DfE Updates

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5 February 2024

Priority items

Action for all settings (mandatory): Report gender pay gap data by 30 March 2024

For action

all settings: Applications open for Ofqual Chief Regulator position

early years settings: Support the ‘Do something BIG, work with small children’ recruitment campaign

schools: Take part in research for a new DfE digital service

schools: Use the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) grant to support pupils preparing for assessments and exams

schools: Complete Language Trends 2024 survey

News and developments

all settings: Take part in the Day of Reflection 2024

all settings: Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF)

schools and further education settings: Take part in Children’s Mental Health Week from 5 to 11 February 2024

schools and further education settings: Launch of Ofqual’s vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) Information Hub

schools and local authorities: Updated guidance on Home-to-school Travel

schools: Support for teachers returning to the classroom

schools: New wraparound childcare guidance for schools to be published shortly

schools: Find out how procurement will change for some schools and trusts

schools: German language and pedagogy upskilling course

Forward look

Tuesday 6 February: Join the celebrations by taking part in this year’s Safer Internet Day 2024. You can find further information about the free educational resources and how to promote online safety here.

Thursday 8 February: Join the department’s Lead Behaviour Advisor, Tom Bennett OBE, and headteachers from the Behaviour Hubs Programme, for a webinar for schools and local authorities at 4:00pm, covering the principles of creating a strong behaviour culture and how to implement this to benefit staff and pupils.

Monday 12 February: Join a virtual roundtable session on Local Criminal Justice Boards for all settings at 12:00pm to 1:30pm. If you are interested in taking part, please email lcjb.evidence@justice.gov.uk. Please note there was an error in the email address in the previous version of this item. We apologise for any confusion caused.

Tuesday 20 February, Tuesday 12 March and Tuesday 19 March: Join DfE and South West Grid for Learning (SWGfl) to find out about Cyber Secure, a new free interactive cyber assessment tool for schools and academy trusts, funded by DfE. Register for the 20 February, 12 March or 19 March Cyber Secure webinars.

Thursday 7 March: Register for the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) webinar for schools at 12:30pm. The webinar will cover the 2023/24 NTP guidance and includes practical tips to support schools to deliver tutoring in the holidays. Submit questions in advance by emailing us at ntp.engagement@education.gov.uk.

Sunday 21 April to Saturday 27 April: Join a German language and pedagogy upskilling course in Berlin for non-specialist primary teachers and senior leaders. To apply, please submit a motivational letter by 4 March 2024.

Priority items

Action for all settings (mandatory): Report gender pay gap data by 30 March 2024

Employers with 250 or more employees are required to report specific gender pay gap data on the gender pay gap service and their own website every year. This includes schools, colleges and academy trusts.

The deadline for reporting each year is 30 March (based on a snapshot date of 31 March the previous year) for most public authority employers.

Employers can report and publish their gender pay gap information at any time before the deadline.

Further details can be found at Gender pay gap reporting and Search and compare gender pay gap data.

For action

Action for all settings: Applications open for Ofqual Chief Regulator position

This article will be of interest to senior leaders

Ofqual is seeking a new Chief Regulator, commencing January 2025.

The Chief Regulator is responsible for delivering on Ofqual’s statutory objectives - including to maintain standards and promote confidence in qualifications and assessments. Ofqual is keen in particular to attract candidates with a proven record in a senior leadership role in the education system.

Find out more about the position and make an application by 12 February 2024.

Action for early years settings: Support the ‘Do something BIG, work with small children’ recruitment campaign

The ‘Do something BIG, work with small children’ early years early years campaign is now live. It aims to raise the profile of the sector and showcase the important contribution early years and childcare professionals make in preparing young children for learning in school and beyond.

Alongside this, we have launched an early years careers website. This includes information on all areas of early years work, routes into the sector and real-life stories.

It also directs people to Department for Work and Pensions’ Find a Job platform to search for early years roles in their area. Watch the video tutorials to help you list any vacancies in your setting on Find a Job. Please use the term ‘early years’ in the title of your job adverts and select ‘Education jobs’ for the job category.

We will also share a campaign toolkit shortly with assets you can use for your promotional and recruitment needs.

Action for schools: Take part in research for a new DfE digital service

This article will be of interest to school leaders, IT leads and school business professionals

DfE are developing a digital service known as ‘Plan Technology for your school’ which aims to support and help schools to plan for, introduce and use new digital technology.

We would like to speak to headteachers, school leadership team members, IT leads and school business professionals who:

are responsible for or are involved in the planning process, implementation and decision-making around technology in schools

have overall strategic responsibility for their school/college/trust

You can now register your interest to take part in a research session.

We will get in touch to arrange a virtual, 1-hour research session, where we will guide you through the ‘Plan technology for your school’ prototype and ask for feedback about your experience.

In return, to say thank you for participating, we’ll give your school £40 cash.

Please contact Katie.spencer@education.gov.uk with any questions.

Action for schools: Use the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) grant to support pupils preparing for assessments and exams

Schools can spend this year’s National Tutoring Programme (NTP) grant to subsidise 50% of tutoring costs until 31 August 2024.

The principal objective of the NTP is to improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. You should consider offering tutoring to all pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium. When considering those who are not eligible for pupil premium, you should focus on pupils who are working below the expected standard or grade boundary in an applicable subject.

A pupil from Hall Mead school shares how small group tutoring helped improve their GCSE grades:

‘I received tutoring in English and maths and this definitely helped me close the gap in my knowledge. I was predicted a 3 in both subjects but left with a 4. This helped me secure my apprenticeship when I left school.’

Read the full blog and the NTP guidance for schools.

Action for schools: Complete Language Trends 2024 survey

Your school is invited to take part in this year’s Language Trends 2024 survey. This research provides an independent picture of the teaching of languages in English primary, secondary and independent schools.

Your responses will help to build an accurate, up to date picture of the views of teaching professionals and to assess the impact on your school of those policy developments which affect languages education in schools.

The Language Trends survey is run annually by the British Council. Completing the survey should take no more than 10-15 minutes of your time.

To complete the survey, please click the appropriate link below:

Primary school survey

Secondary school survey.

Independent school survey.

The deadline for completing the survey is 9 February 2024. The report will be available in June 2024.

News and developments

Information for all settings: Take part in the Day of Reflection 2024

On 3 March 2024 Marie Curie is holding the fourth Day of Reflection, a special moment to remember everyone who died during the pandemic.

There are many ways for schools and education settings to get involved:

Take time to reflect - use our Day of Reflection Schools pack for ideas and resources to help mark the day

Tell us who you're remembering using our downloadable petal pack

Plan or join an activity or event and add it to our interactive map

To find out more visit the Day of Reflection site or contact Marie Curie at dayofreflection@mariecurie.org.uk.

