Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication of level 2 results.  

• Assessment
• Examinations
• Key Stage 4
• GCSE

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments on the publication of level 2 results.

• Assessment
• Cymru
• Wales
• Examinations
• GCSE
• VTQs

John Trueman, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Northern Ireland, comments on today’s publication of level 2 results in Northern Ireland.

• Assessment
• Examinations
• GCSE
• Northern Ireland
• VTQs

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a Department for Education press release on the cost of school uniform.  

• School uniforms

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments ahead of the publication of this year’s level 3 qualification results on Thursday.

• A Levels
• Results day

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on today’s publication of level 3 results.

• Assessment
• Post-16
• Examinations
• A Levels
• AS Levels
• BTEC
• T Levels
• VTQs

John Trueman, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Northern Ireland, comments on today’s publication of level 3 results in Northern Ireland.

• Assessment
• Post-16
• Examinations
• A Levels
• BTEC
• Northern Ireland
• VTQs

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments on today’s publication of level 3 results in Wales.

• Assessment
• Post-16
• Cymru
• Wales
• Examinations
• A Levels
• AS Levels
• BTEC
• VTQs

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to new pupil absence data, showing a rise in the number of severely absent pupils missing 50% of more sessions.

• Attendance

Julie McCulloch, Senior Director of Strategy and Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), which analyses the drop in language learning at UK schools and universities.

• MFL

Julie McCulloch, Director of Strategy and Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s remit letter to the School Teachers’ Review Body.

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI), which calls for targeted investment in early years education in order to address growing attainment gaps.

• Funding
• Early years
• Attainment Gap

Julie McCulloch, Director of Strategy and Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to measures from Ofsted intended to reassure education providers about the November roll-out of inspections under the new framework.

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to an announcement from Ofsted of a programme of webinars and regional events ahead of the new inspection framework being introduced.

• Inspection
• Ofsted

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to new data showing a rise in the number of pupils being suspended or excluded from schools in England.

• Suspension
• Exclusions

Responding to the Secretary of State’s consultation on the STRB report, ASCL, NAHT, NEU and Community have set out their united view on the need for the Government to provide the additional investment needed to fully fund September’s 4% teacher and school leader pay increase.  

• Conditions
• Pay
• STRB

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which calls on the government to look at pay and working conditions in order to reduce teacher shortages.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention

Tiffnie Harris, primary specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on today’s publication of key stage 2 test results.  

• Assessment
• Primary
• Key Stage 2

Anne Murdoch, Senior Adviser in College Leadership at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI), examining resit success in GCSE English and maths.

• GCSE
• EPI
• Maths

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Teaching Commission, which calls for a transformation in the working lives of teachers.  

• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention

Anne Murdoch, Senior Adviser in College Leadership at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the introduction of T-levels.

• Post-16
• Examinations
• BTEC
• T Levels

Julie McCulloch, Senior Director of Strategy and Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to analysis from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), of the effectiveness of schemes to improve teacher retention via financial incentives for early career teachers.

• Recruitment and Retention
• NFER

Two education leadership unions have today written to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Ofsted Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver warning that they will consider encouraging their members to withdraw their service as Ofsted inspectors unless there are changes to plans for a new inspection system.

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI), which calls for all eligible families to be automatically registered by the government for free school meals.

• Funding
• Free school meals

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the announcement that Ofsted will not be publishing a response to the consultation on inspection reform until September, but will still be pressing ahead with the new inspection framework from November.

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted

Julia Harnden, Deputy Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the spending review announced by the Chancellor.

• Funding
• Government
• Spending Review

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the final report of the Raising the Nation Play Commission.

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments following confirmation from the Welsh Government that teachers will receive a 4% pay award for 2025/26.

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which explores factors influencing ethnic disparities in teaching.

• Recruitment and Retention
• EDI

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on government plans to expand free school meal eligibility to all children in households on universal credit.

• Free school meals

Julia Harnden, funding specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s announcement of £470 million for repairs and maintenance in schools and sixth form colleges.

• Funding
• School estates

Julia Harnden, funding specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) on the trade-offs and challenges facing policymakers on education in the spending review.

• Funding
• Spending Review

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), examining the benefits of the Sure Start programme.

• Funding
• Early years
• Sure Start

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the school teachers’ pay award for 2025-26.

• Pay
• Funding

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to government plans to shorten Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship courses from twelve months to nine.  

