Read the latest weekly news update from the Department for Education on 2 September here.
| Weekly update from GOV.UK for: Department for Education The risk protection arrangement (RPA) for schools Page summary: How public sector schools can join the risk protection arrangement (RPA) – an alternative to commercial insurance that may save time and money. Change made: Replaced ‘Academy trusts: RPA membership rules’ and ‘Church academies: RPA membership rules’ with updated versions that will come into effect on 1 September 2023.Updated the 2023 to 2024 cost information, removed the ‘Statutory inspections’ section, and included links to the ‘Get help buying for schools’ service in the ‘Additional cover and buying help’ section. Time updated: 9:02am, 29 August 2023 School registers and national thresholds for legal intervention Page summary: We are seeking views on new regulations for keeping school registers and draft thresholds for legal interventions to improve consistency across England. Change made: Added the government consultation response: ‘Modernising school attendance and admission registers and setting national thresholds for legal intervention’. Time updated: 9:30am, 29 August 2023 School buying: performance of initiatives Page summary: A report on the 2020 schools’ buying strategy and how it has performed. Change made: ‘Schools commercial: performance of initiatives’ has been updated to include figures for the 2022 to 2023 financial year. References to the ‘2017 schools’ buying strategy’ have been updated to the ‘ 2020 schools’ buying strategy’. Time updated: 11:26am, 29 August 2023 Full-time enrolment of 14 to 16-year-olds in further education and sixth-form colleges Page summary: Information for further education and sixth-form colleges directly enrolling 14 to 16-year-olds for the 2023 to 2024 academic year. Change made: Added Sir George Monoux College to the list of colleges intending to enrol 14 to 16-year-olds. Time updated: 12:40pm, 29 August 2023 Common basic data set (CBDS): database Page summary: The latest common basic data set (CBDS) and version control log for use by software suppliers developing management information systems. Change made: Updated the common basic data set (CBDS) database. The changes are listed in the version history tab. Time updated: 1:42pm, 29 August 2023 Buying for schools Page summary: Resources for buying goods and services, and finding DfE-recommended suppliers. Change made: ICT and computer hardware – Added link to Microsoft Shape the Future initiative. Time updated: 4:57pm, 29 August 2023 DfE monthly workforce management information: 2023 to 2024 Page summary: Staff numbers and costs for the Department for Education (DfE) group for the financial year 2023 to 2024. Change made: ‘DfE monthly workforce management information: July 2023’ added. Time updated: 9:16am, 30 August 2023 Senior mental health lead training Page summary: Find out how your school or college can apply for a grant and access DfE quality assured training to help develop a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. Change made: Updated the list of DfE assured senior mental health lead training courses. Time updated: 10:26am, 30 August 2023 Independent special schools and colleges Page summary: Independent schools for pupils with special educational needs, including those approved under section 41 of the Children and Families Act. Change made: Updated ‘Special schools and colleges approved under section 41 in England and Wales’. Time updated: 9:30am, 31 August 2023 Further education workforce in England Page summary: Statistics on the size and characteristics of the further education workforce in England. Change made: First published. Time updated: 9:30am, 31 August 2023 Financial health notice to improve: The SMB Group Page summary: A financial health notice to improve issued to The SMB Group. Change made: First published. Time updated: 9:30am, 31 August 2023 Colleges and higher education institutions notices to improve Page summary: Letters issued to general further education colleges, sixth-form colleges and higher education institutions with a notice to improve. Change made: Added ‘Financial health notice to improve: The SMB Group’ to ‘Open notices’. Time updated: 9:30am, 31 August 2023 Funding and eligibility for ECF-based training Page summary: How DfE funding for training based on the early career framework (ECF) works, and which schools, early career teachers and mentors are eligible for funding. Change made: Added funding information for early career teachers from the pre-September 2021 cohort. Time updated: 10:00am, 31 August 2023 How to set up training for early career teachers Page summary: Guidance for school leaders and induction tutors on setting up training based on the early career framework. Change made: Added information on how schools should nominate their first induction tutor to access the Manage training for early career teachers service. Removed out-of-date information on the 2023 summer term. Time updated: 10:00am, 31 August 2023 Changes to statutory induction for early career teachers (ECTs) Page summary: Information on the 2-year ECT induction and how it replaces the old 1-year newly qualified teacher (NQT) induction, including the early roll out of the reforms. Change made: Added more information about early career teachers from the pre-September 2021 cohort, including their eligibility for funded training, mentoring and support. Time updated: 10:00am, 31 August 2023 Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC): management information Page summary: Management information on reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in education settings. Change made: First published. Time updated: 2:30pm, 31 August 2023 Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete: identification guidance Page summary: Identify reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in your education setting and inform the Department for Education (DfE) immediately via the DfE Capital Portal. Change made: Replaced ‘Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC): estates guidance’ with ‘Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC): identification guidance’, and updated on-page text accordingly. Time updated: 2:30pm, 31 August 2023 Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in education settings Page summary: Information on how to identify reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), and what responsible bodies and education settings must do if it is confirmed in their buildings. Change made: First published. Time updated: 2:30pm, 31 August 2023 Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete: guidance for responsible bodies and education settings with confirmed RAAC Page summary: Guidance for responsible bodies and education settings with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in their buildings. Change made: First published. Time updated: 2:36pm, 31 August 2023 New guidance for schools impacted by RAAC Page summary: New guidance for education settings advises that any space or area with confirmed RAAC should no longer be open