Information for all settings: Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF)

We have published the new Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF). This combines and updates the Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework (CCF) and the Early Career Framework (ECF), ensuring that all new teachers receive three or more years of training underpinned by the best available evidence.

Read the updated framework and see what’s changed in the latest guidance.

Information for schools and further education settings: Take part in Children’s Mental Health Week from 5 to 11 February 2024

The theme of Children’s Mental Health Week is ‘My Voice Matters’. View the Education Hub for further information, including a teaching blog on this theme.

You can also access our new mental health resource hub and toolkit which can help staff support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.

Claim your training grant - or a second grant if your trained mental health lead has left - for DfE’s senior mental health lead training, which helps schools and colleges to develop an effective approach to mental health and wellbeing.

Information for schools and further education settings: Launch of Ofqual’s vocational and technical qualification (VTQ) Information Hub

Ofqual’s VTQ Information Hub for 2023 to 2024 brings together awarding organisations’ key dates and deadlines for Level 1/2, 2 and 3 VTQs where these results are needed for progression to further study.

Using this will help exams officers and staff involved in VTQ assessment administration/delivery to plan their workloads to ensure students expecting a result on results day can progress to further or higher education.

Information for schools and local authorities: Updated guidance on Home-to-school Travel

The department has published updated statutory guidance for local authorities about home-to-school travel. It includes updates about schools that arrange home-to-school travel for their pupils, children with education, health and care plans, and how local authorities should determine a child’s nearest school.

Parts of the guidance are likely to be relevant to schools and trusts that arrange home-to school travel for their pupils. The guidance can be accessed at Home-to-school travel - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Information for schools: Support for teachers returning to the classroom

DfE is offering free support to former teachers considering returning to teaching. This is now open to former primary teachers as well as secondary.

Our expert teaching advisers can help with:

the application process

information and resources

finding teaching vacancies that are right for you

on-going support in the first few months in your new role

Information for schools: New wraparound childcare guidance for schools to be published shortly

As announced in the 2023 Spring Budget, the government is investing £289 million to support the expansion of wraparound childcare. In October 2023 we published the wraparound childcare handbook for local authorities.

We will be publishing guidance on GOV.UK for schools and trusts on their role in providing wraparound childcare to children of primary school age shortly. This guidance will also offer a practical guide for setting up wraparound provision on a school site.

You can email us at wraparound.programme@education.gov.uk with any enquiries about wraparound childcare.

Information for schools: Find out how procurement will change for some schools and trusts

In the latest Buying for Schools blog post, Kevin Draisey, Head of Procurement Operations for Get help buying for schools, explains what Transforming Public Procurement (TPP) means for people who buy for schools and trusts and how they can get ready for the changes ahead.

To find out more, read the blog post on GOV.UK.

Information for schools: German language and pedagogy upskilling course

As part of DfE’s Language Hubs programme, the Goethe-Institut is delivering a German language and pedagogy upskilling course in Berlin for non-specialist primary teachers and senior leaders from 21 to 27 April 2024.

This opportunity is fully funded and is intended for those interested in introducing or strengthening the provision of German in their schools. To apply, please submit a motivational letter by 4 March 2024.

For more information, see: Let's Get Started with German in Primary School.

Priority items

Action for all settings: Share your views on Minimum Service Levels by 30 January 2024

Information for all settings: Guidance on measles outbreaks

Information for schools: Workload Reduction Taskforce initial recommendations published

For action

all settings: Get involved with National Apprenticeship Week 2024

all settings: Call for Evidence on Local Criminal Justice Boards

all settings: Complete our survey on sustainability issues in education

early years settings: Upload your vacancies to the Find a Job platform ahead of our national recruitment campaign

schools: Deliver a school week of at least 32.5 hours by September 2024

schools: Participate in the third wave of the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders survey

schools: Contribute to national research on how schools are implementing tutoring

News and developments

all settings: Reminder to request a free portrait of His Majesty King Charles III

all settings: Guidance on Trade Union (Deduction of Union Subscriptions from Wages in the Public Sector) Regulations

all settings: Participate in Safer Internet Day 2024

early years settings and schools with early years provision: New content published on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile communications page

schools and further education settings: Guidance and resources on senior mental health lead training grant

schools: New attendance campaign to remind parents that ‘moments matter, attendance counts’

Forward look

Tuesday 23 January: Register for the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) webinar for schools at 12:30pm. The webinar will cover the 2023/24 NTP guidance and how to make the most of your funding. You can submit questions in advance by emailing ntp.engagement@education.gov.uk.

Wednesday 24 to Friday 26 January: Sign up to get your free ticket to Bett, a global education technology community event at ExCel London, and hear Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan addressing developments in Artificial Intelligence and improvements in school connectivity.

Thursday 8 February: Join the department’s Lead Behaviour Advisor, Tom Bennett OBE, and headteachers from the Behaviour Hubs Programme, for a webinar for schools and local authorities at 4:00pm, covering the principles of creating a strong behaviour culture and how to implement this to benefit staff and pupils.

Monday 12 February: Join a virtual roundtable session on Local Criminal Justice Boards for all settings at 12:00pm to 1:30pm. If you are interested in taking part please email evidence@justice.gov.uk.

Wednesday 28 February: Join our upcoming webinar on the Monitor Your School Attendance tool for schools and local authorities at 11:00am, where we will be providing updates on the tool and upcoming features.

Priority items

Action for all settings: Share your views on Minimum Service Levels by 30 January 2024

The department launched a consultation on Minimum Service Levels (MSLs) in education last term, and it is open until 30 January 2024 for you to provide views to help shape this policy.

The consultation aims to gather views from teachers, parents, employers and other sector leaders, and learners as they all have a stake in the outcome. The Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan sent an email to teachers outlining what minimum services are for.

Share your views through the consultation.

Information for all settings: Guidance on measles outbreaks

There have been recent localised outbreaks of measles centred around the West Midlands. There is a risk of further outbreaks in other areas unless urgent action is taken to increase Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination take up in areas with low MMR vaccine rates.

Measles spreads very easily among those who are unvaccinated, especially in nurseries and schools. The best protection against measles for children and adults is to get both doses of the MMR vaccine. It is never too late to have these vaccinations.

The following UKHSA guidance is available on GOV.UK:

The NHS also has the following advice for parents on measles:

Measles - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

DfE has published an Education Hub blog with guidance on measles and the MMR vaccine for parents, nurseries and schools.

Information for schools: Workload Reduction Taskforce initial recommendations published

We know that heavy teacher workload is a longstanding and complex issue. Reducing workload requires a joint effort from the DfE, Ofsted and school and trust leaders, to find better ways of working and sharing good practice.

Our Workload Reduction Taskforce, made up of representatives from all four teaching unions, teachers, leaders, academics and other sector experts, have agreed their early recommendations. These initial recommendations, and the final recommendations which will come in Spring, will support our ambition to reduce working hours for teachers and leaders by five hours within the next three years.