• Apprenticeships
• Recruitment

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to government plans to introduce a digital education record.  

• Assessment
• Examinations
• Digital

Teaching unions NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, ASCL and Community have initiated legal action over the Teaching Regulation Agency’s ‘significant non-compliance’ with its Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010.

• Equalities

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the National Audit Office report on uncertainties over the government’s pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers.

• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• Recruitment

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI), which examines differences between the teaching workforces at schools with the most and least disadvantaged pupils.

• EPI
• Disadvantage Gap

An open letter is published today, signed by school leaders, national organisations, ex-school inspectors, trade unions and Professor Julia Waters, whose sister Ruth Perry died in 2023. This letter is being sent on the final day of Ofsted’s consultation.  

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted
• Consultation

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Sutton Trust, showing that a growing number of schools are cutting back on teaching staff, teaching assistants and support staff due to a squeeze on their finances.

• Teaching
• School Cuts

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has today announced a new partnership with the Schools & Academies Show (SAAS). ASCL will be an official partner at this year’s events at Excel London, on May 15, and NEC Birmingham, on November 19 and 20.

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which states that the socio-emotional skills of young people in England are weaker than many of their peers in other countries.

• Curriculum
• Pastoral

John Trueman, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Northern Ireland, comments on the decision of a majority of teachers in Northern Ireland to reject a 5.5% pay offer for 2024-25.

• Pay
• Northern Ireland

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which calls for individualised approaches to tackling pupil absence.

• Safeguarding
• Attendance
• NFER

Julia Harnden, Funding Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments following the Chancellor’s spring statement.

• Funding
• Finance

Teachers in England continue to report widespread problems with the condition of classrooms in a survey carried out by Teacher Tapp for the Association of School and College Leaders.

• Funding
• Survey
• School estates

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a YouGov survey of parents’ views on Ofsted’s proposals for report cards.

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted
• Report cards

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has today submitted responses to consultations from Ofsted on improving the way it inspects education and from the Department for Education on school accountability reform.

• Inspection
• Ofsted

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments following the announcement of £45 million investment to improve internet connectivity in schools, and plans for new digital standards.

• Funding
• Teaching
• Technology

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), which examines whether teachers would prioritise immediate salary increases over retirement benefits.

• Pensions
• EPI

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of the latest attendance and absence data by the Department for Education.  

• Attendance

John Trueman, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Northern Ireland, comments following the revised teacher pay offer for 2024/25.

• Pay
• Northern Ireland

John Trueman, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Northern Ireland, respons to the announcement of interim arrangements for statutory Key Stage assessments.

• Assessment
• Northern Ireland

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of the curriculum and assessment review’s interim report.

• Curriculum
• Assessment

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders comments on Education Policy Institute (EPI) research which finds that soaring rates of secondary school absence have led to disadvantaged pupils falling further behind their peers since the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Mental Health
• Attendance
• Wellbeing

ASCL General Secretary Pepe Di'Iasio's speech to ASCL Annual Conference 2025 on Saturday 15 March 2025.

• Funding
• Parents
• SEND
• Behaviour

ASCL General Secretary Pepe Di’Iasio will today (Saturday 15 March) say it is time to refresh and renew the social contract between schools, the government and parents amidst a burgeoning complaints culture and continued issues with pupil absence.

• Parents
• Attendance

ASCL President Manny Botwe will today (Friday 14 March) say it is time to bring social media platforms to heel as a survey highlights their impact on children and schools.

• Health and Wellbeing
• Safeguarding
• Social Media

ASCL President Manny Botwe's keynote address to delegates at ASCL Annual Conference 2025 on Friday 14 March 2025. 

• Safeguarding
• Social Media

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report by the National Foundation for Educational Research, which states that teacher unfilled vacancies are at their highest rates since records began.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• Workload

John Trueman, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Northern Ireland, responds to the launch of a new strategy for education excellence in Northern Ireland.

• Curriculum
• Assessment
• Northern Ireland

Today, Monday 10 March, the School Cuts coalition are holding a parliamentary briefing for MPs on the financial crisis currently facing schools across the nation.

• Funding
• School Cuts

Julia Harnden, Funding Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) examining how funding for disadvantaged children is being spent by schools.

• Funding
• Pupil Premium
• Disadvantage Gap

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru,comments following ASCL Cymru’s submission of evidence to the to the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB).

