Top education news stories

1. Pay rise funding claims ‘misleading’, say school trust finance chiefs

NEU hailed ‘significant ground conceded by government’, but leaders say nothing has changed, writes Schools Week.

She added: “We can confirm this reduction in costs will not be clawed back and as such, we are confident that schools will be able to cover the costs of the teacher pay award, at a national level.”

At the time, the National Education Union hailed the “significant ground conceded by government is a consequence of NEU members’ willingness to take a stand.

But the announcement has met with widespread criticism from school business professionals, who have pointed out the support staff pension savings have been known about since April – and factored into budgets already. Employer contributions have been paid at the new rates for five months already, and there had been no earlier indication from government that the money was ever due to be clawed back.

In fact, schools are still expecting a reduction of funding because the government will claw back corresponding teachers’ pension savings that take effect next April following a similar revaluation.

Source: Pay rise funding claims ‘misleading’, say school finance chiefs (schoolsweek.co.uk)

2. Pupil attainment rises ‘substantially’ more in MATs, finds study

But CST’s research report admits there is ‘uncertainty’ over the reasons why academies showed greater improvement in results, writes Tes.

An independent review of the findings, by Professor Daniel Muijs of Queen’s University Belfast, called the results “clear and robust” but cautioned that the precise size of the effect is harder to pin down, with “residual uncertainty” remaining over causality.

The benefit also varied sharply by school type: converter academies — schools that chose to join a trust — showed a far smaller effect than sponsor-led academies, which were typically forced to academise after underperforming.

Jon Andrews, head of analysis at the Education Policy Institute, noted that previous research had found “either relatively limited or no effects” of academisation on attainment, and pointed to “considerable variation” between and within trust groups — meaning the real question going forward is what the highest-performing groups actually do differently.

CST’s own report also acknowledges a key complication: schools that later joined trusts were often already moving differently in the rankings before converting, making it hard to separate the effect of joining a trust from a trend that was already under way.

Source: Pupil attainment rises ‘substantially’ more in MATs, finds study (Tes.com)

3. High SEND schools 5 times more likely to miss Ofsted inclusion standard

Experts warn of ‘serious flaws’ in the watchdog’s framework and question why schools with higher levels of SEND and disadvantaged pupils are getting lower grades, writes Tes.

A second analysis, by former Ofsted inspector Steve Wren, found only 3% of secondaries with the lowest SEND levels missed the expected standard on inclusion, compared with 15% of those with the highest.

Experts warn the pattern points to “serious flaws” in Ofsted’s framework. ASCL’s Andy Jordan said inspections are “not taking context fully into account,” while former CEO of The Education Alliance MAT, Jonny Uttley, argued Ofsted has never properly asked “who comes to this school, who doesn’t and why”, warning the approach “damages inclusive schools.” Oasis Community Learning Trust’s Liz Robinson said the findings “deeply undermine” the government’s own inclusion agenda.

Ofsted maintains that inspectors do take context into account, but that outcomes are based on inspection evidence, with inclusion running as a “golden thread” through the framework. Wren’s report has been passed to the Commons Education Select Committee, posing a direct question for MPs to put to the chief inspector: are high-SEND schools genuinely providing weaker education, or is the framework or inspectors’ tools failing to recognise their strengths?

Source: High SEND schools 5 times more likely to miss Ofsted inclusion standard (Tes.com)

4. FSM funding fears as school food standards unveiled

Free school meals funding of £2.66 per student is simply nowhere near enough if the DfE wants schools to be able to implement revised food standards effectively, it was said this week, writes SecEd.

That pressure is compounded by a wider eligibility change already in effect this term, extending FSMs to all children in households on Universal Credit — an estimated 500,000 more pupils.

There are also new governance and compliance obligations: schools will need to publish food policies and menus online and nominate a dedicated food governor from September 2027, and the DfE is working with the Food Standards Agency on a monitoring approach.

Ofsted won’t formally grade compliance, but the DfE has confirmed monitoring data may still feed into inspectors’ “wider conversations” about leadership and governance, which NAHT is watching carefully to ensure it doesn’t become a de facto accountability lever, particularly for schools relying on external caterers.

Source: FSM funding fears as school food standards unveiled (sec-ed.co.uk)

5. Almost 1,000 school leaders put forward for Ofsted peer inspector pilot

New figures show more than 180 trusts and school groups have put forward leaders, writes Schools Week.

Leaders cited benefits including deeper understanding of the inspection framework, stronger dialogue with Ofsted, and professional development value for staff. E-ACT’s Tom Campbell said inspections “will feel less adversarial if the person across the table has walked in your shoes,” though he cautioned that peer inspectors still work within Ofsted’s existing framework and evidence requirements. “Changing who inspects, without changing what inspection is, treats the symptom and leaves the situation intact.”

Views on inspector quality were mixed. Former HMI Adrian Gray welcomed the scheme as a way to spread understanding of inspection through trusts, provided participants inspect regularly enough to stay practised. Another anonymous former HMI argued serving peer inspectors bring more current, consistent expertise than some contracted inspectors who work only sporadically.

Ofsted says the pilot will run throughout 2026 and will shape how it recruits inspectors in future, adding it wants inspections to become “more collaborative” by drawing in leaders with “up-to-the-minute understanding of what’s happening in schools.”

Source: Almost 1,000 school leaders put forward for Ofsted peer inspector pilot (schoolswee.co.uk)