Tag: Department for Education

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 27 November 2024.

Applications open for 750 schools to join ‘early adopter’ rollout and support local children to start the school day ready to learn.

Families will soon be able to access 30 minutes of quality childcare ahead of the start of the school day as the government pushes ahead with free breakfast clubs across the country.

From today, schools can apply to become one of 750 early adopters in the government’s free breakfast club roll out, with clubs to launch from April 2025.

Breakfast clubs in every primary school will make a huge difference to children, families, and schools – removing barriers to opportunity by helping children learn, making sure no child starts school hungry, and helping families with the cost of childcare around the school day, to help keep money in people’s pockets.

More than 2 in 5 non-working mothers say that they would prefer to work if they could arrange good quality, convenient, reliable and affordable childcare, and over half of parents say they have problems finding formal childcare for their child that is flexible enough to fit their needs.

The breakfast clubs form part of the government’s mission to break the unfair link between background and opportunity. Delivering change that can be felt by working people, early adopters will offer all children at their school access to a free breakfast and at least 30 minutes of free before school childcare, every day.

This action to kick-start the programme comes fast after the Budget, which tripled investment in breakfast clubs to over £33 million for 2025-26, supporting the early adopter scheme as well as the continuation of the National School Breakfast Club Programme next year, so no child faces a cliff edge on current provision.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

“This is a landmark opportunity for schools to be in the vanguard of change, as we build back the foundations of an education system that breaks the link between children’s background, and the opportunities they have in life.

“From helping with flexible working for families, to improving behaviour and attendance, the supportive start to the day that breakfast clubs provide will help drive high and rising standards for every child. This government is delivering change that will make a real difference to families up and down the country.”

Sir David Holmes CBE, Chief Executive of Family Action said:

“Family Action is delighted to see this further investment by the government in breakfast clubs. We know from our long experience of delivering breakfast provision ourselves the difference that a nutritious breakfast offered in a supportive and enriching environment can make to children’s readiness to learn.

“We will do all we can to share our experience with Early Adopter schools in this crucial test and learn phase so that they can maximise the impact of this significant new offer to children and families at the start of the school day and inform its rollout to many more schools in the future.”

Abigail Oldfield, Headteacher, Willow Bank Primary School, says:

“Our breakfast club has made a massive difference to supporting children and families from the very start of the school day.

“We’ve seen a big impact on attendance and punctuality of children, as many of our most vulnerable families now have breakfast every day with us. By offering a healthy breakfast and childcare, it ensures children are in school on time and have energy to learn.”

Schools that become early adopters will have the unique opportunity to shape the future of the national breakfast club policy, contributing directly to its implementation.

Further details on the national roll out of the breakfast clubs programme will follow in due course.

The wider paid-for wraparound childcare offer – for all primary children to be able to access childcare between 8am-6pm – continues to roll out across the country.

The government is also developing an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty and give children the best start in life, which will be published in spring. The Taskforce led by the Work and Pensions Secretary and Education Secretary are looking at all available levers across government to drive forward short-term and long-term actions to reduce child poverty.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 18 November 2024.

New powers handed to Ofsted to crack down on exploitative children’s care providers and transparency to be increased around their finances.

The government will today embark on major reform to end years of neglect of the children’s social care support system – breaking the cycle of late intervention and helping keep families together wherever possible so every child has the opportunity to thrive.

A wide range of new reform measures will be set out in Parliament to deliver better outcomes and a more secure life for children across the country. The government will empower social workers, and all those that work with children, to take action against children’s placements providers that deliver subpar standards of care at sky-high costs to councils and focus the system on early intervention.

It comes as local government spending on looked after children has ballooned from £3.1 billion in 2009/10 to £7 billion in 2022/23, with social workers all too often burdened by heavy caseloads, struggling to deliver the help that children and families need before problems escalate.

Bridget Phillipson, Education Secretary, said:

Our care system has suffered from years of drift and neglect. It’s bankrupting councils, letting families down, and above all, leaving too many children feeling forgotten, powerless and invisible.

We want to break down the barriers to opportunity and end the cycle of crisis through ambitious reforms to give vulnerable children the best life chances – because none of us thrive until all of us do.

We will crack down on care providers making excessive profit, tackle unregistered and unsafe provision and ensure earlier intervention to keep families together and help children to thrive.

