Category: Governance

On Friday 5 January the government updated its statutory careers guidance for schools (external link)

The updates to this document are designed to bring it in line with the government’s new careers strategy (external link)

built around the so-called “Gatsby Benchmarks”. Some of the “core” initiatives schools are now required to provide as part of this new initiative include:

• a “stable” programme for careers provision, including a published strategy which demonstrates “how the school is responding to meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks”;
• provision for all pupils, by the age of 14, to “have “accessed and used information about career paths and the labour market to inform their decisions on study options”;
• a careers programme which addresses individual pupil needs, including taking into account the needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those with specific barriers to success (such as disadvantaged young people);
• an approach which integrates careers guidance into the curriculum offer;
• regular “encounters with employers and employees” and “further and higher education” providers;
• the opportunity for all pupils to access “personal guidance interviews with a qualified careers adviser whenever significant study or career choices are being made”;
• the requirement to have a named individual as the designated “careers leader” in each school by September 2018.

As part of this initiative, those governing need to ensure that the school has published a careers programme, and provide “clear advice and guidance to the headteacher on which he/she can base a strategy for careers education and guidance which meets the school’s legal requirements”. The government also expects governing boards to ensure that the careers strategy “is developed in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks and informed by the requirements set out” in the statutory guidance document.

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) has published a short video (external link) setting out changes to primary assessment. Longer webinars on primary assessment are also available on the same site.

While the changes outlined for 2018 are minor and operational and therefore relevant for school staff, governing boards may find the brief overview and the summary of planned future changes to primary assessment informative.

One of Justine Greening’s final acts as education secretary was the announcement of a series of measures to improve primary literacy (external link)

The Department for Education (DfE) presented these changes as the continuation of its social mobility action plan. The programmes announced included:

• A new Centre of Excellence for Literacy Training which will use £26 million to create a national network of 35 “English hubs”. These hubs will reflect the approach taken for maths hubs by working with schools in disadvantaged areas to raise standards, while also sharing best practice, especially concerning language and literacy training in reception.
• New phonics and readings partnerships will be set up from April 2018. These build on existing programmes and aim to encourage pupils to enjoy reading, while also promoting improvements in teaching, especially in reception.
• The Strategic School Improvement Fund will provide £5.7 million to initiatives boosting early years and primary literacy and numeracy across 469 schools.
• A trial across the North of England exploring approaches that enhance parental support to early language development at home, costing £5 million.
• A £7.7 million curriculum fund to support the creation of high quality teaching resources by various organisations, including scientific and cultural institutions.

The DfE has claimed that the measures will reduce teacher workload, while Greening stated that it was part of the overall strategy of ensuring that “no community will be left behind”.

As part of the Cabinet’s recent restructure Damian Hinds (MP for East Hampshire) has replaced Justine Greening as Secretary of State for Education.

The role is Hinds’ first cabinet position, He previously served in a number of junior minister roles, most recently in the Department of Work and Pensions. He served on the House of Commons Education Select Committee between 2010 and 2012 and previously chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Mobility. Prior becoming an MP, the new Secretary of State’s professional background was in the pubs, brewing and hotels industries.

The Department for Education (DfE) has published the confirmed performance data from this summer’s key stage 2 assessments.

Nationally, 61% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics: 65% of girls and 57% of boys. Girls made more progress in reading and writing while boys made more progress in mathematics. The attainment gap between pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) and other pupils has widened by 1% compared to 2016, with 43% achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics this year. Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) had the biggest attainment gap, with just 18% reaching the expected standard in all three subjects.

511 primary schools fell below the floor standard and 524 were identified as 'coasting'.  For more information on what this means, see NGA’s guidance on powers of intervention.

Separately, the Education Policy Institute and the UCL Institute of Education have published research comparing the performance of English primary schools in mathematics with top performing nations internationally. It found that “while England compares reasonably well with other nations at primary, this hides a long tail of underperformance amongst low attaining pupils”. Read the report in full (external link)

Access the DfE’s analysis of the 2017 key stage 2 data and primary school performance tables here (external link)

On 4 December 2017, the government released a green paper and an open consultation around “transforming children and young people’s mental health provision”(external link)

The green paper proposes plans which will have implications for how schools challenge poor mental health amongst children and young people. The paper proposes that in every school an individual be appointed as a “designated lead in mental health”, with a national training programme fully in place by 2025. These individuals will take the lead in helping young people in schools with mental health issues, providing support and advice to young people and staff, and teaching students about the warning signs associated with poor mental health. 

Mental health leads will also have the power to make referrals to “specialist services” concerning poor mental health. The proposals also recommend that each school mental health lead be linked to wider support teams, forming a bridge between schools and the NHS which will “mean that schools and colleges will find it much easier to contact and work with mental health services”. 

As part of the initiative, the government are also proposing to carry out further research around: the impact of the internet on mental health, particularly social media; how families can provide support to those suffering with mental health issues; and how mental health problems can be avoided in the future. Further work will also be carried out to see how mental health for 16 – 25 year olds can be improved. 

The Department for Education (DfE) and NGA have  published new guidance on the recruitment of a headteacher (external link).

With the recruitment of a school leader being arguably one of the most important tasks a board will undertake, the guidance aims to steer those governing through the legal context and principles of recruitment. The guidance outlines the different stages of the process including:

• planning and setting up a selection panel
• preparing the application pack
• advertising and promotion
• the interview itself and the actions to be taken once an appointment is made

New to the guidance is information relating to an employer’s responsibilities under the 2010 Equality Act and guidance around flexible working options.

A toolkit was also developed alongside the guidance, comprising practical checklists and templates for boards to use to support the recruitment process, including shortlisting templates, suggested interview questions and a checklist of things to consider when using a recruitment agency.  Toolkit (external link)