The national funding formula is under review, Ontario and Ireland are inspiring SEND reforms and a warning has been issued to councils and academies not co-operating on admissions. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson appeared before the education committee for the first time today, alongside Department for Education permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood. Phillipson made a big admission on academy pay freedoms (you can read the full story here), but also had lots of other interestings bits to say. Here’s the highlights… 1. National funding formula under review Phillipson said she regularly hears of the 鈥渃hallenges鈥 relating to the national funding formula, which decides how school funding is dished out. She said it would be 鈥渋mpossible to find a system that delivers what everyone wants all the time in every area鈥. Susan Acland Hood But she added: 鈥淲e are looking at this area and what the mechanism might be for determining school funding into the future.鈥 However, she was unable to give a timeframe for any decisions. 鈥淲e want to make sure we鈥檝e got a fair and consistent formula that delivers for all communities, with a focus on making sure we鈥檙e targeting often quite scarce resource where it will make the biggest difference,鈥 Phillipson said. Acland-Hood added the funding formula had been a 鈥渞eally important shift towards a system that is transparent and clear about why schools are funded as they are. 鈥淎 child with same characteristics now in different areas is funded at the same level 鈥 and that鈥檚 an important principle to retain.鈥 2. Blame Tories for Latin scheme axe, says Phillipson Phillipson was challenged on her reasons for cutting funding for computing and MFL hubs, and the 鈥 all revealed by Schools Week. 鈥淲e have had to make very difficult decisions about what we can and can’t do, that was sadly because of the legacy left behind by the previous government,鈥 Phillipson said. Government had 鈥減rioritised鈥 funding the teacher pay award, she said. But Phillipson added her department was working with Future Academies, the trust that run the Latin scheme, to ensure 鈥渟chools involved will have access to the resources they need to continue to deliver the programme鈥. She added: 鈥淎s someone who went to a state school in the 90s, we were taught Latin. This should not be the preserve of just those in private schools. 鈥淚 want all schools to be offering a broad and rich curriculum, including through a range of subjects, and that is the determination and focus not just of legislation, but also prioritising of spending in the department…we absolutely are focusing on driving up standards through investments in regional improvement teams and much more besides.鈥 3. Ofsted: 鈥業t’s high-stakes, and should be high-stakes鈥 When asked about proposed new Ofsted report cards, Phillipson said she was 鈥渃onfident鈥 they will 鈥渘ot repeat the same high stakes system鈥. 鈥淭his will not be an easier system for schools, it will be a clearer, firmer process that I think will give a much sharper focus on how we can ensure schools are driving up standards across the system.鈥 But Acland-Hood added: 鈥淚t is a high-stakes system, it should be a high-stakes system. Because its high stakes for children…we want a system that鈥檚 higher information [and] more rigorous, not that it should be lower stakes.鈥 4. SEND: Inspiration sought from Ontario and Ireland The new government has inherited a special educational needs system on the brink of collapse, and has vowed wider-ranging reforms. Acland-Hood said officials are looking to Ontario, Canada, and also Ireland for inspiration. 鈥淧articularly those where there is successful work to support that mainstream integration, because that delivers better results for children. Not just children with special educational needs. 鈥淥ne of the things people sometimes worry about, that if you provide more inclusive education for children with special educational needs, might you drag down the experience of other children? “Actually, the international evidence suggests the opposite 鈥 actually it鈥檚 better for all children, if you can provide better more inclusive education.鈥 She also said officials were working with those in health too 鈥 highlighting three promising programmes that are skilling up teachers. She said the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme, which aims to help schools working with neurodiverse pupils, was 鈥減romising鈥 and they want to roll out further. The Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), which helps develop language skills of children aged four and give, had worked with 200,000 pupils, with an evaluation showing it improvement development of oral language skills by four months. 鈥淲e are looking internationally, but also domestically, how to grow and spread best evidence on the approaches that work,鈥 Acland-Hood added. 5. Academy changes will introduce a pay 鈥榝loor, but no ceiling鈥 Some of the . When challenged on revoking freedoms for academies to set their own pay for staff and curriculum for pupils, Phillipson described the moves as setting a 鈥渇loor鈥 on expectations, but 鈥渘o ceiling鈥. On academy pay, she said: 鈥淎ll schools will have full flexibility to innovate, with a floor and no ceiling on what that means.鈥 Read our full story on this here. 6. 鈥楥o-operate on admissions or I鈥檒l intervene鈥, Phillipson pledges One of the new duties proposed in the schools bill is for councils and academies to work collaboratively on admissions. As part of the new duty, the secretary of state would get the power to intervene where this doesn鈥檛 happen. But Phillipson said she expects to use the power 鈥渋nfrequently鈥. With the number of school pupils entering the system falling each year, Phillipson said 鈥渨e need to think about just how we鈥檙e managing place planning admissions in a different set of circumstances and dynamics 鈥 but also how we make sure that vulnerable children don鈥檛 slip through the cracks and end up without a school place at all.鈥 She said the new duty 鈥渟ends a clear message, [and I鈥檓] confident the message will be heard. I anticipate through the signal we鈥檙e sending into the system, this will lead to a step change in terms of behaviour and response. 鈥淪hould this not be the case then of course I will intervene to protect children鈥檚 interests.鈥 7. No news on holiday activity funding The Conservative government was pushed into announcing the 拢220 million programme to provide free activities and food during holidays for children after a campaign during Covid by footballer Marcus Rashford. The holidays activities and food programme has been running ever since, but current funding is due to end in March. Phillipson was told that providers were anxiously waiting for a decision on whether the scheme will be extended 鈥 and needed urgent clarity to be able to organise activities for the Easter holidays. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going through a process in the department of looking at all levels of spend 鈥 that is very challenging,鈥 said Phillipson. 鈥淏ut I do recognise the enormous value the programme has provided and the difference that it鈥檚 made to children鈥檚 lives. 鈥淲e鈥檙e working through it as quickly as we can. We know councils want clarity, and will set it out as quickly as we can at the earliest opportunity. I am alive to the need for certainty in this area.鈥 8. Hello 鈥業mproving Education Together鈥 partnership Phillipson said there was a 鈥渘eed, also working with the profession, to be hopeful and optimistic about the change that we can achieve if we work together. Government can鈥檛 do this alone. the profession can鈥檛 do it alone either. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we are establishing 鈥榠mproving education together鈥 鈥 that partnership. It’s only through working together on some of these big and knotty challenges that we face when we really making teaching a great place our graduates want to come, but also crucially where people want to stay.鈥 Schools Week understands this is the name given to the new 鈥渟ocial partnership鈥 the government has built with unions and sector bodies.
Karl 16 January 2025 3. Ofsted: 鈥業t鈥檚 high-stakes, and should be high-stakes鈥 It is this, and this alone that has killed a fabulous headteacher. And Ruth ((RIP) is just the one that hit the headlines. There are undoubtedly more that are no longer with us – or no longer in teaching at all – or driven to drink or prescription medication. What’s astonishing is that they (government) remain bemused by the exodus from the profession and the inability to train and retain teachers. Acland-Hood should should not have been allowed to say this – or at least corrected by Phillipson or asked for an explanation or clarification. Words like this are simply politics – to show the opposition that they are not a soft touch. But the consequences of such language could be catastrophic for the profession.