• Pay
• Cymru
• Wales
• IWPRB

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), which finds significant differences between the number of children estimated to be living in poverty and those who are receiving free school meals.

• Funding
• Pupil Premium
• Free school meals
• Disadvantage Gap

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments following an announcement from the Welsh Government that an additional £20 million will be made available in 2024-25 to support education in Wales.

• Funding
• Cymru
• Wales

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on secondary school offer day.

• Secondary

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report by Education Committee, which makes several recommendations on ways to improve the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

• Schools Bill
• Wellbeing

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the announcement of the first 750 early adopter schools to offer the government’s new free breakfast clubs scheme.

• Funding
• Primary
• Breakfast clubs

Julie McCulloch, Director of Strategy and Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a study from the National Foundation for Educational Research on the importance of addressing skills gaps which emerge during the early years of childhood.  

• Curriculum
• Early years

Tom Middlehurst, Deputy Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) examining how well the school and college curriculum prepares young people for higher education.

• Curriculum
• BTEC

John Trueman, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Northern Ireland, responds to the news that the Northern Ireland Teachers' Council (NITC) has rejected the 5.5% pay offer.

• Pay
• Northern Ireland
• Industrial action

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of plans to change the accountability system in England.

• Inspection
• Ofsted
• Government

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to data showing that there has been a rise in the number of fines issued to parents for unauthorised family holidays.

• Attendance

Julia Harnden, Funding Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report by the National Audit Office, which states that there is a school maintenance backlog of £13.4billion.

• Funding
• Government

New research released today by the School Cuts coalition shows that the vast majority of schools – 76% of primary schools and 94% of secondary schools – will not be able to afford their costs next year. This follows the Government's remit letter to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) which recommended a 2.8% rise in teacher pay for 2025/26 but provided no new funding to cover this.

• Funding
• Government
• School Cuts

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report by the Public Accounts Committee on the crisis in the special educational needs system.

• SEND

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which estimates that the expected increase in costs will outstrip the growth in school funding.

• Funding
• College
• School Cuts

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the announcement that the Education Committee has launched an inquiry to find solutions to the crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision.

• Funding
• SEND

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments in response to the publication of Ofsted’s Big Listen action monitoring report, and the announcement that trials of the new inspection approach will begin in January.

• Inspection
• Ofsted

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI), which highlights significant variation in the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers across England.

• Equalities
• Disadvantage Gap

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication today (Tuesday 17 December) of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

• Attendance
• Wellbeing

Unions representing the majority of teachers and school leaders in England have urged the STRB to make the recommendations needed to reverse the real terms pay cuts since 2010, restore pay competitiveness and tackle excessive workload.  These actions are essential to tackling the recruitment and retention crisis.

• Pay
• STRB
• Trade Union

Louise Hatswell, Pay Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders comments following ASCL’s submission of evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).

• Pay
• STRB

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the results of a trial from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), which suggests that using ChatGPT effectively can reduce lesson planning time by 31%.

• Planning
• AI

Kevin Gilmartin, Post 16 Specialist at the Association of Schools and College Leaders, responds to UCAS data showing there has been a rise in the number of UK 18-year-olds attending university in 2024.

• UCAS
• University

Today four education unions – ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT and NEU - have written to the Secretary of State, Bridget Phillipson, outlining their concerns about the inadequate and underfunded pay recommendation outlined in the Department for Education’s evidence submission to the School Teachers’ Review Body, published on 10 December.

• Pay
• DfE
• Trade Union

Kevin Gilmartin, Post 16 Specialist at the Association of Schools and College Leaders, responds to the results of the review into post-16 qualification reforms at level 3 and below.

• Assessment
• Post-16
• BTEC

The director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru will today (Thursday 12 December) set out the huge budgetary pressures on schools in Wales describing them as “catastrophically short of funding.”

• Funding
• Cymru

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, responds to a report from the Senedd's Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, which states that the availability of supply teachers is struggling to keep up with demand.

• Cymru
• Support staff

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body on the teacher pay award for 2025-26.

• Pay
• STRB

Julia Harnden, Funding Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which states that the system for funding special educational needs is broken.

• Funding
• SEND

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, responds to an announcement from the Welsh Government that an additional £50 million will be made available in 2024-25 for education in Wales.

• Funding
• Cymru
• Wales

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the initial teacher training census for the 2024-25 academic year.

• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• Government
• Training

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Ofsted’s annual report.

• Ofsted

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), which estimates that up to 300,000 children may be missing from education.

• Health and Wellbeing
• Mental Health
• EPI

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on analysis from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), examining government plans to recruit 6,500 new teachers.

• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• Government
• NFER

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the latest results for the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which show improvements in science attainment in England alongside stable performance in mathematics.

• Curriculum

Julia Harnden, funding specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication of school funding allocations for 2025-26.

• Pay
• Funding
• School Cuts

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) which finds that some schools are isolated and find it harder to attract highly effective headteachers.

• Leadership
• Recruitment and Retention

The Association of School and College Leaders has called for students to be allowed to spread GCSE papers over two years to reduce the huge burden of assessment currently concentrated into a few weeks each summer.

• Curriculum
• Assessment
• GCSE
• Qualifications

The director of ASCL Northern Ireland, John Trueman, is calling on the education sector to work together to overcome the many challenges faced by school leaders and successfully implement reforms including the Independent Review of Education.

• Collaboration
• Northern Ireland

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, commenting on statistics showing an increase in suspensions and permanent exclusions in English schools during the autumn term 2023/24.

• Pastoral
• Suspension
• Exclusions

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Teacher Wellbeing Index 2024 published by Education Support.

• Health and Wellbeing
• Wellbeing

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments on a report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), commissioned by the Welsh Government, looking at strategies to boost teacher recruitment and retention.

• Cymru
• Recruitment and Retention
• EPI

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report published today in the Financial Times about plans for a new school inspection system based on report cards.

• Inspection
• Ofsted
• DfE

Kevin Gilmartin, Post 16 Specialist at the Association of Schools and College Leaders, comments on a report from the Education Policy Institute, examining student access and outcomes for T levels and the T level transition programme (TLTP).

• T Levels
• EPI

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the news that the DfE has removed the minimum requirements of 20 hours of initial general mentor training and six hours of annual refresher training for the mentors of trainee teachers.

• Teaching
• Training

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a working paper from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which states that the closure of youth clubs in the 2010s led to lower GCSE results and higher rates of offending.

• Funding

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) which recommends targeted funding to support persistently disadvantaged pupils.

• Funding
• EPI
• Disadvantage Gap

Anne Murdoch, Senior Adviser in College Leadership at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to UCAS data showing applications for early deadline courses.

• Post-16
• UCAS
• HE

Anne Murdoch, Senior Adviser in College Leadership at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Edge Foundation, on how Ofsted inspections impact the Further Education and Skills sector (FES).

• Post-16
• Inspection
• Ofsted
• FE

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the OECD examining the provision of post-16 maths.

• Post-16
• Maths

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s decision to end grant funding to support schools choosing to become an academy as well as the trust capacity fund to help multi-academy trusts take on schools.

• Funding
• MAT
• Trusts

Julia Harnden, Funding Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget statement.

• Funding
• Budget
• Government

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report from Sam Freedman, published by the Sutton Trust and reflecting on the last 20 years of schools policy and funding.

• Funding
• Government
• Attainment Gap

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s announcement of additional funding for the School Rebuilding Programme.  

• Funding
• Estates
• School estates

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from Child of the North and the Centre for Young Lives, which calls for a new era of school inclusion and belonging to tackle the attendance crisis.

• Inclusion
• Intervention
• Attendance

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a worldwide comparison of the factors involved in teacher shortages, published in Research Papers in Education and carried out by Professor Stephen Gorard and Dr Mark Ledger at the Durham University Evidence Centre for Education with colleagues from Birmingham and Warwick universities.

• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) which states that the special educational needs system is financially unsustainable.

• Funding
• SEND

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) about the state of college finances in England.

• Funding
• Post-16
• Finance
• College

John Trueman, Director of ASCL Northern Ireland, comments following Education Minister Paul Givan’s statement responding to the Independent Review of Education.

• Curriculum
• Northern Ireland

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments following an announcement that the government is reviewing the free school programme.

• Funding
• Government
• Free schools

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the findings of a study published by Speakers for Schools which finds glaring inequalities in young people’s access to knowledge of the education system and careers.

• Equalities

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the latest pupil absence data, which shows a decrease in the overall absence rate but an increase in the number of severely absent pupils.

• Mental Health
• Attendance

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the findings of Parentkind’s National Parent Survey 2024.

