Pete Henshaw

1 week ago | sec-ed.co.uk | Pete Henshaw

A survey of 873 school leaders working in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has also revealed that 94% of school leaders are finding it harder year-on-year to meet the needs of SEND pupils. And 98% say they do not have enough resources to meet the needs of all the SEND pupils in their schools.

2 weeks ago | sec-ed.co.uk | Pete Henshaw

Attendance figures for the spring term 2025 show that absence in secondary schools stands at 8.7% – of which 3.3% was unauthorised absence. Persistent absence, meanwhile – students who miss at least 10% of school – is running at 24.5%. While the figures continue to be notably above pre-pandemic levels, progress is being made year-on-year. The figures compare to the spring term 2024 when absence stood at 9.2% (of which 3.6% was unauthorised). Persistent absence a year ago stood at 26.5%.

2 weeks ago | sec-ed.co.uk | Pete Henshaw

Recruitment & Retention Workload Teaching staff Early Career Teachers A delivery plan is urgently needed setting out how the Department for Education means to achieve its pledge to recruit 6,500 teachers by the end of this Parliament, the National Audit Office has said.

2 weeks ago | headteacher-update.com | Pete Henshaw

A survey of more than 1,500 school leaders published by the National Association of Head Teachers finds that 45% have needed mental health support in the past year, while 65% say their mental health has been harmed by the job. The NAHT is set to debate the issue when it convenes for its annual conference this weekend in Harrogate. The survey findings reveal that of the 45% of leaders who say they needed mental health support in the previous 12 months, only a third managed to access help.

2 weeks ago | sec-ed.co.uk | Pete Henshaw

A report from the Children’s Commissioner reveals how young people – especially girls – are now withdrawing from online life, afraid that their images will be taken and manipulated using such technologies. Dame Rachel de Souza is calling for “a total ban” on apps that allow users to create deepfake sexually explicit images, saying that “there is no positive reason for these to exist”.