HEP Talks

Monday 17th October, 2022 - Top stories include: Headteacher turnover has increased by more than a third since before the pandemic. A report by The COVID Social Mobility & Opportunities has confirmed that the pandemic widened existing inequalities between poorer pupils and their better-off peers. Ofsted has refused calls to conduct separate annual safeguarding audits. Hugely increased interest...

Monday 10th October, 2022 - Top stories include: Headteachers are “appalled” by Kit Malthouse’s comments of “mediocrity” in the school system. Ofsted has snubbed calls from school leaders to publish inspection training sheets. KS1 maths and literacy results took a plunge this year in the first batch of KS1 tests since 2019. This week’s deep dive: The Ofsted Leaks We’ll also tell you what’s happeni...

Monday 3rd October - Top stories include: Exams will go back to normal in 2023. Schools are having trouble finding enough support staff. Oak National Academy will not threaten teachers’ autonomy, says Chief. The government’s school behaviour adviser is urging headteachers to crack down on vaping. This week’s deep dive: Behaviour in schools: Advice for headteachers and school staff We’ll also tell...

Monday 26th September - Top stories include: The energy bill support for schools has been revealed. The results of a new DfE energy cost survey have been published. Research has emerged about the efficacy of class dogs exciting children about reading. The government has widened eligibility for a teaching internship programme to chemistry and language students. This week’s deep dive: Education secr...

Tuesday 20th September - Top stories include: The government said it “will confirm further details” of its energy support scheme this week. Teacher vacancies have risen by almost two-thirds this September. Over 80% of cold calls made to schools to check whether they were using the National Tutoring Programme failed. A new report from the National Governance Association shows governing boards have...

In this episode of HEP Talks, Luke Kemper, HEP Insight and Intelligence Lead, talks to Kate Turnpenney, former CEO of Children First Academy Trust, about how to set up a MAT. Topics covered include how Children First was established, what are its values, and the role of place in the formation of the trust, among others. Attention to multi-academy trusts, or MATs, has drastically increased since th...

Monday 12th September - Top stories include: A period of National Mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has now started. New prime minister Liz Truss has named Kit Malthouse as the latest education secretary. Liz Truss has announced a six-month government support scheme in order to combat upcoming energy cost increases. The Schools Bill is experiencing further delays as it moves through Parl...

In this episode of HEP Talks, Luke Kemper, HEP Lead for Insight and Intelligence, interviews Brenda Hayles about the HEP Science Curriculum, of which she is both the author and illustrator. Topics include Brenda's journey into science education, what the HEP Science Curriculum entails, and how her CPD sessions can help teachers use the curriculum effectively, among others. HEP members can use the...

Monday 5th September - Top stories include: 29 Local Authorities have applied to launch their own MATs via the ‘test and learn’ pilot programme. Oak National Academy, the government arms-length curriculum body, is finally scheduled to launch, but with a drastically reduced curriculum. SchoolsWeek has compiled a list of key trends for the 2022 GCSE results. This week’s deep dive: Reports on Assessm...

In this episode of HEP Talks, Evelyn Davies, a HEP leadership consultant, interviews Mungi Ngomane, author and granddaughter of Desmond Tutu, about her book and the concept of Ubuntu, the African philosophy of interconnectedness. Topics include human dignity and respect, her book Everyday Ubuntu: Living better together, the African way , and how Ubuntu can relate to education, among others. We hop...

Monday 18th July - Top stories include: A heat warning is in effect in the UK, with temperatures possibly reaching 40C. Schools must “assess and balance” the risk of potential strip searches to pupils’ wellbeing before calling the police. Two-thirds of school or trust governing boards have at least one vacancy as the number of empty posts hits a six-year high. This week’s deep dive: New Suspension...

Monday 11th July - Top stories include: The position of education secretary swaps hands three times in two days. the supply of trainee teachers in parts of the country could be disrupted by teacher training provider “deserts”. Fifty Chinese students in the past three years have been forced to leave the UK after Britain tightened its procedures to prevent theft of sensitive academic research. This...