• Finance
• Technology
• Poverty

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s expansion of attendance mentoring.

• Attendance

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders comments on a report published by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) examining how long pupils are spending in school in England.

Tiffnie Harris, Primary Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a blog from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) examining the response to declining pupil numbers in primary schools.  

• Primary
• NFER

Tom Middlehurst, Curriculum, Assessment and Inspection Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from Ofsted looking at how schools support children to develop the foundational knowledge and skills they need by the end of key stage 1.

• Ofsted
• Key Stage 1

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication of the report by the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education, calling for oracy to be seen as the fourth “R” of education – of equal status to reading, writing and arithmetic.

• Curriculum
• Oracy

ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU and Community have jointly responded to the consultation on the Government’s proposals for implementing the recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body 34th Report 2024. The response, which is attached, sets out the united view of the unions on the key issues.     

• Pay
• STRB

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report published by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), following a study conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) into the impact of school closures during the pandemic on Key Stage 1 pupils.

• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Behaviour
• Disadvantage Gap
• NFER

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s decision that students taking GCSE maths, physics and combined science in 2025, 2026 and 2027 will not need to memorise formulae and equations.  

• Assessment
• Curriculum
• Examinations
• GCSE

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s remit letter to the School Teachers’ Review Body for the 2025 pay award.

• Conditions
• Pay
• STRB

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of the Department for Education’s report following the second wave of the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders survey.

• Teaching
• Workload

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s speech to the Labour Party Conference, where she announced that new school-based nurseries will start opening next year.

• Funding
• Primary
• Early years

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) which finds significant gaps in early mental health support for young people across England.

• Mental Health

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the announcement that the rollout of free breakfast clubs in primary schools will commence in April 2025.

• Primary
• Free school meals

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a study from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which finds that teachers in Further Education (FE) colleges may earn nearly a quarter less than teachers in schools.

• Pay
• Funding
• Post-16
• College
• FE

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s announcement of the closure of the Education and Skills Funding Agency on 31 March 2025.

• ESFA
• College

Tiffnie Harris, Primary and Data Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of Key Stage 2 attainment data, showing a small decrease in the disadvantage gap.

• Assessment
• Primary
• Key Stage 2
• Disadvantage Gap

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments following confirmation from the Welsh Government that teachers will receive a 5.5% pay award for 2024/25.

• Pay
• Cymru
• Wales

A new report written by Tim Oates CBE, of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, finds that while the Covid-19 pandemic may have ended, its effects on pupils and schools are far from over.

• Coronavirus
• Education system

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on OCR’s review of the 11-16 curriculum and assessment in England, chaired by Charles Clarke.

• Assessment
• Examinations
• GCSE

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments following Ofsted’s response to its Big Listen consultation.

• Ofsted
• Consultation

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the announcement that single headline grades for schools inspected by Ofsted will be scrapped with immediate effect.

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) report which finds that post-16 students are studying a narrower range of subjects than 20 years ago.  

• Curriculum
• Post-16

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Education Policy Institute (EPI) analysis which shows absence rates in schools are falling, but gaps between vulnerable children and their peers are widening.

• Funding
• SEND
• Attendance

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the National Audit Office (NAO), examining whether the Department for Education is achieving value for money through its funding to support the attainment of disadvantaged children.

• Disadvantage Gap
• Poverty

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report in The Times that the independent pay review body has recommended a teachers’ pay award of 5.5 per cent.

• Pay
• STRB

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s launch of the curriculum and assessment review. 

• Curriculum
• Assessment

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to data from the Department for Education showing an increase in the number of pupils suspended and permanently excluded in the 2022/23 academic year.

• Suspension
• Exclusions

Kevin Gilmartin, Post 16 Specialist at the Association of Schools and College Leaders, responds to Ofqual’s announcement that they intend to fine NCFE for failure to develop valid question papers for its T-levels in healthcare, healthcare science, and science in summer 2022.

• Assessment
• BTEC
• Ofqual
• College
• FE

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the result of the 2024 General Election.

• Government

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to new figures from the Department for Education showing that more than 1.6 million pupils in England have special educational needs.

• Funding
• Inclusion
• SEND

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to data from the Department for Education showing the number of Education, Health and Care plans has increased by more than 58,000 in the last year.

• SEND
• Special schools
• EHCP

New data released today on the updated School Cuts website shows that government funding decisions have resulted in major real-terms cuts for special schools and maintained nursery schools (MNS) in England.   

