Pete Henshaw

France

Freelance Writer and Contributor at Freelance

Freelance writer, journalist & editor specialising in education for almost 20 years. I edit @SecEd_Education & @HeadteacherNews among other things.

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Articles

All eyes on autumn White Paper as number of SEN pupils nears 1.8 million - SecEd

1 week ago | buff.ly | Pete Henshaw

There are almost 100,000 more pupils with registered SEN in England’s schools year-on-year after notable rises in both Education, Health and Care Plans and SEN Support. Official figures for the 2024/25 school year (DfE, 2025) show that the number of children and young people with EHCPs has increased by more than 11% year-on-year, while numbers on SEN Support are up 3.7%. It continues a trend that has seen a sharp increase in registered SEN since at least 2015/16.
Drugs in school: One in five teachers report students using cannabis - SecEd

1 week ago | buff.ly | Pete Henshaw

Research involving 3,907 teachers and published by the NASUWT reveals that 1 in 5 (19%) of respondents are aware of students using cannabis in school. A further 13% said they knew of students using nicotine pouches or snus (used by placing them between the lip and gum), while 9% are aware of students using spice, a synthetic drug that mimics marijuana. The NASUWT is concerned that the use of harmful substances is contributing to a rise disruptive, violent, and abusive behaviour in schools.
Is fall in exam entries linked to teacher recruitment challenges? - SecEd

1 week ago | buff.ly | Pete Henshaw

This was the question being asked week after exams watchdog Ofqual published figures showing the provisional number of GCSE and A level entries for the summer 2025 exam series. The figures reveal declines at GCSE and/or A level for key subjects including English literature, history, biology, French, German, computing, art and design, RE, and drama.
Ofsted anger: 'A nonsensical inspection framework and a nonsensical timetable' - SecEd

2 weeks ago | buff.ly | Pete Henshaw

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) was scathing in its assessment of the situation, labelling it “frankly ridiculous” to ask schools to prepare for a “complete change in the inspection system” in just two months. For its part, Ofsted is not backing down. It said it “fully intended to make improvements to the proposed inspection framework” but needed time to do this.
Ofsted anger: 'A nonsensical inspection framework and a nonsensical timetable' - Headteacher Update

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

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) was scathing in its assessment of the situation, labelling it “frankly ridiculous” to ask schools to prepare for a “complete change in the inspection system” in just two months. For its part, Ofsted is not backing down. It said it “fully intended to make improvements to the proposed inspection framework” but needed time to do this.
Spending Review: School budgets remain 'under considerable pressure' - SecEd

2 weeks ago | buff.ly | Pete Henshaw

The government’s Spending Review on Wednesday (June 11) set out a £4.7bn cash increase by 2028/29 as compared with 2025/26. The Treasury calculates that once rises in school costs are accounted for, this will lead to 1.1% extra per-pupil each year. However, school leaders are cautious – especially given that some of that increase will be eaten up by the planned expansion of free school meals.
Lowest levels of reading enjoyment ‘in a generation’ - SecEd

2 weeks ago | buff.ly | Pete Henshaw

The lowest levels of reading enjoyment and daily reading “in a generation” represent “a critical challenge for literacy and life chances” it has been warned this week. Annual research from the National Literacy Trust, published on Wednesday (June 11), reveals that only 32.7% of students aged 8 to 18 say they enjoy reading (Clark et al, 2025).
More than 114,000 teachers have quit in the last three years - Headteacher Update

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

The latest workforce data from the Department for Education (DfE, 2025) shows that 37,413 teachers walked away in 2023/24. This is a marginal improvement on the previous two years when 38,788 (in 2022/23) and 38,568 (in 2021/22) quit respectively. This is in addition to the more than 11,500 teachers who retired over the same three-year period.
More than 114,000 teachers have quit in the last three years - SecEd

2 weeks ago | buff.ly | Pete Henshaw

The latest workforce data from the Department for Education (DfE, 2025) shows that 37,413 teachers walked away in 2023/24. This is a marginal improvement on the previous two years when 38,788 (in 2022/23) and 38,568 (in 2021/22) quit respectively. This is in addition to the more than 11,500 teachers who retired over the same three-year period.
Free school meals eligibility finally expanded – but what comes next? - SecEd

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

After years of pressure from campaigners and education unions, the government has finally acted to expand free school meals (FSMs) to all families receiving Universal Credit. In the long-term, the move, which was announced on Wednesday night (June 4) and which will come into effect in September 2026, will benefit 1.7 million children in years 3 to 11, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS).