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11 March, 2025
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Collaborative Communities: Key Takeaways from Sir David Carter
Sir David Carter shares his insights on how schools and trusts can work together to create a culture of shared growth and success.
Read more1. Spring statement snubs schools
No extra funding for schools was announced in last week’s spring statement, frustrating union bosses and prompting warnings of “deep anger among education staff”, writes Schools Week.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves didn’t announce any extra funding for schools in last week’s spring statement.
The DfE capital budget will increase by £100 million in 2025/26, compared to the forecast at the autumn budget. But this funding is for ten new “technical excellence colleges”.
Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the National Education Union, said austerity was “ended in deeds not words”.
He warned that cuts to funding and “huge real terms pay cuts of a fifth since 2010 have made teaching less attractive and the serious recruitment and retention issues are now plain for all to see. Children are losing out.
Julia Harnden, ASCL’s funding specialist, said: “Nothing in the spring statement changes the bleak financial situation being faced by schools and colleges. The reality is that many will have to make further cuts to their budgets and thus the educational provision they are able to provide to children and young people.”
Source: Union anger as spring statement snubs schools (schoolsweek.co.uk)
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2. Pupil absence – key driver of the disadvantage gap
Higher levels of absence are a key factor in the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers, writes EPI.
The latest report by EPI investigates the drivers of the disadvantage gap and calls on the government to address the underlying causes of school absences, as it identifies higher levels of absence to be a key factor in the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.
The report has found that pupil absence is a key, and growing, driver of the disadvantage gap.
In fact, the growth in the disadvantage gap at age 16 by 0.5 months since 2019 (to 18.6 months in 2023) can be entirely explained by higher levels of absence for disadvantaged pupils.
The report recommends that the government should prioritise early intervention to improve school readiness and reduce gaps throughout schooling by increasing the early years pupil premium to match the pupil premium in later years, ensuring a high-quality workforce and improving childcare accessibility for disadvantaged children in particular.
Furthermore, as part of wider SEND reforms, the government should prioritise training in child development and different types of SEND, making it a mandatory part of initial teacher training and early career development.
Source: Breaking down the gap (EPI)
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3. Delay Ofsted report cards and school profiles, heads urge
ASCL warns Ofsted’s plan for inspection report cards will cause greater anxiety for heads, writes Tes.
Headteachers’ leaders have called on the government and Ofsted to delay the introduction of new inspections and report cards, as well as plans for school profiles, until next year.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has warned that Ofsted’s plans for its new inspection framework will leave school leaders in a worse position than they are now and make grades less reliable.
It suggests delaying the launch of new inspections, along with DfE’s plan to create digital school profiles, until September 2026.
ASCL says the watchdog’s proposed toolkits, showing how inspectors would grade schools, “are wildly open to interpretation”.
And the union strongly refutes comments made by chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver, who said during ASCL’s conference that he was “saddened” that critics of planned inspection reforms have not “managed to understand” them fully.
Source: Delay Ofsted report cards and school profiles, heads urge (Tes.com)
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