You can review the initial recommendations at Workload reduction taskforce: initial recommendations - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). In the latest edition of DfE’s Teacher Bulletin you can also find a selection of resources to support staff wellbeing and workload.

For action

Action for all settings: Get involved with National Apprenticeship Week 2024

Schools, colleges, employers, and individuals are being encouraged to participate in National Apprenticeship Week which takes place on 5 to 11 February 2024 and celebrates the achievements of apprentices from all over the country.

You can get involved by:

visiting the National Apprenticeship Week website, downloading the communications toolkit and sharing these assets with your networks

planning your own or attending an organised event to celebrate the work of apprentices

sharing our social media posts on Apprenticeships X, Apprenticeships LinkedIn, Skills Support for Employers Facebook, and T Levels LinkedIn, and using the hashtags #NAW2024 and #SkillsForLife with your own posts

This is a great opportunity to celebrate the benefits that apprentices offer, how they are bringing innovation to businesses, filling skills gaps, and helping to grow the economy. Please get involved to help make National Apprenticeship Week 2024 the biggest and best yet.

Action for all settings: Call for Evidence on Local Criminal Justice Boards

The Ministry of Justice launched a Call for Evidence on Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs) on 8 January 2024, to better understand the challenges that LCJBs face and inform future policy. The Call for Evidence will be live until 23 February 2024 and can be accessed here.

It is important that we obtain a wide range of views, and we are particularly keen to hear from those in local education, local authorities, and social care settings.

We are also holding a virtual roundtable session via Microsoft Teams on 12 February 2024 between 12:00pm to 1:30pm. Please note that there will be a limited number of spaces, so if you are interested in taking part, please let us know via email, lcjb.evidence@justice.gov.uk.

If you have any queries relating to this Call for Evidence, please contact the Criminal Justice Insights team via: lcjb.evidence@justice.gov.uk.

Action for all settings: Complete our survey on sustainability issues in education

TPXimpact, on behalf of the department, are conducting research to understand how a Digital Support Hub could support education settings to progress with sustainability.

To get this right, it is essential that they understand the opinions of people within the education sector. They are looking for responses from people who are currently:

working or volunteering at a nursery, school, college or university

studying at a college or university

a parent, carer or guardian of a child or young person in an education setting

employed by a local authority and involved in schools

Complete the short survey to have your say on sustainability issues being a priority in education. The survey will close on 7 February 2024.

Please email research-dfe-digitalsupporthub@tpximpact.com if you need help completing the survey form.

If you know anyone else who could take part in this survey, please forward it on.

Action for early years settings: Upload your vacancies to the Find a Job platform ahead of our national recruitment campaign

The department’s campaign to promote early years (EY) and childcare careers launches soon. The campaign aims to highlight the difference EY professionals make to children and how rewarding working in the sector can be.

The campaign will direct applicants to use the Department for Work and Pensions’ Find a Job platform to search for EY roles in their area. We would be grateful for your support in ensuring as many EY vacancies as possible are listed on Find a Job ahead of the campaign launch.

Please watch these video tutorials to help you create an employer account, and post any current or upcoming roles in your setting. You should use the term ‘early years’ in the title of your job adverts and select ‘Education jobs’ for the job category.

Since the January opening of the registration process for the expanded entitlements offer, we have seen a high level of demand from parents. The Find a Job service is free to use and will ensure your vacancies are seen by a large pool of candidates.

Action for schools: Deliver a school week of at least 32.5 hours by September 2024

In the Schools White Paper (published in March 2022), the government announced that in order to give every pupil the opportunity to achieve their full academic potential, all mainstream, state-funded schools would be expected to deliver a minimum school week of 32.5 hours.

Schools are reminded that the deadline to implement the minimum school week is September 2024. Guidance and case studies are available to support schools that are not yet meeting the minimum expectation.

Action for schools: Participate in the third wave of the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders survey

This article will be of interest to teachers and school leaders

We are launching the third wave of the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders survey on 29 January 2024.

The survey is crucial to help us understand the working lives of teachers and school leaders, and is an opportunity for you to share your experiences and views. The year 1 report is available for you to view and the year 2 report will be available later this year. Findings from the third wave of the study will allow for important comparisons to previous waves, and help us understand if there have been any changes in teachers’ and leaders’ experiences.

Invitations will be sent by letter, email, or telephone from IFF Research and we would welcome your participation, which is entirely voluntary.

For more information about the survey, including participant anonymity, data linking, GDPR and other FAQs, please visit the survey website or email us.

Action for schools: Contribute to national research on how schools are implementing tutoring

ImpactEd Evaluation is looking for schools and trusts to volunteer to take part in research to help us understand how tutoring is being implemented and its impact.

In return for sharing termly data about the tutoring you have delivered, you will receive free access to ImpactEd’s digital platform which supports schools to monitor and evaluate tutoring and other school priorities.

Find out more and register interest in becoming a tutoring research partner. To ensure participation in this round of research, please register your interest by 7 February 2024

News and developments

Information for all settings: Reminder to request a free portrait of His Majesty King Charles III

The government has launched a scheme to allow public authorities across the UK to apply for a free portrait of His Majesty King Charles III to celebrate the new reign. We can now share the approved image of His Majesty that will be delivered in an oak framed portrait.

Eligible settings should request their portrait by 2 February 2024.

For questions about the portrait and the scheme itself refer to the FAQs or email hmkportraitscheme@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

Information for all settings: Guidance on Trade Union (Deduction of Union Subscriptions from Wages in the Public Sector) Regulations

The Trade Union (Deduction of Union Subscriptions from Wages in the Public Sector) Regulations, also known as the ‘Check-off Regulations’ are coming into force on 9 May 2024.

Any employers who have employees who pay union subscriptions via a direct deduction from their wages, should ensure compliance with the new regulations by 9 May 2024, and may wish to use this guidance for public sector organisations to support this.

Information for all settings: Participate in Safer Internet Day 2024

Safer Internet Day on 6 February 2024 is centred around the theme ‘Inspiring Change: Making a Difference, Managing Influence, and Navigating Change Online.’

Join the celebration alongside thousands of other organisations to advocate for the safe, responsible, and positive use of digital technology among children and young people.

A variety of complimentary educational resources are available, specifically designed to assist educators in conveying messages about the campaign theme of navigating change online.

Information for early years settings and schools with early years provision: New content published on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile communications page

The department’s EYFS Profile communications page on Foundation Years provides teachers with support to complete the EYFS Profile. It will be updated regularly throughout the 2023/24 academic year.

Each update will cover a new area of the Profile, focusing on topics the sector has asked for more information on.

The most recent update provides information on exemptions from the EYFS learning and development requirements, including individual and provider exemptions.