• Funding
• School Cuts

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which warns that the next government will face major challenges around education inequalities.

• Funding
• Disadvantage Gap

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to new workforce data from the Department for Education showing that the number of teacher vacancies has increased by 20% over the last year.

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to new data from Department for Education showing there are now 2.1 million pupils eligible for free school meals.

• Free school meals

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which highlights a growing list of pressures on school funding.

• Funding

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, responds to confirmation from the Welsh government that plans to change the school holidays will not happen this Senedd term.

• Cymru
• Wales
• School Week

Ofsted’s failure to ask for feedback on single-phrase judgements in its ‘Big Listen’ consultation was “shortsighted and undermines public messages about the inspectorate’s willingness to change,” the Association of School and College Leaders says in its formal response today.  

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the calling of a General Election for 4 July.

• Government

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Select Committee, which calls on the government to invest in programmes to boost recruitment, training and retention.  

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to statistics published by the Department for Education showing a fall in pupil absence rates during the 2023/24 autumn term.  

• Attendance

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the government’s announcement of the opening of 16 new special schools.

• SEND
• Special schools

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Ofcom’s proposed measures that social media companies must take to improve children's safety when they're online.

• Social Media
• Online safety
• Mobile phones

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the launch of a government consultation on lifting the 50 per cent cap on faith admissions to schools of a religious character where they are oversubscribed.

• Admissions

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from Child of the North and Centre for Young Lives, which states that the children's mental health system is blighted by chronic waiting lists and a postcode lottery of provision.

• Mental Health

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of the National Behaviour Survey by the Department for Education.  

• Behaviour
• DfE

Anne Murdoch, Senior Adviser in College Leadership at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of the T level action plan by the Department for Education.

• Post-16
• BTEC
• T Levels
• Qualifications

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s response to the Education Select Committee’s report on Ofsted’s work with schools.

• Inspection
• Ofsted

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s plans to spend £75 billion more on defence over the next six years compared with current levels.

• Government
• Spending Review
• Spending cuts

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from Centre for Mental Health and the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, which explores the mental health barriers to school attendance.

• Mental Health
• Attendance
• England

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to an announcement from the Department for Education that up to £6000 will be available for teachers working in key STEM and technical subjects.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• STEM

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a survey conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research for the Sutton Trust, showing a sharp increase in school leaders reporting spending cuts.

• School Cuts
• Spending cuts

Tom Middlehurst, qualifications specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Department for Education’s decision that there will be no replacement to Progress 8 in 2024/25 and 2025/26 school performance tables because of the cancellation of Key Stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic.

• Key Stage 2
• Examinations
• Performance Tables
• Progress 8

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government statistics on suspensions and permanent exclusions in England in the spring term 2022 to 2023.

• Funding
• Suspension

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which states that special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in multi-academy trusts and schools is coming under increased pressure.

• SEND
• NFER

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Ofsted’s report which says that schools need to add depth to their RE curriculum.

• Curriculum
• Ofsted
• Religious education

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the Education Policy Institute’s benchmarking tool comparing different types of school groups, and an accompanying report on the findings.

• Performance Tables
• EPI

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on today’s primary school offer day.

• Primary

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Policy Institute on the impact on school finances of falling pupil numbers.

• Budget
• EPI

Kevin Gilmartin, Post-16 Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from Speakers for Schools, which says unequal access to work experience and enrichment activities is preventing some young people from disadvantaged backgrounds from attending top universities.

• Post-16
• University

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which states that the Sure Start programme boosted the educational performance of pupils from low-income backgrounds and increased support for children with special educational needs.

• Funding
• SEND

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, responds to comments made by the Cabinet Secretary for Education, following the publication of the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body's (IWPRB) strategic review of the structure of teachers' and leaders' pay and conditions in Wales.

• Cymru
• Wales
• Budget

Tom Middlehurst, Inspection Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the announcement that Dame Christine Gilbert will lead an independent learning review into Ofsted’s response to the death of Ruth Perry.

• Ofsted

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has today submitted a response to the government’s consultation on the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship. 

• Recruitment and Retention
• Apprenticeships

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, responds to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), that identifies major inequalities within the Welsh education system.

• Cymru
• Wales
• Policy

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to new data from the Department for Education, which shows that more than 150,000 pupils were severely absent from school in the 2022/23 summer term.

