The government broke its own wellbeing pledge four times during last week鈥檚 half term when it sent letters about sex education and guidance on two new policies. Further Schools Week analysis found the Department for Education has published 31 updates online over holiday periods since pledging to only release content for education workers in office hours. Exceptions to the promise, made when ministers published their education staff wellbeing charter in May 2021, include occasions where 鈥渢here is a significant user need not to do so鈥 or 鈥渁 legislative requirement鈥. Our analysis found nine instances where it was clear a caveat did apply 鈥 such as communicating important updates relating to Covid or RAAC. That left 22 occasions where the government appears to have broken its own wellbeing pledge. DfE ‘riding roughshod over wellbeing commitments’ However, the DfE contested this and said 鈥渕ost cases cited鈥 in our analysis had applicable exceptions. Paul Whiteman Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, accused ministers of 鈥渞epeatedly riding roughshod over its own commitments鈥, leaving the profession 鈥渇eeling like it is being treated with contempt鈥. 鈥淭he vast majority of these are not urgent and there is no great user-demand for them. It shows a government in chaos, scrambling for headlines, but not listening or engaging properly with the profession to actually make the improvements that are so desperately needed.鈥 The 22 updates that appear to have flouted the wellbeing commitment include the unveiling in April last year of the , and the launch two months later of a review into how the government works with academy trusts. Some of the announcements were press releases, while the rest were either newly released or updated policy papers, guidance and consultations. Most recent breaches came in half-term A report detailing the was published in August 2021. It had concluded 17 months before. In the middle of this year鈥檚 February half term, a three-month call for evidence on the in schools was published. The most recent examples came last week, when, according to Teacher Tapp, 72 per cent of staff were on half term. On Thursday, October 26, the government named the 35 local authorities in line to receive a share of its 鈥渉ardship fund鈥 to help pay for 6.5 per cent teacher pay rises. A handbook outlining the was released the following day. While 鈥減rimarily for local authorities鈥, the document stated 鈥渋t may also be of interest鈥 to schools and trusts. Criticisms of Keegan’s RSHE intervention These came after Gillian Keegan announced last Monday that primaries and secondaries 鈥渟hould have the confidence to share鈥 RSHE materials with parents. Geoff Barton ASCL She then the next day stating contractual clauses with curriculum providers that 鈥渟eek to prevent鈥 headteachers from 鈥渟haring resources with parents鈥re void and unenforceable鈥. Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the school leaders鈥 union ASCL, said the findings showed the DfE had 鈥渄riven a coach and horses through its commitment in the staff wellbeing charter鈥. He said Keegan attempted to counter her half-term RSHE letter by saying there was 鈥渘o need to take action until school resumes鈥. Wellbeing charter ‘clear sometimes we’ll have to publish in holidays’ 鈥淏ut by that logic, the DfE could send out anything at any time with the same message attached.鈥 When was first published, Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said it was 鈥渕ore important than ever鈥 that wellbeing and mental health were at the forefront of education policy. Responding to our findings, a DfE spokesperson stressed the 鈥渢he charter is clear that there are some instances where the department will need to publish content outside of term time鈥. She said 鈥渕ost” of the content cited in our analysis 鈥渨as not primarily aimed at educators nor required any action to be taken鈥. Nerd note The DfE鈥檚 specific pledge is: 鈥淲e will publish GOV.UK content aimed at education staff only during working hours (unless, for specific guidance documents, there is a significant user need not to do so, or there is a legislative requirement).” A decision on whether an update has broken the pledge is sometimes a matter of opinion (and the DfE has disagreed with us). But our threshold is: is this a published update (which includes press releases), does it apply to any school staff, and is it a substantive update?
AL 6 November 2023 We weren’t on half term last week our was the week before – to be fair it must be a bit difficult with different schools taking holidays at different times – staff don’t have to read them when they are on leave.