Information for schools and further education settings: Guidance and resources on senior mental health lead training grant

The department’s senior mental health (MH) lead training develops the knowledge and skills to implement a whole school or college approach to supporting the MH and wellbeing of pupils, learners and staff. Choose the right course for you.

Claim your training grant, or a second grant in the event that your trained MH lead has left.

Access a new whole school or college approach resource hub, and a toolkit for providing targeted mental wellbeing support.

Information for schools: New attendance campaign to remind parents that ‘moments matter, attendance counts’

This article will be of interest to senior leaders and attendance leads

Minister for Schools Damian Hinds, has written to governors and trustees thanking them for their dedication to making schools and trusts a great place for children to learn and ensuring they attend school. The letter asks governing boards to support the department’s new attendance campaign – reminding parents that ‘moments matter, attendance counts’, and setting out practical steps governors can take to encourage good attendance.

8 January 2024

Priority item

Action for schools: Support the national drive to improve school attendance

For action

all settings: Sign up for the Secretary of State’s January start-of-term broadcast

schools: Register for a webinar to share your views on workload reduction in marking, planning, and data management

schools: Participate in Office for National Statistics (ONS) public sector time-use study

local authorities: Join a webinar on Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools

News and developments

all settings: StayWise – A Blue light initiative to save lives through education

early years settings: Changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory frameworks

schools, further education settings and local authorities: ‘It all starts with skills’ campaign and resources

schools: Results of the consultation for formulae and equation sheets for GCSE exams in 2024

schools: British Sign Language GCSE subject content published

schools: Record young carers in the 2024 school census

Forward look

Tuesday 16 January: Register for a live broadcast with Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan for all settings at 4:00pm. You can pre-submit questions.

Tuesday 16 January: Join a webinar on Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools for local authorities from 10:00am to 11:00am.

Tuesday 23 January: Register for another National Tutoring Programme (NTP) webinar for schools at 12:30pm. The webinar will cover the 2023/24 NTP guidance and how to make the most of your funding. You can submit questions in advance by emailing engagement@education.gov.uk.

Tuesday 23 January: Sign up to a webinar to share your views on workload reduction recommendations for schools at 4:00pm.

Thursday 25 January: Sign up for the Academy Finance Professionals January Power Hour for schools at 3:00pm to 4:00pm. Learn more about the opportunities on offer to help you build your school and trust business and finance professional capability.

Thursday 1 February, Thursday 29 February and Thursday 21 March: Register for an upcoming School Business Professional (SBP) roundtable event and join other SBPs from across your region to network, share your procurement issues and priorities, and find out more about the free procurement support available from DfE.

For action

Priority action for schools: Support the national drive to improve school attendance

This article will be of interest to senior leaders and attendance leads

From the start of the spring term, we are running a national campaign to ensure that everyone is clear that ‘moments matter, attendance counts’.

You can access a new toolkit with more details and valuable resources which can be used to help support a warm welcome to school for children, young people and families. This is in addition to existing resources including guidance on mild illness, a letter from the Chief Medical Officer, support for children who are anxious about school, and a toolkit to help schools communicate with families on attendance.

We have also committed to introducing legislation in the coming months that will mean all schools will be required to share their daily pupil attendance data. Join the 88% of schools that are already sharing daily attendance data and access your attendance data using the Monitor Your School Attendance tool, via the ‘View your education data’ service and see up-to-date pupil-level attendance and compare your performance against other schools.

We are now also inviting more schools to register an interest in being supported by a school attendance hub, led by senior leaders in schools with strong attendance practice from around the country. Hubs will share their successful strategies and resources for improving attendance and support schools to improve their approach to managing attendance, and join half-termly virtual hub meetings to discuss progress and challenges.

Primary and secondary school leaders can register an interest in joining an attendance hub by completing this application form by 15 January 2024. You can find out more about attendance hubs here.

Action for all settings: Sign up for the Secretary of State’s January start-of-term broadcast

Join the Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan for a live start-of-term broadcast on 16 January 2024 at 4:00pm.

The session will be a chance for you to hear about the department's focus for the coming term and for you to tell us about your priorities. Register for the session.

The session will also provide the opportunity for you to ask the Secretary of State questions. You can use this form to pre-submit questions, and a selection will be answered during the broadcast.

Action for schools: Register for a webinar to share your views on workload reduction in marking, planning, and data management

This article will be of interest to teaching staff

The session will aim to provide classroom-based teachers an opportunity to provide feedback on the findings, practical implementation and continued relevance of the 2016 and 2018 independent workload review groups’ reports on marking, planning and data management.

To ensure interactivity attendee numbers will be limited, we encourage those wanting to participate to sign up as soon as possible and ask schools to limit sign-ups to one representative per school.

Action for schools: Participate in Office for National Statistics (ONS) public sector time-use study

The ONS are undertaking a pilot study exploring the different activities public sector workers spend time on.

Participants will fill in an online diary detailing their activities over two working days of their choice during the first two weeks of February. This will provide valuable insights into the daily activities of the school workforce and support action to improve workload which is a high priority for the government.

We would like to invite staff from across school sector to join the study, so would be grateful for this message to be shared with all staff who can sign up here, using the code 50005. The link will be live from 9 January 2024 and the deadline to express interest is 15 January 2024. ONS will then select a small sample to participate who they will contact shortly after this deadline.

As a thank you for volunteering for this important study participants who are selected will receive a voucher.

Action for local authorities: Join a webinar on Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools

This article will be of interest to Directors of Children’s Services and SENCOs

Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) is a new offer for local authorities to support children with neurodiversity.

This project is a partnership between the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England. It provides funding to integrated care boards to develop innovative ways to support the education and health needs of neurodiverse children.

For more information, we invite Directors of Children’s Services and those in local authorities responsible for this area of work to join a webinar on 16 January 2024 from 10:00am to 11:00am.

News and developments

Information for all settings: StayWise – A Blue light initiative to save lives through education

StayWise is a library of educational resources created by emergency services and their partners to embed safety messaging into everyday learning, and to support teachers, organisations and families in delivering consistent national guidance. The range of resources covers multiple key stages, subjects and languages, including SEND provision.

Find out how to register to StayWise free of charge. Visit the StayWise website to find lesson plans, activities and more.

Information for early years settings: Changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory frameworks

Help for Early Years Providers have published new information and guidance on the changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory frameworks which came into effect on 4 January 2024.

We encourage you to share the new frameworks within your networks, to ensure that all early years providers, practitioners and stakeholders feel confident and informed of the changes.

Information for schools, further education settings and local authorities: ‘It all starts with skills’ campaign and resources

We have launched a new campaign to encourage and motivate young people, adults and businesses to find out more about government skills and technical education offers.