• Attendance

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to new figures showing around two in three special schools are at or above capacity.

• SEND

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments on the appointment of Lynne Neagle as Cabinet Secretary for Education.

• Cymru
• Wales
• Government

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to analysis from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which shows that recruitment and retention issues are persisting in education.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention

Unions representing the overwhelming majority of teachers and school leaders have issued a united call for a fully funded, inflation-plus pay increase as part of a restorative correction for teachers and school leaders to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis.

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention
• STRB
• Workload

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has today submitted a response to the government’s consultation on the Advanced British Standard. 

• Funding
• Assessment
• Post-16
• Maths
• Advanced British Standard

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Education Policy Institute report identifying a “suspension grades gap", with young people who experience even a single suspension, or temporary removal from secondary school, less likely to pass crucial GCSEs in English and maths.

• GCSE
• Suspension
• SEND
• EPI

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of the Department for Education’s postgraduate initial teacher training targets for 2024 to 2025.

• Teaching
• Post-18
• Training

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the report by the Children’s Commissioner showing the number of children and young people on waiting lists for mental health support after being referred to Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services.

• Health and Wellbeing
• Mental Health

Tom Middlehurst, Inspection Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments following Ofsted’s response to the Education Select Committee’s report on the inspectorate’s work with schools.

• Ofsted
• DfE

John Trueman, Director of ASCL Northern Ireland, responds to the teacher pay offer outlined by Education Minister Paul Givan today.

• Pay
• Northern Ireland

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton will today (Saturday 9 March) call for “learning environments to be fit for learning” as a survey shows the condition of classrooms after more than a decade of government underinvestment.

• School estates

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton's keynote address to ASCL Annual Conference on Saturday 9 March 2024. 

• ASCL
• Funding
• Government

The President of the Association of School and College Leaders will today (Friday 8 March) call for a change of tone in the national conversation about education as a survey reveals that nearly a third of teachers have experienced pupils being absent this academic year because parents are in dispute with their school.

• Parents
• Attendance

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Ofsted Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver’s launch of the ‘big listen’ and the focus on championing high standards for all children, especially the most disadvantaged and vulnerable.

ASCL President John Camp OBE's keynote address to ASCL Annual Conference 2024 on 8 March 2024. 

• Funding
• Government

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Chancellor’s Spring Budget statement.  

• Funding
• Budget
• Government

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to analysis from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) that shows maths results for pupils from low-income backgrounds are still lower than they were before the pandemic.

• Assessment
• Maths

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which shows that the costs faced by schools are growing at a faster rate than school funding.

• Funding
• Finance

Louise Hatswell, Pay Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments following ASCL’s submission of evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB). 

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• STRB

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Education Secretary Gillian Keegan’s evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) about the 2024/25 pay award.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• STRB

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government announcement that school absence fines will go up from £60 to £80.

• Attendance

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, responds to the statement by Jeremy Miles, Minister for Education and Welsh Language, following Estyn’s report on attendance in secondary schools.

• Cymru
• ESTYN
• Attendance

Margaret Mulholland, Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Labour’s announcement on its plans for new digital literacy and safeguarding measures in order to tackle online misogyny and sexual harassment.

• Sexual harassment

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a policy briefing from the Sutton Trust, which calls for the National Tutoring Programme to be renewed in order to help close the attainment gap.

• National Tutoring Programme
• Attainment Gap

The pay levels of school business leaders may lead to a mass exodus from the profession with half considering leaving their role in the next three years, a survey from the Association of School and College Leaders warns.

• Conditions
• Pay
• Funding
• Business Leadership
• STRB

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a government “crackdown” on mobile phones in schools with the publication of new guidance on Monday (19 February).

• Leadership
• Mobile phones

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI), which found that vulnerable students are less likely to be benefiting from participation in sports and other hobbies at secondary school.

• EPI

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to information published by the Department for Education about how RAAC is going to be removed from school buildings.

• DfE
• RAAC

The Association of School and College Leaders has written to the Secretary of State for Education calling for urgent action to provide better support for schools impacted by RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete).

• RAAC
• School estates

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the government’s announcement that a new teaching apprenticeship will launch this autumn.

• Recruitment and Retention

Rob Robson, ASCL’s lead on artificial intelligence, respondsto the news that the Education Endowment Foundation will be trialing the use of ChatGPT for lesson planning to explore if it can reduce overall working hours for staff.