One of the most entrenched challenges facing children and social workers is some private providers, that are siphoning off money that should be going towards vulnerable children, making excessive profits or running unregistered homes that don’t meet the right standards of care.

According to analysis by the Local Government Association, there are now over 1,500 children in placements each costing the equivalent of over £0.5 million every year, while the largest 15 private providers make an average of 23 per cent profit.

New rules will require key placements providers – those that provide homes for the most children – to share their finances with the government, allowing profiteering to be challenged. Increasing financial transparency will ensure the providers that have the biggest impact on the market don’t unexpectedly go under and leave children without a home.

There will also be a “backstop” law to put a limit on the profit providers can make, that the government will introduce if providers do not voluntarily put an end to profiteering.

Not-for-profit providers and those backed by social investment are being called on to come forward to set up homes to strengthen the system.

To protect quality and safety in children’s homes, Ofsted will also be given new powers to issue civil fines to providers, working more quickly to deter unscrupulous behaviour than with existing criminal powers.

More widely, the government is beginning the process of rebalancing the whole children’s social care system in favour of early intervention, giving every family the legal right to be involved in decisions made about children entering the care system.

Further plans for funding for children’s social care including investment in preventative services, are set to be laid out in the coming weeks in the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement.

Cllr Arooj Shah, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:

It is positive to see the Government building on recent progress following the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, and pursuing an approach rooted in what we know works for children and their families.

We are particularly pleased to see an ongoing focus on early help and family networks, and a strong commitment to tackling profiteering and other problems in the market for children’s social care placements.

Moving forward, progress will be limited by the significant funding and workforce challenges within children’s social care, councils and amongst partners more widely.

It is vital that the Government uses the forthcoming Spending Review to ensure that all those working to keep children safe and to help them thrive have the resources they need to do that well.

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said:

Every child deserves to grow up safe, happy, healthy and engaged in their communities and in their education. With this Bill we have an opportunity to repair how we treat childhood in this country.

Children are paying the price of a broken social care system that allows profits over protection. They are enduring things no child should ever have to: living in isolation in illegal children’s homes, often at enormous cost, deprived of their liberty without due process, often surrounded by security guards instead of receiving love and care.

Children in the social care system today are living week to week in limbo. They need action without delay, not plans or strategies, so I welcome the urgency with which this government is setting out plans to tackle some of the most entrenched challenges. There must be no limits on our ambition for these children and I will look forward to working closely with ministers to push for radical reform.

Sir Martyn Oliver, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector said:

These new powers will allow Ofsted to do more to make sure all children’s homes are safe and nurturing places, and to combat illegal and poor-quality homes quickly and effectively. We welcome these reforms and stand ready to deliver the Government’s new asks as soon as possible.

Sarah Cardell, CEO of the CMA, said:

We are pleased to see the government taking this next step towards reforming the children’s social care market, in line with our recommendations. Our market study found multiple concerns – including a shortage of appropriate places – which need to be tackled to ensure vulnerable children and young people are getting the homes they need. We will continue to work with the government to make sure the plan delivers longstanding improvements.

Other key measures set to be announced today include:

New powers for Ofsted to investigate multiple homes being run by the same company, acting on the recommendations made in response to the vile abuse uncovered at the Hesley group of children’s homes.

Delivery of the manifesto commitment to introduce a consistent child identifier, making sure information can be shared between professionals so they can intervene before issues escalate.

The requirement for every council to have ‘multi-agency’ child safeguarding teams, involving children’s schools and teachers, stopping children from falling through the cracks.

The requirement for all local authorities to offer the Staying Close programme – a package of support which enables care leavers to find and keep accommodation, alongside access to practical and emotional help, up to the age of 21, ending the cliff-edge of support many experience at 18.
A new duty on parents where if their child is subject to a child protection enquiry, or on a child protection plan, they will need local authority consent to home educate that child.
The government will continue to work closely with the sector and local authorities as these changes are introduced to ensure the best possible outcomes for all children and young people, and their families.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 7 October 2024.

Education Secretary announces resumption of procurement for Tackling Antisemitism in Education.

The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson has announced that the government is resuming the procurement of £7 million worth of funding to tackle antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities.

The commitment comes after the number of incidents of antisemitic abuse nationwide more than doubled in the first five months of 2024, compared to the same period a year earlier. On university campuses, the number of incidents grew by 465%.