The multi-channel campaign highlights priority skills routes and encourages people to search ‘Skills for Life’ or visit Skills for Careers, a new website where they can explore information about skills training options and careers.

Find out more in our ‘It all starts with skills’ campaign toolkit.

Information for schools: Results of the consultation on formulae and equation sheets for GCSE exams in 2024

Ofqual have published the consultation results on formulae and equation sheets for GCSE exams in 2024.

Exam boards will provide enhanced formulae and equation sheets for GCSE mathematics, physics and combined sciences in 2024. The requirement for memorising them was removed under the government’s commitment to education recovery. 2024 will be the final year enhanced formulae and equation sheets will be provided, with normal exam arrangements returning in 2025.

Information for schools: British Sign Language GCSE subject content published

On 21 December 2023, the final British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE subject content was published, following a 12-week public consultation.

The BSL GCSE will teach students to effectively communicate with other signers in work, social and academic settings. It will also provide pupils with an important life skill and advance inclusivity within education.

Our aim is that exam board specifications will be available in time for schools to begin teaching the new GCSE from September 2025.

Information for schools: Record young carers in the 2024 school census

Young carers’ responsibilities at home can often impact their education and so we are asking schools to ensure they are identified and supported. All schools (except nursery) are asked to record their young carers in the Spring 2024 census. This now includes independent schools in the school-level annual school census.

The Spring 2024 census and school-level annual school census both open on 18 January 2024.

Further information can be found on the Young Carers in Schools website.

November 20th 2023:

This is your regular email from the Department for Education (DfE) to keep you updated on key education issues.

If you have colleagues who would like to receive this email directly, please ask them to use this subscription form.

For action

Unless marked as mandatory, these actions are optional for education settings.

all settings: Respond to consultation about mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse

all settings: Request a free portrait of His Majesty the King Charles III

schools and early years settings: Update on the Online Safety Act

schools with further education provision and further education settings: Help us improve information to students about Higher Technical Qualifications

schools and local authorities: Find a tuition partner to deliver tutoring to your pupils

schools: Respond to consultation on formulae and equation sheets for GCSE exams in 2024

schools: Complete our online smoking, drinking and drug use survey

schools: Take part in focus groups on schools’ experiences of pupil premium

early years settings: Share the Childcare Choices campaign with parents and carers

News and developments

all settings: new information on the National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs)

all settings: How the Artsmark Award can support arts and cultural education

schools and further education settings: Ofqual guides for qualifications in 2024

schools and local authorities: Keeping your students safe with lesson plans from Act for Youth

schools and local authorities: New evidence that it is never too late to improve attendance, and how DfE, schools and LAs are using attendance data

early years settings: Early Years practitioner wellbeing support resources published

local authorities: Vodcast on the updated Early Years Foundation Stage Profile 2024 handbook

Forward look

Wednesday 29 November: Register for a ‘Monitor your school attendance’ webinar for schools and local authorities at 11:00am to 12:00pm.

Wednesday 29 November: Register for a webinar on ‘Cutting the Cost of School Uniform’ for schools at 4:00pm, and hear from school leaders about how they have implemented the statutory Cost of School Uniform Guidance.

For action

Action for all settings: Respond to consultation about mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse

On 2 November 2023 the Home Office launched a consultation setting out the government's proposals for implementing a mandatory reporting duty for child sexual abuse.

The consultation asks for feedback on a small but significant set of remaining policy questions, following the call for evidence which took place for 12 weeks earlier this year.

It is very important that the government hears from as many people and organisations as possible that could be affected by this new duty.

Please send your views through the consultation online or by email by 30 November 2023. Please do also circulate the consultation to any staff and contacts that you think will be interested to respond.

Action for all settings: Request a free portrait of His Majesty the King Charles III

In April 2023, the Government announced a new scheme to allow public authorities across the UK to apply for a free portrait of His Majesty the King to celebrate the new reign. The scheme has launched and portraits are available to order below.

Maintained nurseries, primary & secondary schools, pupil referral units (including Alternative Provision and Free schools), state funded special schools, non-maintained special schools and colleges are eligible.

The supplier chosen to operate this scheme is Cubiquity. Eligible settings can request their free portrait by the deadline of 2 February 2024.

Please refer to the FAQs for questions about the portrait and the scheme itself.

Details will be provided shortly for other public bodies wishing to purchase a portrait or any authorities who would like to purchase additional portraits.

Queries relating to this scheme should be directed to hmkportraitscheme@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

Action for schools and early years settings: Update on the Online Safety Act

The Online Safety Act has received Royal Assent. The Act imposes obligations on those services within its remit to deliver additional protections for children accessing these services.

Education and childcare providers subject to existing legal duties and statutory guidance (such as Keeping Children Safe in Education) to safeguard and protect children are not within the Act’s remit.

The exception is Ed-tech user-to-user services which provide services direct to learners without a regulated educational provider in the middle. If these services are likely to be accessed by children, even if these services are accessed from school devices, they will be subject to the Act. Services potentially within the Act’s remit may wish to take independent advice.

All schools should continue to adopt a whole school approach to online safety and safeguard children from potentially harmful and inappropriate online material.

Action for schools with further education provision and further education settings: Help us improve information to students about Higher Technical Qualifications

We want students to make the best choices for their future. The Department for Education and our research partner Kantar Public would like your help to improve the information students receive about Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). HTQs are a post-18 option for students, delivered at universities and colleges, that are designed to provide the skills employers need.

We want providers of Level 3 qualifications, including schools with further education provision, to take part in this exciting opportunity to find out what engages your students to make informed choices and enables them to make the best decision for their future. Taking part is easy and we will supply all the materials you will need.

Please share your details with us via this Expression of Interest form if you are interested in participating.

Action for schools and local authorities: Find a tuition partner to deliver tutoring to your pupils

Schools can use the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) grant to contribute to 50% of tutoring costs. The tuition partner route allows you to build partnerships with expert tutoring organisations that have been quality-assured by DfE.

Use the Find a Tuition Partner service to shortlist organisations, compare prices and send an enquiry with your school’s needs.

This route may help schools that would benefit from external resource to deliver tutoring. Tuition partners can also reduce administrative burden by helping schools plan tutoring, track delivery and evaluate impact.

Charlotte Clinton, deputy headteacher of Lancasterian Primary School said:

“We’ve had a really positive experience with our tuition partner, Action Tutoring. They made it easy for us and the children to access. The tutors covered appropriate and useful content, and provided the school with weekly feedback.”

For more information on NTP, read the NTP guidance for schools.

Action for schools: Respond to consultation on formulae and equation sheets for GCSE exams in 2024

The Department for Education has confirmed students taking exams in 2024 will not need to memorise the usual formulae and equations for GCSE maths, physics and combined science, as they must in a normal . These proposed arrangements recognise the disruption this cohort of students experienced during their secondary education due to national school closures during the pandemic.

