages at Highgate School, explores the declining popularity of A-level Mandarin among students without a Chinese background. While GCSE entries are slowly but gradually rising, Mr Watts notes that A-level enrolments have more than halved, from 3,425 in 2012 to 1,643 this year, and the current exam specification is a further challenge. Calling for action, he writes: "Unless reforms bring Mandarin in line with other demanding languages where grade boundaries and assessments are sensibly adjusted for non-native learners, we risk dismantling years of progress."