Education News

New Ofsted reporting regime comes into force. School Report Cards are introduced. The Government stated, in September 2024, that these “will provide parents with a full and comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing and ensure that inspections are more effective in driving improvement. Recent data shows that reports cards are supported by 77% of parents.”

GCSE results day

A Level results day

Primary school national offer day.

Secondary school offer day.

Govt breathes new life into the free speech legislation, which was shelved last year when Labour came into Government. “The Education Secretary has confirmed that key provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will be brought into force, defending the free speech rights of students, academics and speakers. The Office for Students will have the power to investigate complaints over breaches of free speech from academics, external speakers and members of universities, as well as issuing fines. The Act will require all universities to have robust codes of practice to ensure the protection of free speech, which will be enforced by the Office for Students (OfS). The new workable, robust complaints system will uphold academic freedom without exposing universities to potentially disproportionate and crippling costs that could have forced them to divert cash away from students. Universities who flout the rules will be publicly held to account and could end up paying compensation, risk facing fines and the suspension of their registration, in the most extreme circumstances.”

Primary school application deadline.

Publication of House of Commons Committee report, “Support for children and young people with special educational needs”, with recommendations to government. “The system to support children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) in England is reaching, or, arguably, has already reached, crisis point. Despite a 58% increase in the Department for Education’s (the Department) high needs funding over the last decade, funding has not kept pace with demand following a 140% increase in the number of children with education, health and care (EHC) plans. Outcomes for children have not improved which inevitably undermines parents’ confidence in the system. Too many families struggle to get the help their children desperately need, with long waiting times for assessments and support, and tribunal cases rising. In 2023, only half of EHC plans were issued within the statutory 20-week period. Whether children receive support depends too much on their postcode, or how well their parents can navigate an often chaotic and adversarial system: only 2.5% of local authority decisions on EHCs were appealed at a tribunal in 2023. Of these, however, the tribunals found partly or wholly in favour of parents and carers in 98% of cases – a staggering statistic which undermines families’ confidence in the system. Without urgent action, the Department risks a lost generation of children leaving school without receiving the help they need.”

VAT added to private school fees

Government introduces the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The aim is to protect children at risk of abuse and stopping vulnerable children falling through the cracks.  The Bill will introduce new registers to identify children who are not in school. With better knowledge of where children are, councils can more easily deliver the support that’s needed and ensure a high quality education is being provided. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “In recent years, too many children have been failed by their last line of defence: the state. This Bill will be a seminal moment for child protection. No more words, no more lessons learnt. This government will put children first at every turn. That means a child-centred government, with better protections for young people and real join up between children’s social care, schools and local services. Alongside further measures to drive high and rising standards in our schools, this Bill will deliver on this government’s Plan for Change, so that all children, whatever their circumstances, can achieve and thrive.”

BBC reports, “A leading school academy trust is facing allegations of presiding over a “toxic culture” toward its pupils. More than 150 current and former pupils, parents, former teachers and professionals have shared their experiences of the Mossbourne Federation schools in Hackney, east London. The allegations, which span two decades, include claims of racism and that teachers would routinely scream at pupils for minor infractions, with “public humiliation” being commonplace.”

Government publishes data on elective home education (home schooling). The publication reveals that on a census date in autumn 2024, local authorities reported 111,700 children in elective home education. The figure for the same time in 2023 was 92,000.

Ofsted Annual Report 2023/24. Of the many issues covered, attendance by pupils is identified as a cause for concern. “The absence rate has risen since the pandemic. The overall rate has hovered around 7% for the last couple of years; before COVID, it was consistently lower than 5%. What is particularly alarming is the increase in the number of children who are severely and persistently absent. The rate of persistently absent pupils (those who are missing more than 10% of their sessions) was over 19% in autumn and spring 2023/24, compared with 11% in 2018/19. The latest Department for Education (DfE) figures showed that around 158,000 children missed at least half their classes in the autumn and spring terms of the last academic year, classing them as severely absent. The situation is even more acute for the most disadvantaged children. Based on recent figures, more than four in 10 children in need are persistently absent, as are around a third of children who receive free school meals.”

“The government has announced £740m of funding to increase the number of places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) in mainstream schools in England.”

Anti Bullying Week. “From playgrounds to parliament, our homes to our phones, this Anti-Bullying Week let’s ‘Choose Respect’ and bring an end to bullying which negatively impacts millions of young lives.”

Government announces increase in university tuition fees from September 2025, from £9,250 to £9,535.

Secondary school application deadline.

Rachel Reeves first Government Budget. The Govt say, “Funding for schools will rise by £2.3billion next year. £1billion of that funding is for high needs, recognising the immense need in the sector. The government is continuing to develop plans to transform England’s Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system and improve outcomes for young people. This remaining increase to the schools budget will continue to fully fund this summer’s 5.5% pay award for teachers, and help cover pay awards in 2025-26. Despite the investment, there will still be difficult decisions to take on how money is spent right across the public sector – including in schools. We will support schools to use their money more efficiently wherever possible.”

National Audit Office publish report, “Support for children and young people with special educational needs”. The report includes the conclusion, “ The government has not yet identified a solution to manage local authority deficits arising from SEN costs, and ongoing savings programmes are not designed to address these challenges.  Given that the current system costs over £10 billion a year, and that demand for SEN provision is forecast to continue increasing, the government needs to think urgently about how its current investment can be better spent, including through more inclusive education, identifying and addressing needs earlier, and developing a whole-system approach to help achieve its objectives.”

Dyslexia Awareness week (7 October – 13 October 2024)