Ofqual is now consulting on a proposal to provide formulae and revised equation sheets in the exams for GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science in 2024.

The consultation closes on 30 November 2023. Please respond to the consultation with your views.

Action for schools: Complete our online smoking, drinking and drug use survey

NHS England is calling for secondary schools in England to participate in its survey during this autumn term on smoking, drinking and drug use among young people.

As the Government’s main source on alcohol, drug and tobacco/vaping use among young people in England, the findings are used by numerous government departments and local authorities to inform policy-making.

For taking part, your school will receive a personalised report showing how your school’s data compares against national averages, and two PSHE Association lesson plans about how data is gathered and used in research.

The survey takes 20-30 minutes and is completed online by pupils in school. Findings are completely confidential, and full instructions will be provided ahead of the survey taking place.

To take part, please email the Ipsos survey team at: SDDsurvey@ipsosresearch, or call 080 8101 2066.

Please follow this link for further information.

Action for schools: Take part in focus groups on schools’ experiences of pupil premium

The pupil premium policy team is seeking headteachers to join some small focus groups, to meet remotely for a 90-minute discussion about the pupil premium.

The focus group discussions will be confidential and will help to improve our understanding of school leaders’ experiences. We want to engage with headteachers from primary, secondary, and special schools, and from those with different sized cohorts of pupil premium eligible pupils.

We are aiming to hold the focus groups between 27 November and 8 December 2023 at 4.30pm. If you are interested in participating, please contact pupil.premium@education.gov.uk to register your interest.

You are welcome to pass this invitation on to a senior colleague who leads on pupil premium strategy at your school. Further information will be provided ahead of the focus groups.

Action for early years settings: Share the Childcare Choices campaign with parents and carers

On 27 October 2023 we updated the eligibility checker on childcarechoices.gov.uk, enabling parents to access personalised information on the support available to them, including which of the new transformational childcare offers they will be eligible for depending on the age of their child and earnings.

An additional feature added to the website is a subscribe for updates function, which will give parents the opportunity to sign up for regular newsletters letting them know when they should take action to make sure they are getting the support they are entitled to – including information about wraparound for primary school children and when the new 15 hours for two-year-olds becomes available for sign-ups, with the offer beginning in April 2024.

We also produced a communication toolkit for partners which includes key information and resources about the government childcare support and how they can support the campaign.

News and developments

Information for all settings: New information on the National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs)

We are re-issuing this article due to an error in the previous version, with apologies for any confusion caused.

As announced in the SEND and AP improvement plan, published in March 2023, the NPQ for SENCOs will replace the national award for SEN coordination (NASENCO) as the mandatory SENCO qualification from September 2024.

Teaching of the NPQ will commence in Autumn 2024. We have published further information on the qualification SENCOs should take to meet the mandatory requirements for the role. We will continue to update this page as more information becomes available.

Information for all settings: How the Artsmark Award can support arts and cultural education

The Artsmark Award is a creative quality standard that supports all education settings to develop and celebrate their commitment to arts and cultural education.

Last week marked Artsmark Celebration Week, and we spoke with Emily Reid, assistant headteacher at St. Bernard’s School in Cheshire, who shared details on the Artsmark journeys of schools across Ellesmere Port. Click here to read the blog.

Find out how your education setting can begin their Artsmark journey.

Information for schools and further education settings: Ofqual guides for qualifications in 2024

Ofqual has published an updated version of the Guide for Schools and Colleges and Student Guide for 2023/24. The guides cover both GCSEs, AS, A levels, other general qualifications, and vocational and technical qualifications.

Information for schools and local authorities: Keeping your students safe with lesson plans from Act for Youth

The PSHE Association has relaunched Act for Youth in collaboration with DfE and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office.

Act for Youth is aimed at 11-16 year olds to teach them about the three recommended actions to take during a marauding terrorist attack – RUN, HIDE and TELL. These are lesson plans that will support those in the sector to mitigate the risk from terrorism and protect their students.

Information for schools and local authorities: New evidence that it is never too late to improve attendance, and how DfE, schools and LAs are using attendance data

On 2 November 2023 the Children’s Commissioner reported new data suggesting that persistent absentees in Year 10 whose attendance improved in Year 11 were much more likely to get five good GCSEs than those whose attendance didn’t. NHS guidance can aid parents in making judgements about mild illness and seeking support with attendance challenges.

87% of schools are sharing daily attendance data with DfE and using the ‘Monitor your school attendance' service - a free tool that helps visualise data and monitor pupil attendance. Read about how 2 schools have been making use of it to tackle attendance and access your school attendance data.

Information for early years settings: Early Years practitioner wellbeing support resources published

The Department for Education has published an Early Years Practitioner Wellbeing Support resource on the Help for Early Years Providers platform.

The resources bring together:

Information on the benefits of investing in staff wellbeing in early years settings

Case studies from four early years settings who have shared their insights on best practice to support staff wellbeing

A list of external resources for early years practitioners and managers

Information for local authorities: Vodcast on the updated Early Years Foundation Stage Profile 2024 handbook

The Department for Education has published a new vodcast for local authorities on the updated Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile 2024 handbook. The vodcast includes:

An overview of the EYFS Profile and findings from the evaluation of the 2021 EYFS reforms.

Key changes made to the updated EYFS Profile 2024 handbook and updated EYFS exemptions guidance.

Links to resources and information that provide further support for completing the EYFS Profile.

Contact the Department for Education

The Department for Education helpline is available to answer your general queries.

October 3rd 2023:

This is your regular email from the Department for Education to keep you updated on key education issues.

If you have colleagues who would like to receive this email directly, please ask them to use this subscription form.

For action

Unless marked as mandatory, these actions are optional for education settings.

all education settings: Security and emergency planning guidance
all settings: Share information on Measles / MMR vaccination
all education settings: Support children and young people to take part in The Big Ambition survey
schools and local authorities: Access the most recent attendance data and compare pupil attendance
schools and local authorities: Recruit an academic mentor to maximise your NTP funding
schools: Access free financial education training for teachers and school leaders

News and developments

all settings: Recruitment for Chair of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Pension Board
schools and further education settings: Five new online CPD units launched through the Universal SEND Services programme
schools: Support with implementing flexible working in your school
schools: How the ‘Get help buying for schools’ service helped get the best cleaning services for my school

Forward look

Thursday 5 October: Academy Finance Professionals Power Hour – Land and Buildings tool
Tuesday 10 October: Webinar session for school leaders on the pupil premium and recovery premium strategy planning process
Wednesday 11 October and Friday 13 October: Webinars for schools on the tuition partner route of the National Tutoring Programme
Dates throughout November: School Business Professional roundtable events

For action

Action for all education settings: Security and emergency planning guidance for education settings

We are aware of several recent malicious email threats to education settings in a number of local authority areas. The police have said these incidents are malicious communications and there has not yet been a credible threat. We recognise that threats of this nature are very upsetting and can be disruptive to the calm learning environments you strive to create.