The funding will aim to educate people about antisemitism and better equip schools, colleges and universities to stamp out antisemitic abuse.

To mark the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history, the Education Secretary is visiting a Jewish school in North London to meet with students and staff and demonstrate her support for the Jewish community.

£500,000 of the £7 million funding has been awarded to the University Jewish Chaplaincy for welfare support for Jewish students in universities.

Writing for the Daily Telegraph, the Education Secretary said the government was “resolutely committed” to tackling antisemitic abuse.

She said: “It is completely unacceptable for Jewish students to feel they cannot fully participate in university life out of fear for their safety. All students, regardless of race or religion, should be free to focus on their studies rather than worry about their safety.”

Some of the funds will go towards funding a project to upskill teachers and university staff in tackling antisemitism. It will also pay for an innovation fund to tackle antisemitism in Education, with a slightly broader focus on settings building resilience to mis-information.

The Education Secretary said it was “vitally important that staff in our education system have the confidence and skills to act quickly to root out antisemitism as soon as it emerges.”

To support this, the Department for Education also plans to launch an innovation fund that will offer opportunities to support work at all levels of education on tackling antisemitic misinformation on social media alongside the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

The Education Secretary also voiced her outrage at the “shocking” acts of violence and Islamophobia seen after the Southport attacks earlier this year, with anti-Muslim incidents more than trebling in the months after October 7.

She said: “With a foundation of knowledge about history and the world, critical thinking, logical reasoning and empathy, we can build children’s resilience not just to antisemitic hate, but all other forms of hate too. A child who is equipped to dismantle antisemitic conspiracy theories is ready to reject Islamophobic ones as well.”

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 25 September 2024.

The first stage of the government’s plan to deliver 3,000 nurseries by upgrading spare spaces in primary schools will begin next month, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced today.

From next month, schools will be invited to bid for a share of £15 million capital funding, with capacity in the programme to deliver up to 300 new or expanded nurseries in this first round.

Schools will need to demonstrate how their proposals will respond to need in their local area, supporting the 2025 expansion of government-funded hours of childcare and early education for working parents to 30 hours a week.

Funding will be allocated to successful schools in Spring 2025 to support delivery for the first cohort of places.

This is the first step to delivering the government’s ambition for 3,000 new nurseries in primary schools, and long-term plan to make early years education and childcare more widely available, accessible, and high quality.

Currently, availability of early years provision is not evenly distributed across the country, with the most disadvantaged areas often experiencing the lowest access to provision.

To ensure the programme is delivered in a way that will benefit all parents and children, the department will use the first phase to take learnings for future years and better understand how we can best support underserved and poorer areas.

Schools will be able to express interest for future phases of the programme to help assess demand in different parts of the country, and the department will engage with the sector on the most appropriate model to extend the programme across the country in its second phase.

The government has urged schools interested in bidding for the first round to start discussing with their local authorities, governing organisations and wider stakeholders to consider pupil place planning, local childcare sufficiency and next steps for setting up and running new or expanded nurseries.

Guidance to support schools will be issued at the date of launch.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 25 September 2024.

Professor Becky Francis has launched a call for evidence seeking views on the current curriculum and assessment system to help shape the future of education.

Young people, parents, employers and education staff, leaders and experts are being invited to take part in a ‘national conversation’ about how the curriculum and assessment system can better prepare young people for life and work, as a call for evidence is launched today (25 September).

The 8-week consultation aims to bring everyone into the conversation about what’s working well and what could work better in the curriculum and marks the next step in the government’s independent review.

Responses will be invaluable in shaping the direction of the review and pivotal to the recommendations Professor Becky Francis and her expert panel put forward in 2025.

Today’s call for evidence covers a range of specific areas, including how best to provide an excellent foundation in English and maths, support for children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, and access to a broad and balanced curriculum.

The review will also take written and oral evidence from key stakeholders, alongside a series of regional engagement events from mid-October to meet and take input from young people and staff on the frontline.

Spanning from key stages 1 to 4 and 16 to 19 education, the review will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve – in particular those who are socio-economically disadvantaged, or with special educational needs or disability (SEND).

Professor Becky Francis said:

The curriculum belongs to the nation. And especially, it must work for the young people who follow it, and the teachers and lecturers that communicate it.

As such, it’s imperative that we hear perspectives and evidence from as wide a range of people as possible including children, young people, parents, education professionals and other stakeholders.