Monday 4th July - Top stories include: A government attendance adviser has urged the Department for Education to fund dozens more “attendance hubs”. The DfE has launched a review into how Multi-Academy Trusts will be held to account. A group of sixth formers in east London have come up with an alternative inspection regime that they say would better hold schools to account and improve young people...

Monday 27th June - Top stories include: Rail strikes potentially affected hundreds of thousands of students taking GCSE and A-level exams. The DfE has launched a new consultation on attendance data. TES has uncovered a discrepancy in the success of schools applying for funding to fix crumbling school buildings. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi accused an exam board of “cultural vandalism” after i...

Monday 20th June - Top stories include: School governors are “increasingly concerned” their work is becoming less visible in Ofsted inspections. Oak National Academy may not be fully operational by the start of the next school year. A new study shows that anxiety does not seem to have a large impact upon the grades that students leave school with. Trusts identify growth as both a priority and a ch...

Monday 13th June - Top stories include: The proportion of free school meal-eligible pupils has risen to 22.5%. The DfE wants schools and trusts to find another £1 billion of savings to prepare for rising energy and other costs. Almost one-third of schools’ buildings include expiring materials or “pose a serious risk of imminent failure.” In 2023, a new system will allow applicants from other count...

Monday 6 June - Top stories include: Schools Week reported almost one in four pupils in England were persistently absent from school last autumn. As fuel prices hit record levels, pupils are missing out on experiences outside of the classroom. A new poll by T E S has revealed that 4 in 10 teachers would not go back into the profession if they had the chance. The schools bill will potentially requi...

Monday 23 May - Top stories include: Chartered College Chief, Dame Alison Peacock, says the DfE left teachers isolated and at risk during COVID. The EEF published new research that shows younger children were most affected by Covid lockdowns. The Key for School Leaders has published top tips for improving attendance. School pupils have been warned by Ofqual about peddlers of “fake exam papers”. Th...

Monday 16 May - Top stories include: On the 12th of May, the government published the Schools Bill. An education charity has lodged a High Court legal challenge against Nadhim Zahawi. The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition has announced an inquiry into behaviour and mental health in schools. This week’s deep dive: The Early Career Framework We’ll also tell you what’s happening at...

Monday 9 May - Top stories include: Exams watchdog Ofqual has released a new three-year vision plan. Much of Ofqual’s new plan is focused on the use of technology in exams. Schools may be forced to hand back late catch-up cash. Half of secondary pupils continued to wear face masks in school. This week’s deep dive: The IEA and UNESCO Responses to Educational Disruption Survey We’ll also tell you wh...

Tuesday 3 May - Top stories include: Female, non-white and part-time staff are significantly less likely to be promoted to headteacher roles, according to new research from the DfE. The cost of the SEND system has hit a total of £1.3 billion this year as the places crisis bites and flaws in the system become more visible. The government has called issues with ECF “teething problems” and said they...

Monday 25 April - Top stories include: A new poll by the NASUWT teachers’ union confirmed a significant culture of sexual harassment and misogyny in classrooms. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi expressed his views on education in front of Parliament. Schools are facing logistical issues around exam season due to the end of free COVID testing and unclear government guidance. Polling by Teacher Tap...

Episode Summary Monday 19 April - Top stories include: More than 1 in 3 teachers have no mental health training despite mental health ‘crisis’ among children Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson faced heckles and chants New data shows secondary school teacher vacancies are at a five-year high Teacher unions call for reintroducing free COVID testing after new government guidance T...

Monday 28 March - Top stories include: Over one in five secondary schools in England are now full or over capacity. Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has pledged £150 million for every school in England to gain access to high-speed internet by 2025. The DfE unveiled its first set of digital and technology standards for schools. Chancellor Rishi Sunak leaves schools out of funding plans as poverty...

In this episode of HEP Talks, Neetha Atukorale from HEP's Governor Services talks to Karen Tate, governor at South Harringay School about the school's most recent Ofsted inspection. Topics covered include Ofsted preparation, the inspection process, and choosing the right team for the job, among others.  We hope this HEP Talk provides valuable insight into the Ofsted process for school leaders...