Education settings are not advised to initiate a lockdown unless it is actively recommended by the police, or you are satisfied that it is a proportionate response to an immediate physical threat on-site.

If your education setting receives a threat, alert the police immediately and follow their advice and guidance. You should also engage your local authority as the management responsibility for school security is shared between local authorities, governing bodies, proprietors and headteachers. Local authorities also have established links with police and local resilience forums.

The department had published guidance to support settings in planning against security related risks and incidents. The School and college security guidance and the Emergency planning and response for education, childcare, and children’s social care settings guidance also covers agency responsibilities, and the robust plans and measures settings should have in place to protect their students and staff.

All education, childcare, and children’s social care settings should have emergency plans in place. Your plan should explain how you would respond if you needed to take any temporary actions in the event of an emergency. The aim of an emergency plan is to help you and your staff plan for and respond effectively to an emergency.

Your emergency plans should be generic enough to cover a range of potential incidents including those happening during, and outside, normal working hours including weekends and holidays.
Education settings should have a competent person or persons to lead in health and safety, and security including online or cyber security attacks. This may or may not be the same person and this role will sit alongside the designated safeguarding lead.

Action for all settings: Share information on Measles / MMR vaccination

Measles cases are rising across the country, with over 102,000 children starting primary school in England being at risk of catching the disease. We are asking education settings to share key messages from the NHS about MMR / measles and how to get vaccinated.

The Back to school MMR Guidance from the NHS includes information to share, as well as example social media posts which can be found here: NHS Vaccine Poster and NHS MMR Poster.

Measles is highly infectious and if left unvaccinated nine out of ten children in a classroom can catch the disease if just one child is infectious. Please share these resources with colleagues, parents, and where suitable, community organisations to increase awareness and encourage parents to get their children vaccinated.

Action for all education settings: Support children and young people to take part in The Big Ambition survey

The Children’s Commissioner for England has recently launched ‘The Big Ambition’ to hear directly from children, young people, and parents across the country.

This is an opportunity to hear from all children, in every part of the country and in every setting. The survey will be used to encourage policymakers to think about children and young people’s needs, to ensure children’s voices are reflected in the decisions that will affect them in years to come.

Education settings play a critical role in enabling us to hear from as many children and young people as possible. That is why we are encouraging all settings in England to take part and let their pupils have their say on what is important to them!

To find out more head to The Big Ambition page. To take part in The Big Ambition survey visit: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/thebigambition.

Action for schools and local authorities: Access the most recent attendance data and compare pupil attendance

We have updated the free attendance tools with the latest data for the current academic year.

Schools can access the 'Monitor your school attendance' tool and use the ‘Compare your attendance’ dashboard to compare with other schools in the local authority. Recent updates show data for the current academic year. Use it to compare absence and unauthorised absence for your school, as well as special educational needs and free school meals pupils.

Schools, local authorities and trusts can view and compare Pupil attendance and absence in England with the latest data for the 2023 to 2024 academic year.

Data collection principles outline how DfE uses the data it collects. We have made some minor updates to our data collection principles which will enable more effective use of the data to better support schools, trusts and local authorities with school attendance.

Action for schools and local authorities: Recruit an academic mentor to maximise your NTP funding

The National Tutoring Programme (NTP) grant can be used cover 50% of your school’s tuition costs. To make the most of your funding, we can help you recruit an academic mentor who will join your staff and work alongside teachers to provide one-to-one and small group tutoring. Academic mentors can reach a large number of pupils and help embed tutoring within your school.

Watch how Crewe Technical College is using an academic mentor to support students with low reading ages.

For more information, read our guide to academic mentors or email tutoring.support@service.education.gov.uk.

Action for schools: Access free financial education training for teachers and school leaders

The Money and Pensions Service is working with partners to offer free financial education training for teachers and school leaders between now and March 2024.

A range of options are available to help education settings deliver quality learning about money. Follow the links to find out more about:

The LifeSavers’ flexible financial education programme for primary schools.
Young Money financial education professional learning for school leaders and teachers in primary and secondary schools.
Financial education training and resources for alternative provision settings from the LifeSavers programme and the National Literacy Trust – for primary and for secondary ages.

News and developments

Information for all settings: Recruitment for Chair of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Pension Board

The Secretary of State is seeking to appoint a dynamic and inspirational individual to independently chair the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Pension Board.

The role is being advertised on the gov.uk public appointments page and will be live until midnight on Tuesday 31 October 2023.

Information for schools and further education settings: Five new online CPD units launched through the Universal SEND Services programme

There are 5 new online Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units planned as part of the National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen) Universal SEND Services programme, to help SEND practitioners explore the most commonly observed barriers to learning, regardless of age, label or area of need.

The latest units explore:

Mental wellbeing
Resilience
Anxiety
Sensory differences
Physical needs

Find the full list of units at the nasen Whole School SEND website.

Information for schools: Support with implementing flexible working in your school

5 more Flexible Working Ambassador Multi-Academy Trusts and Schools (FWAMS) have been appointed, to complement the 7 appointed last term. FWAMS offer bespoke support to leaders in MATs, primary and secondary schools, AP/PRU and special school settings, and are part of a programme to help leaders embed flexible working.

A toolkit of practical resources has been published to help with requesting and implementing flexible working. Learn more on the gov.uk page.

Information for schools: How the ‘Get help buying for schools’ service helped get the best cleaning services for my school

In the latest Buying for Schools blog Zoe Allcott, a Business Manager at Thrive Education Partnership, shares her experience of using ‘Get help buying for schools’ to buy cleaning services.

“The fact that it exists, is free to use and helps us all to achieve our main objective - to ensure we have the best outcomes for our children – is brilliant. I would highly recommend it.”

Read Zoe’s blog here.

Forward Look

Thursday 5 October: Academy Finance Professionals Power Hour – Land and Buildings tool

The October Academy Finance Professionals Power Hour from 11am to 12 noon will provide useful information on the Land and Buildings tool, why the information is collected and how it is processed, including a demonstration of the online form.

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions.

Tuesday 10 October: Webinar session for school leaders on the pupil premium and recovery premium strategy planning process

Join the Department for Education for a webinar on 10 October at 4:00pm to 5:00pm on pupil premium and recovery premium (PP/RP) strategy planning this autumn term. The session will include guest presentations by the Education Endowment Foundation and a primary school headteacher.