The launch of our call for evidence today enables that. And we have sought to keep questions broad and wide-ranging, to enable people to have their say.

There is much that is working in the present curriculum, but this is a chance to refresh, to address areas which aren’t working well, and to ensure excellence for all. I hope as many as possible will respond and I look forward to reading the responses.

The review will look at ensuring all young people aged 16 to 19 have access to rigorous and high-value qualifications and training that will give them the skills they need to seize opportunity, as well as ensuring they are ready for the changing workplace.

It will also look at whether the current assessment system can be improved for both young people and staff, while protecting the important role of examinations.    Following the review, all state schools – including academies which currently do not have to follow the national curriculum – will be required by law to teach the national curriculum up to age 16, giving parents certainty over their children’s education.

The Improving the curriculum and assessment call for evidence runs from 25 September to 22 November 2024.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 13 September 2024.

Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND to receive support to progress their musical talent and interests.

Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds or with SEND will get targeted support to unlock their musical potential, thanks to a new scheme designed to break down the barriers to opportunity and advance their talents.

The government’s Music Opportunities Pilot will expand on Young Sounds UK’s existing programme – Young Sounds Connect – which offers pupils across primary and secondary schools the opportunity to learn to play an instrument of their choice or how to sing to a high standard by providing free lessons and supporting young people to progress, including taking music exams.

Backed by £5.8million, co-funded by the government and partners including Young Sounds UK, Arts Council England and Youth Music, the programme aims to inspire the next generation of British musicians across 12 areas including Sunderland, Bury, Bradford and Stoke on Trent to help ensure the arts remain a cornerstone of the nation’s identity.

From the roaring crowds at Glastonbury to intimate performances at local venues, music is the beating heart of British culture, shaping society, enriching lives and fuelling a creative economy that is the envy of the world.

Culture is an essential part of supporting children and young people to develop creativity and find their voice. There is huge potential for growth in the creative industries that benefit every corner of the UK, and the industries are worth £125 billion in economic value to the UK, employing 2.4 million people in 2022.

School Standards Minister, Catherine McKinnell said:

The arts are one of the most important ways to help children and young people to develop creativity and find their voice. Music opportunities should be available to all pupils – no matter their background or circumstance.

Following a summer filled with vibrant festivals and creative acts that filled the streets with energy, it’s clear the role music plays in enriching lives. By investing in our young people we not only nurture individual talent, but also secure the future of the UK’s rich music scene by fostering a deep appreciation for music from an early age.

Alongside our Curriculum and Assessment Review, the Music Opportunities pilot will help break down the barriers to opportunity by widening access to the arts for more young people across the country.

Hester Cockcroft, Chief Executive of Young Sounds UK said:

Young Sounds Connect is designed to help young people from low-income families lead their own musical learning after whole-class lessons end, connecting them to funding, opportunities and each other, so they can keep on progressing as musicians. 15 years since it was first piloted, we’re delighted to be able to supercharge the programme model over the next four years through the Music Opportunities Pilot.

Collaborating with parents/carers, music educators, and an amazing group of Music Hubs and national partners, we’ll continue to learn together, and share our learning, so that many more young people’s musical lives can flourish in the future.

Arts Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:

Music should never be the preserve of a privileged few. I want everyone to have a chance to realise their talent regardless of their background.

This support will help to make sure that every child has access to high-quality creative education, with the opportunity to learn musical skills that may become the foundation of a lifelong passion or a future star of the UK arts scene.

Supporting young people to become musicians is invaluable in various creative and other industries. It fuels innovation and excellence in the broader creative landscape, contributing to the UK’s world class reputation as a global hub for the arts.

The pilot scheme will run over 4 years and is jointly funded by a £2 million investment from the Department for Education and £3.85 million funding from Young Sounds UK and its partners. Young Sounds UK will work in collaboration with local Music Hub partners that support and enable access to music education for children and young people in England in order to deliver the programme.

The government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review has also been launched to drive high and rising standards for all pupils and tackle the barriers which hold them back, including pupils with SEND. As part of the review, it will seek to deliver a broader curriculum so that children and young people do not miss out on creative subjects such as music, art and drama, as well as sport.

By re-establishing the arts as an integral part of the curriculum the government is raising the status of studying creative subjects and the creative industry, ensuring the arts remain a powerful force in shaping the nation’s future.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 6 September 2024.

