ISC Daily News Summary

The government bill to introduce special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms is unlikely to be published until the new year, a Department for Education (DfE) adviser has said. Addressing delegates at an online conference of the Westminster Education Forum yesterday, Dame Christine Lenehan, the DfE's strategic adviser on SEND, said the bill is expected to be published in early 2027, adding that it "will not run later than that". She also indicated that recent changes in political leadership had had an impact on curriculum reform plans. By John Roberts, Tes. 

The government has announced funding for a new GCSE in Ukrainian after it apologised to child refugees from Ukraine who were told to study Russian in English schools. Introducing the new qualification, which will be available in England in 2028, schools minister Georgia Gould said: "So many students were pushed into having to do Russian. I'm really sorry that they were put in that position. It's really important that they will have access to a Ukrainian GCSE." It will be developed by exam board AQA with the help of a £340,000 grant from the Department for Education. By Matthew Weaver, The Guardian. 

The news has also been covered by School Management Plus, which notes that the government's announcement builds on both the UK-Ukraine 100-Year Partnership and the UK-Ukraine Schools Partnership. The collaborations foster cross-cultural understanding and enhance English language skills while creating links between school communities here and in Ukraine. 

Schools face having to navigate a "Wild West" of education technology (edtech) products, early education minister Paul Waugh has warned. Addressing MPs on the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, Mr Waugh said ministers are testing edtech resources with teachers and are looking at secondary legislation to inform the Information Commissioner's Office in producing a statutory code of practice on their use. Raising concerns about the "gamification" used by some edtech platforms, Mr Waugh said it amounted to "propaganda" designed to increase screen time. Tes. 

Teachers are due to receive a real-terms pay rise of less than 0.1 per cent over the next two years, according to analysis by Tes. Based on official inflation forecasts, it found pay awards of 3.5 per cent and three per cent in successive years would be almost entirely offset by rising prices, resulting in a real-terms increase of just 0.06 per cent. Under the previous forecast, published in March, teachers were expected to receive a 2.37 per cent real-terms increase. By Jabed Ahmed, Tes. 

In an interview with School Management Plus, Richard Harman shares his insights into school governance after retiring from his role as chief executive of the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS). "The role of governors is to support you as the senior leader: to help you focus on the strategy of the school; to think outside the box; and to hold you to account. Collectively, they’re a critical friend," he explains. Reflecting on his experience as both a headteacher and governance leader, Mr Harman also discusses the growing complexity of governance, the support available through AGBIS, and the association's forthcoming merger with the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA). By Zoe MacDougall.