Wednesday 11 October and Friday 13 October: Webinars for schools on the tuition partner route of the National Tutoring Programme

Join us for webinars on 11 October 3:30pm to 4:00pm and 13 October 12:30pm to 1:00pm for schools on the tuition partner route of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP). We will talk about tuition partners in detail, and how they can support pupils. We will be joined by our delivery partner, Tribal Group, and a guest speaker from a school to share their experiences.

Throughout November: School Business Professional roundtable events

The DfE’s Schools Commercial Team is hosting several School Business Professional roundtable events. They are free to attend and will give you the chance to network face-to-face with colleagues from other schools and trusts and discuss your procurement priorities. Book your free place at your nearest event:

September 18th 2023:

This is your regular email from the Department for Education to keep you updated on key education issues.

If you have colleagues who would like to receive this email directly, please ask them to use this subscription form.

For action

Unless marked as mandatory, these actions are optional for education settings.

schools and local authorities (mandatory): Submit your year-end statement for the National Tutoring Programme
secondary schools (mandatory): Review and publish your provider access arrangements
schools: Action short of strike action by NASUWT
schools: Share your views through our Workload Taskforce research
schools: Schools Commercial autumn term webinars and regional roundtables open for booking
schools and local authorities: Access the monitor your school attendance tool
early years settings and schools with early years provision: Take part in the Early Years Foundation Stage assessment support survey

News and developments

all education settings: Prevent duty guidance has been updated for all phases of education
schools: teach the facts about tax with HM Revenue and Customs’ free, interactive lesson

Forward look

Friday 29 September: deadline for schools and local authorities to submit the National Tutoring Programme year-end statement for academic year 2022/23
Tuesday 10 October: Webinar session for school leaders on the pupil premium and recovery premium strategy planning process. Sign up via Eventbrite.

For action

Action for schools and local authorities: Submit your year-end statement for the National Tutoring Programme (NTP)

Schools and local authorities (including virtual school heads) that received the 2022/23 NTP grant have until 2pm on Friday 29 September to submit the year-end statement.

You must report all tutoring delivered in the 2022/23 academic year (from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023). Failure to submit the form will result in your full funding allocation being recovered by the ESFA.

Schools that converted to an academy after 1 August 2023, should select their old establishment and URN when completing the form, rather than the new one.

We have published guidance on how to submit your year-end statement, which includes a short video for schools.

If you experience any technical issues with the form, contact the ESFA Help Centre.

For any other tutoring queries, email the NTP support desk.

Action for secondary schools: Review and publish your provider access arrangements

Your school must comply with the provider access legislation, introduced in January 2023. By meeting this statutory requirement, you will help your pupils to understand apprenticeships and wider technical options and to make informed decisions about their next step.

The law requires all state funded secondary schools to ensure that all pupils during school years 8-13 have at least 6 opportunities to meet a range of providers of approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 2023/24 is the first full academic year that this strengthened legislation has been in force.

You are reminded that a provider access policy statement must be published on your school’s website explaining how the school intends to comply with the legal requirements.

Read more in DfE’s careers statutory guidance and to access further support and guidance visit The Careers & Enterprise Company website.

Action for schools: Action short of strike action by NASUWT

NASUWT has issued instructions to members to begin action short of strike action (ASOSA) from 18 September in schools where they secured a mandate in their July ballot. This will affect some schools in England.

Schools should consider mitigations to reduce the likelihood of any disruption, for example reviewing timetabling or moving meetings. Leaders can ask their staff if they are taking part in ASOSA, to support contingency planning, although staff do not have to confirm this. Employers should expect all staff to fulfil their contractual obligations.

Whether ASOSA amounts to a breach of contract will depend on exactly what the action is and the terms of the employee’s contract. If there is any doubt about whether an employee is in breach, the employer should seek legal advice on the individual case.

Action for schools: Share your views through our Workload Taskforce research

The DfE recently announced they will be setting up a taskforce of union representatives, experts and experienced practitioners to explore way to reduce teacher and leader workload.

The DfE is interested in speaking to school senior leadership teams to inform recommendations from the taskforce. If you are interested in sharing your perspective, please fill in this sign up form and a researcher will be in touch.

Action for schools: Schools Commercial autumn term webinars and regional roundtables open for booking

The Schools Commercial Team is hosting free webinars this term to help those who buy for schools save time, buy compliantly, and get great value. View the full schedule and register to attend.

If you would like to join other School Business Professionals from across your region to network, share your procurement issues and priorities, and find out more about the free procurement support available from the DfE, you can register to attend one of our upcoming regional roundtables.

The roundtables are free to attend, and locations have now been confirmed for the autumn term. Register now.

Action for schools and local authorities: Access the monitor your school attendance tool

85% of schools are sharing daily attendance data with DfE. Schools, local authorities and trusts get access to the Monitor your school attendance tool.

Analysis of daily attendance data shows that 55.5% of pupils absent in the first week of term go on to be persistently absent.

We’ve been improving the Monitor your school attendance tool to help you identify pupils that need support early.

What’s new?

indicators for termly trends in attendance
data visualisations for quick trend insight
weekly view of a pupil attendance
pupil attendance codes from the start of the academic year improved loading times
fixes to some data quality issues

We want to hear about your experience of using your attendance data. Sign up to take part in a research project.

Action for early years settings and schools with reception schools: Take part in the Early Years Foundation Stage assessment support survey

The Department for Education has launched a short survey to seek the views of early years practitioners, teachers and school and setting leaders on assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Feedback from the sector will help ascertain what support, if any, would be beneficial for supporting effective assessment in the EYFS.

If you work in the early years, please take the time to fill in this short, anonymous survey: Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) assessment support survey. Have your say by Tuesday 3^rd October.

News and developments

Information for all education settings: Prevent duty guidance has been updated

The Prevent duty guidance has been updated to reflect several recommendations of the Independent Review of Prevent. This includes changes to the guidance for education settings.

There are no new legal requirements or responsibilities for education settings and changes are not anticipated to come into effect until 31^st December 2023, at the earliest.

Information for schools: teach the facts about tax with HM Revenue and Customs’ free, interactive lesson

Tax Facts is an educational programme for schools that introduces students to how the UK tax system works.

It provides free, interactive, curriculum-linked resources – including a lesson plan, classroom presentation, activity sheets and videos. There’s even the option to invite an HMRC member of staff to deliver the lesson in your school.

Find out how Tax Facts helped a school prepare their students for the world of work on our Teacher Blog.

Contact the Department for Education

The Department for Education helpline is available to answer your general queries.

Caseworkers for schools affected by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC)

The Department for Education has published updated guidance for responsible bodies with confirmed RAAC that advises them to vacate spaces with confirmed RAAC.

We have provided a dedicated caseworker for every school and college with confirmed RAAC, to provide tailored support including when face-to-face learning is in place. Funding for emergency mitigation work, including structural support and temporary accommodation, will also be available. They can be contacted by emailing raac.awareness@education.gov.uk.