Government reminds schools to ensure all children have equal access to PE and school sport with support from the Inclusion 2024 programme.

Schools Minister, Catherine McKinnell, is calling on schools to enhance physical education (PE) and school sport opportunities for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), in the spirit of the Paralympic Games.

The government’s Inclusion programme is available to all schools in the country, through both expert support and free resources, and can help schools enhance opportunities for young people with SEND to engage in PE and school sports, including some of the 22 sports featured in the Paralympics.

Now in its fourth year, the programme works with a network of 52 lead schools to support local counterparts, including mainstream schools, special schools, and alternative provision settings, providing advice and training to upskill the school workforce to make their PE and sport more inclusive.

The government recently launched a Curriculum and Assessment Review to drive high and rising standards for all pupils and tackle the barriers which hold them back, including pupils with SEND. The review will consider how best to open up access to subjects such as PE and sport, music, art, and drama.

School Standards Minister, Catherine McKinnell said:

Following a summer of major sporting events including the Olympics and Paralympics, the profound impact sports can have on young people has been clearer than ever – shaping their character and fostering a sense of belonging.

Every child, regardless of their circumstances, background and abilities should have access to, and benefit from, quality sporting opportunities both inside and outside of school.

It’s fantastic to see so many organisations coming together to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the quality and accessibility of PE and school sport provision for pupils with SEND.

Delivered by a consortium of the Youth Sport Trust, ParalympicsGB, Swim England, Activity Alliance and nasen, the programme offers a unique opportunity for young people to draw inspiration from the Paralympic spirit and be encouraged to participate in physical activities within their schools.

Over the last three years of the programme:

• Almost 15,000 young people have taken part, with over 3,000 trained as leaders.
• Over 4,000 schools have been given advice, training, and guidance.
• Almost 850 events for young people have been delivered.

The programme has achieved this by sharing best practice and creative thinking on how schools can adapt their PE and school sports delivery to meet the needs of all their pupils.

The Inclusion programme is not the only initiative supporting young people to get involved in sport. For example, School Games Organisers (SGOs) are essential in ensuring that all children have the opportunity to take part in local sport and physical activity competitions.

In the 2022/23 academic year, the country-wide network of 450 SGOs provided 2.2 million opportunities for school children to engage in local and inclusive sporting competitions across 40 different sports and activities.

Ali Oliver MBE, Chief Executive Officer at the Youth Sport Trust, said:

The Inclusion 2024 programme embeds the four core values of the Paralympic Movement – determination, equality, inspiration and courage – across PE and school sport. With the eyes of the world on the incredible athletes taking part in the Paralympic Games, now is the time to harness the nation’s love of para sport to leverage change, so every child can experience the joy and life changing benefits of play and sport at school.

Inclusion 2024 is led by schools and informed by a consortium of network partners with expertise in inclusion and creating opportunities. I’m proud to say over the last three years, Inclusion 2024 has supported the development of inclusive PE and sport in 5,000 schools through 55,000 interactions – including competitions, staff training, volunteer development and local events.

In our mission and with support from the Department for Education, we are united in our belief that every child should be able to participate in PE and school sport, and we are determined to work together to make this a reality.

David Clarke, Chief Executive of ParalympicsGB, said:

Physical education is fundamental to children’s happiness, allowing them to have fun whilst they develop motor skills, build confidence, and improve physical and mental health. This is particularly the case for pupils with SEND.

ParalympicsGB, as part of the launch of the Equal Play campaign, heard from many education experts that teachers often feel unprepared to deliver inclusive PE due to insufficient training and support. Initiatives like Inclusion 24 are essential to ensure teachers are equipped to support the inclusion of young disabled pupils. We need all schools to be supported to ensure that no disabled child is left on the sidelines.

Schools are supported with a free range of resources as part of the Inclusive Education Hub to help make their PE and sport more inclusive.

The Inclusion 2024 programme works to reimagine the role PE and school sport can play for pupils with SEND, with a focus on links to character education and extending positive impacts to broader school engagement, including attendance and behaviour.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 5 September 2024.

Sir Ian Bauckham CBE announced as the Government’s preferred candidate for the position of Ofqual Chief Regulator.

The Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, has announced Sir Ian Bauckham CBE as the Government’s preferred candidate for the position of Ofqual Chief Regulator. His selection, made today (5 September), follows approval by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Later this year, Sir Ian will attend a pre-appointment hearing before the Education Select Committee.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

High and rising standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, so that we can deliver better life chances for all children.

