Secretary of State defends ‘clear and accessible’ Ofsted judgements

Education ministers took departmental questions in the House of Commons this week. Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, first asked about the ongoing disputes over teacher pay, and why the independent pay review body’s recommendations hadn’t been published. Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan MP, said that she takes the independent review body very …

Minister gives evidence to Education Select Committee

Minister for Children, Families, and Wellbeing, Claire Coutinho MP, gave evidence this week to the Education Select Committee, speaking about the Government’s SEND and AP improvement plan. Chair of the Committee, Robin Walker MP, opened by asking if the minister felt that measures in the SEND and AP improvement plan go far enough to meet …

MPs told about the attendance challenges for SEND students

The second session of the House of Commons Education Committee’s inquiry into persistent absence and support for disadvantaged children took place this week, with questions focussing on the challenges SEND students face. Giving evidence were Ellie Costello, Director at Square Peg, and Dr Daniel Stavrou, Policy Vice Chair at the Special Educational Consortium. Chair of …

Minister defends funding rates for childcare entitlement

Minister for Children, Families, and Wellbeing, Claire Coutinho MP, gave evidence this week to the House of Commons education committee’s inquiry into childcare and the early years. Chair of the Committee, Robin Walker MP, opened by asking about the funding rates for universal entitlement for childcare, and whether or not funding from the government was …

Secretary of State says that removing Ofsted grades would risk lowering standards

Education ministers took departmental questions in the House of Commons this week. Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, said that it was time for Ofsted to turn a corner. She quoted former chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, who has said that the Secretary of State must respond to the ‘groundswell of opinion building up’ that …

MPs take evidence on the SEND and alternative provision Improvement Plan

In response to the Government’s SEND and AP improvement plan, the Education Select Committee took evidence from stakeholders this week, to help inform questions the committee asks of ministers. Giving evidence were Dr Daniel Stavrou from the Council for Disabled Children, Mike Hobday from the National Deaf Children’s Society, Tim Nicholls from the National Autistic …

Pressure grows for Ofsted reform

In light of the recent tragic news about Head Teacher Ruth Perry at Caversham Primary School, Schools North East sent out a survey to the region’s school leaders in order to understand the detail behind the key issues dominating the media around school accountability. The survey is still accepting responses, and can be filled out …

DfE data reveals post-pandemic attendance challenge

Last week, the Department for Education released pupil absence data for 2021/22. Across England, the overall absence rate was 7.6%. The percentage of persistent absentees (those missing 10% or more sessions) was 22.5%. Absences throughout 21/22 have been higher than in previous years. Pre-pandemic, absence rates were below 5%, and persistent absences just over 10%. …

DfE releases SEND reform proposals

Yesterday, the DfE released the long awaited  SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan. The plan follows up on the initial vision for reform in the SEND Green Paper of March 2022. DfE Plan Summary  The SEND and AP improvement plan aims to ensure children and young people get the right support, in the right …

Reform of education a ‘central mission’ of the next Labour Government

Education ministers took departmental questions in the House of Commons this week. Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, said that reform of childcare and the education system would be central to the next Labour Government, and asked why the Government had failed to make education a priority. The Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan …