In case you missed it: 2024 autumn term education updates
In case you missed it, Jill Donabie, partner, and Ryan Douglas, paralegal, both in our education team, summarise some of the key education guidance updates to help you prepare for the autumn term.
New academy handbook
The new academy trust handbook became effective on 1 September 2024.
While the changes to the new edition are not extensive, it is important that academy trusts review the handbook and refer to the latest edition in the new academic year.
You can download the September 2024 edition here and see a helpful summary of the changes from the last edition on page 8.
College governance guide
The governance guide for further education corporations and sixth-form colleges was updated on 1 August 2024.
The changes align the governance guide with the new college financial handbook which was introduced following the reclassification of colleges into the public sector.
Updates to the guide include managing conflicts of interests, fraud and cyber security, whistleblowing, financial and estate management, risk management and assurance and executive pay.
You can find the updated governance guide here and the college financial handbook here.
Consultation on independent schools’ tax exemption
As repeatedly stated during the election, it is intended that the Government will remove the VAT exemption on independent schools’ fees and remove the charitable rates relief available to independent schools.
The Government has published a policy paper setting out its proposal, alongside the draft legislation to amend the VAT Act 1994.
The published technical note can be found here and sets out how interested parties can respond with any questions or feedback.
The consultation closes on 15 September 2024.
Education Secretary’s pledge to recruit new teachers
The Government’s new Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has announced that she has begun work to deliver the Government’s pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers.
The Department for Education has immediately resumed its teacher recruitment campaign, Every Lesson Shapes a Life.
You can read the Education Secretary’s full announcement here.
Working together to improve school attendance guidance update
Updated guidance was issued in August 2024 and page 7 sets out the key changes.
These include making clearer the link between improving attendance and wider school culture, including the importance of working in partnership with families to find supportive routes to improve attendance, and reflecting legislative changes on keeping school attendance and admission registers, data sharing and the new National Framework for issuing penalty notices.
Expectations on schools have also been updated in relation to pupils who are prevented from attending school due to physical or mental ill health to be clear where schools’ role starts and ends, provide further clarification around medical evidence, additional support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and part-time timetables.
Ofsted single headline grades
On Monday 2 September it was announced that Ofsted has scrapped single headline grades for state schools in England with immediate effect.
Schools awarded an existing grade of “outstanding”, “good”, “requires improvement” or “inadequate” will keep this until their next inspection.
For inspections this academic year, these headlines will be replaced by grades in four categories:
- quality of education;
- behaviour and attitudes;
- personal development; and
- leadership and management.
By scrapping the single headline grades, Ofsted aims to provide parents with a more detailed overview of a school’s performance.
The change comes ahead of the introduction of "School Report Cards” in 2025. According to the Department for Education, School Report Cards “will provide parents with a more complete picture of how schools are performing”. The content of the cards is still in development.
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.
The Department for Education’s full update can be found here.
ESFA closure
The Government has announced that the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is set to close in March 2025.
Its functions will be brought into the Department for Education (DfE). The restructure is intended to give education settings a single point of contact for financial management and support.
You can see the full announcement here.
For more information, please contact Jill using [email protected] or 0191 211 7933.