Sir Ian’s extensive experience of the education and qualifications systems makes him the ideal person to guide Ofqual in ensuring all learners have access to rigorous, high value qualifications and training that will give them the skills they need to seize opportunity.

Ofqual is the independent body responsible for regulating qualifications, exams, and assessments in England. It plays a crucial role in maintaining standards and public trust in GCSEs, A levels, and vocational and technical qualifications.

The Chief Regulator’s key responsibility is to ensure that Ofqual meets its statutory objectives and duties, including upholding standards and fostering confidence in qualifications and assessments.

Sir Ian was chosen for the role after an open recruitment competition and assessment process, conducted by a panel in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Knighted in January 2023 for his services to education, Sir Ian has been a member of the Ofqual Board since 2018. He served as Chair from January 2021 until January 2024, when he became the interim Chief Regulator. Previously, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the Tenax Schools Academy Trust, a position he stepped down from to assume his current role. Since 2020, Sir Ian has also chaired the board of Oak National Academy.

Following his pre-appointment hearing, the Education Select Committee will release its recommendations. The Education Secretary will review these recommendations before making the final decision, which will then be submitted to The King in Council for approval.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 2 September 2024.

Government pushes ahead with reform agenda by scrapping single headline Ofsted judgements for schools with immediate effect.

Single headline grades for schools will be scrapped with immediate effect to boost school standards and increase transparency for parents, the government has announced today.

Reductive single headline grades fail to provide a fair and accurate assessment of overall school performance across a range of areas and are supported by a minority of parents and teachers.

The change delivers on the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and demonstrates the Prime Minister’s commitment to improve the life chances of young people across the country.

For inspections this academic year, parents will see four grades across the existing sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership & management.

This reform paves the way for the introduction of School Report Cards from September 2025, which will provide parents with a full and comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing and ensure that inspections are more effective in driving improvement. Recent data shows that reports cards are supported by 77% of parents.

The government will continue to intervene in poorly performing schools to ensure high school standards for children.

Bridget Phillipson, Education Secretary, said:

The need for Ofsted reform to drive high and rising standards for all our children in every school is overwhelmingly clear. The removal of headline grades is a generational reform and a landmark moment for children, parents, and teachers.

Single headline grades are low information for parents and high stakes for schools. Parents deserve a much clearer, much broader picture of how schools are performing – that’s what our report cards will provide.

This government will make inspection a more powerful, more transparent tool for driving school improvement. We promised change, and now we are delivering.

As part of today’s announcement, where schools are identified as struggling, government will prioritise rapidly getting plans in place to improve the education and experience of children, rather than relying purely on changing schools’ management.

From early 2025, the government will also introduce Regional Improvement Teams that will work with struggling schools to quickly and directly address areas of weakness, meeting a manifesto commitment.

The Education Secretary has already begun to reset relations with education workforces, supporting the Government’s pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers, and reform to Ofsted marks another key milestone.

Today’s announcement follows engagement with the sector and family of headteacher Ruth Perry, after a coroner’s inquest found the Ofsted inspection process had contributed to her death.

The government will work closely with Ofsted and relevant sectors and stakeholders to ensure that the removal of headline grades is implemented smoothly.

Jason Elsom, Chief Executive of Parentkind, said:

We welcome the decision by the Secretary of State to prioritise Ofsted reform. The move to end single-word judgements as soon as practical, whilst giving due care and attention to constructing a new and sustainable accountability framework during the year ahead, is the right balance for both schools and parents.

Most parents understand the need for school inspection, but they want that inspection to help schools to improve as well as giving a verdict on the quality of education their children are receiving. When we spoke to parents about what was important to them, their children being happy at school was a big talking point and should not be overlooked.

Parents have been very clear that they want to see changes to the way Ofsted reports back after visiting a school, and it is welcome to see a clear timetable being set out today for moving towards a report card that will give parents greater clarity of the performance of their children’s school. We need to make sure that we get this right for parents, as well as schools.

There is much more we can do to include the voice of parents in Ofsted inspections and reform of our school system, and today’s announcement is a big step in the right direction.

Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of National Association of Headteachers, said:

The scrapping of overarching grades is a welcome interim measure. We have been clear that simplistic one-word judgements are harmful, and we are pleased the government has taken swift action to remove them.