without mitigations in place Change made: First published. Time updated: 3:37pm, 31 August 2023 DfE and executive agency ePCS spend over £500: 2022 to 2023 Page summary: Spending by electronic purchasing card solution (ePCS) over £500 in the 2022 to 2023 financial year. Change made: Added Department for Education and executive agency spend over £500 by ePCS January to March 2023. Time updated: 4:19pm, 31 August 2023 Department for Education non-executive appointments Page summary: Information about non-executive appointments to the Department for Education’s public bodies. Change made: Updated ‘Appointments made: April 2023 to March 2024’ with the appointment of Phil Cook, Nigel Duncan and Becky Lazzarato Edwards as Deputy FE Commissioners. The current commissioners have had their terms of appointment extended until 31 December 2023. Time updated: 4:31pm, 31 August 2023 Childcare settings receive cash boost as funding rates increase Page summary: Nurseries and childminders across the country will be paid more from today for every government-funded hour they provide to parents. Change made: First published. Time updated: 9:12am, 1 September 2023 Initial teacher training (ITT): accredited ITT provider closure and withdrawal of ITT accreditation Page summary: Information on the process for providers wishing to close ITT provision and the withdrawal of ITT accreditation. Change made: Updated ‘Initial teacher training (ITT): accredited ITT provider closure and withdrawal of ITT accreditations’ to make the wording consistent with the main criteria. Changed from PDF to HTML. Time updated: 9:30am, 1 September 2023 National leaders of further education programme: current national leaders Page summary: The national leaders of further education programme is a source of support to improve quality in further education colleges. Change made: Removed Paul Phillips (Weston College) and Kate Roe (Darlington College), as they have stepped down from their role. Time updated: 9:30am, 1 September 2023 Initial teacher training (ITT): criteria and supporting advice Page summary: Mandatory guidance on the criteria that organisations must meet to provide initial teacher training in the 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 academic years. Change made: Updated ‘Initial teacher training: criteria and supporting advice – 2023 to 2024’ for the academic year. Made changes across criteria to make them clearer. Added C1.4 ITT recruitment practices. Renamed C2.3, from ‘Training in schools’ to ‘School placements’. Moved separate sections C1.4 Professional skills tests, C4.1 Employment, C4.2 Admissions, and C4.3 Teaching into relevant parts of the criteria. Added ‘Initial teacher training: criteria and supporting advice – 2024 to 2025’. Time updated: 9:30am, 1 September 2023 Assessment only route to QTS: criteria and supporting advice Page summary: Criteria and supporting advice for accredited providers wishing to offer the assessment only route to qualified teacher status (QTS). Change made: Published updated criteria and supporting advice for the 2023 to 2024 academic year. Time updated: 9:30am, 1 September 2023 Early years ITT requirements and supporting advice Page summary: Advice for providers looking to offer early years initial teacher training (ITT). Change made: Updated ‘Early years initial teacher training (EYITT): criteria and supporting advice’ for the 2023 to 2024 academic year, including updates to ITT accreditation and recruitment practices. Time updated: 9:30am, 1 September 2023 Early years supplementary grant 2023 to 2024 Page summary: Guidance for local authorities on the early years supplementary grant for 2023 to 2024. Change made: We have added the early years supplementary grant 2023 to 2024: conditions of grant, which provides further information for local authorities.We have confirmed that allocations for this grant are expected to be released in late September 2023.We have updated the early years supplementary grant 2023 to 2024: methodology in the following sections:- Section 6: Initial allocations – we have included additional information on early years entitlements and how indicative early years supplementary grant allocations will be calculated.- Section 8: Local authority funding to providers – we have included additional information on the key points of guidance of the early years supplementary grant 2023 to 2024: conditions of grant Time updated: 9:30am, 1 September 2023 Keeping children safe in education Page summary: Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment. Change made: The September 2023 version of the keeping children safe in education guidance is now in force, replacing previous versions. We initially published this for information in June. We have since made meaningful amendments to paragraphs 142, about the appropriateness of filtering and monitoring systems online, and 150, about guidance and resources on inspection. Annex F has a table of substantive changes from the September 2022 guidance. Time updated: 9:59am, 1 September 2023 School suspensions and permanent exclusions Page summary: Guidance on the suspension and permanent exclusion of pupils from local-authority-maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units. Change made: The updated guidance on ‘Suspension and permanent exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England, including pupil movement’ comes into effect from 1 September 2023. Time updated: 10:00am, 1 September 2023 Buying for schools Page summary: Resources to help you buy goods and services for your school, get better value and be compliant with procurement regulations. Change made: First published. Time updated: 11:00am, 1 September 2023 Buying for schools: get free help from procurement specialists Page summary: The impartial help and advice from Department for Education (DfE) procurement specialists for all state-funded schools in England. Change made: Updated to include the latest information on the impartial help and advice available from Department for Education (DfE) procurement specialists for all state-funded schools in England. Time updated: 11:00am, 1 September 2023 Buying for schools: find an approved framework agreement Page summary: Use a Department for Education (DfE) approved framework agreement to help you buy goods and services for your school. Change made: Updated with latest information on how to use a framework agreement to help you buy goods and services for your school. Time updated: 11:00am, 1 September 2023 16 to 19 tuition fund: implementation and process evaluation report Page summary: Findings from the evaluation of the 16 to 19 tuition fund, academic year 2021 to 2022. Change made: Added ‘Evaluation of the 16 to 19 tuition fund – technical appendix’. Time updated: 12:42pm, 1 September 2023 School preference data collections: technical specification Page summary: The requirements local authorities should meet when submitting data for the 2024 school preference data collections. Change made: ‘ School preference (child level) data collection 2024: business and technical specification’ replaced the version for 2023. Time updated: | ||