School leaders recognise the need for accountability but it must be proportionate and fair and so we are pleased to see a stronger focus on support for schools instead of heavy-handed intervention.

There is much work to do now in order to design a fundamentally different long-term approach to inspection and we look forward to working with government to achieve that.

Where necessary, in cases of the most serious concern, government will continue to intervene, including by issuing an academy order, which may in some cases mean transferring to new management. Ofsted will continue to identify these schools – which would have been graded as inadequate.

The government also currently intervenes where a school receives two or more consecutive judgements of ‘requires improvement’ under the ‘2RI’ policy. With the exception of schools already due to convert to academies this term, this policy will change. The government will now put in place support for these schools from a high performing school, helping to drive up standards quickly.

Today’s changes build on the recently announced Children’s Wellbeing Bill, which will put children at the centre of education and make changes to ensure every child is supported to achieve and thrive.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 30 August 2024.

Hundreds of thousands of parents of children from nine months old take up new 15 government funded hours of early education from Monday.

From Monday 2nd September, hundreds of thousands of eligible working parents of children from 9-months-old will begin to access 15 hours of government-funded early education per week.

For parents of primary school aged children, new “wraparound” childcare places will be available before and after school, sounding the starting gun on long-term reform to deliver an early education and childcare system from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school, boosting parents’ work choices and children’s life chances.

This comes as the government looks ahead to delivering the expansion to 30 funded hours from next September.

The scale of the inherited delivery challenge is substantial. To deliver what parents have been promised requires an unprecedented rate of growth in childcare places and staff. This may mean some parents are not able to access their first-choice provider next year.

However, this government is now taking the action needed to help deliver the additional places needed and will set out further plans to deliver the government’s commitment to use primary school classrooms to create new nurseries.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

“I’ve already said that early years is my number one priority. That’s why we are delivering the childcare rollout I know will be such a help to hard-pressed parents, with 15 hours of early education per week for 9-month-olds and above from next week, alongside more wraparound childcare for school children.

“This inherited plan comes with significant delivery challenges – I must warn that for some parents it will not be plain sailing – and while I am excited to see children starting nursery for the first time, or parents being able to increase their working hours, the work for government starts now.

“Over the next year, I will be working flat out with my team to ensure the next phase of the rollout is possible – doubling parents’ childcare entitlements to 30 hours a week.”

Jason Elsom, Chief Executive of Parentkind said:

“We welcome all help for families to ease the burden on family finances at a time when many families are really struggling.

“Parents tell us that childcare costs are a major concern, and they support action to bring costs down and help families at that crucial time between the end of maternity leave and previous financial support kicking in. It is right we do everything we can to support parents, particularly when children are young.”

Purnima Tanuku OBE, Chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said:

“We support the government’s commitment to investing in our youngest children’s futures. This is something that families really need in order to give their children the best start in life and also enable parents to work.

“Supporting children early in their development means they have the foundations for learning and the necessary social skills to give them a brighter future, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. We are keen for all children to have access to early education and care – the early investment pays dividends in their later education in improving life chances.

“Early educators are also best placed to identify children with additional needs early on which can make a huge difference so any additional training resources for them will be very welcome.”

Nationally, around 85,000 more places are needed to deliver the rollout for September 2025 compared to 2023 – over double the increase in places seen in the past five years combined.

These figures vary significantly on a local level, with around 20 local areas needing double the increase in childcare hours than the national average, and a handful of further areas needing three times the increase, showing the scale of the delivery challenge. Work is underway with local authorities to make sure the right local plans are in place to deliver for parents and families.

The expansion in government funded hours is just one step towards the Education Secretary’s vision of an early education and childcare system that supports children to build on strong foundations and start school ready to learn.

To make sure growth does not come at the cost of quality, the government has also announced an extension of the early years stronger practice hubs programme until at least March 2025. The programme supports nurseries by bringing groups together across local areas, to share evidence-informed practice, advice and build lasting local networks.

This comes alongside additional resources for early educators to support children with special educational needs, with a new online training module and assessment guidance launching next month to enable them to better identify, assess and support children with additional needs.

More primary school-age wraparound childcare places are also expected to become available from January 2025.

As a result of the government funding provided, schools will be able to signpost parents to newly appointed wraparound leads in every local authority, who will be able to provide support if parents are unable to access the wrapround childcare they need.