• Workload
• AI

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from Ofsted outlining the need for urgent reform of alternative provision.

• Inclusion
• Ofsted
• Alternative provision

Margaret Mulholland, Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the National Foundation For Educational Research (NFER), which explores the barriers and solutions to achieving a more ethnically diverse teaching workforce.

• Inclusion
• Recruitment and Retention
• Diversity
• Representation

John Trueman, Director of ASCL Northern Ireland, responds to the news that the DUP has endorsed a deal to restore devolution.

• Northern Ireland

Kevin Gilmartin, Post 16 Specialist at the Association of Schools and College Leaders, responds to the announcement that the government is dropping plans to introduce a combined T-level in hair and beauty.

• Post-16
• BTEC
• T Levels

Tom Middlehurst, Inspection Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Select Committee, which states that major changes must be made to inspections in order for Ofsted to rebuild trust

• Inspection
• Education system

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has today published a response to the planned introduction of minimum service levels (MSLs) in the education sector.

• Minimum service levels

Julia Harnden, Funding Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to school funding statistics published by the Department for Education today.

• Funding
• Budget
• Finance

Tiffnie Harris, Primary Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Sutton Trust, which warns of a major deterioration in the education of disadvantaged young children.

• Primary
• Early years
• Disadvantage Gap

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has today published a submission to HM Treasury ahead of the Spring Budget.

• Budget
• Finance

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Ofsted’s response to the Prevention of Future Deaths report issued by the coroner in the inquest into the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.

• Inspection
• Ofsted

Education unions today respond to the publication of initial recommendations by the Workload Reduction Taskforce to reduce workload for school leaders and teachers – including an end to performance-related pay.

• Conditions
• Workload

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to research from the Sutton Trust that found pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) are less likely to attend a top performing comprehensive school even if there is one in their area.

• Attendance
• Free school meals

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Keir Starmer’s announcement of Labour’s Child Health Action Plan.

• Health and Wellbeing
• Health and safety
• Government

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Labour’s plan to tackle persistent absence in schools.

• Mental Health
• Attendance
• Free school meals

Inspections of schools and further education providers in England will begin from 22 January, following mental health awareness training for all lead inspectors. 

• Inspection
• Ofsted

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the announcement that Ofsted inspections will be delayed in order to accommodate mental health awareness training for inspectors.

• Inspection
• Ofsted

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the remit letter for 2024 from Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to Dr Mike Aldred, chair of the School Teachers’ Review Body.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• STRB

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of subject content for the new GCSE in British Sign Language.

• Curriculum
• GCSE
• British Sign Language

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, and Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, issued the following joint statement, responding to the coroner’s report, Ruth Perry: Prevention of future deaths.

• Inspection
• Ofsted
• Health and safety
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication of a government consultation on draft guidance for schools and colleges on gender questioning children.

• Guidance
• Transgender pupils

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments on the draft budget published by the Welsh government today.

• Funding
• Cymru
• Budget
• Government

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to research published by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) showing that the attainment gap between poorer pupils and their peers has widened across all educational phases since 2019.

• Government
• EPI
• Disadvantage Gap

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the launch of a consultation on plans for a new post-16 qualification, the Advanced British Standard.

• Post-16
• Qualifications

John Trueman, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Northern Ireland, comments on the publication of the Independent Review of Education.

• Funding
• Northern Ireland

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report by the Lords Education for 11-16 Year Olds Committee warning the current education system is too focused on academic learning and written exams.

• Examinations
• GCSE
• Qualifications
• Education system

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, and Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, today issued the following joint statement following last week’s inquest into the death of headteacher Ruth Perry and the coroner’s conclusions.

• Inspection
• Ofsted

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the annual report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) on education spending in England.

• Funding
• Government

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Public First research, commissioned by the Laidlaw Foundation, finding that parents and teachers want a more transparent, well rounded and less high stakes accountability system in schools.  

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted
• Parents

John Trueman, Director of ASCL Northern Ireland, responds to a letter from the chief executives of the seven main education bodies in Northern Ireland, urging Chris Heaton-Harris to “end the cycle of chronic underfunding”.

• Funding
• Northern Ireland

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government missing targets for trainee teacher recruitment in England for 2023/24.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the coroner’s verdict following the inquest into the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted

Tom Middlehurst, Association of School and College Leaders assessment specialist, responds to exam board OCR’s plan for Computer Science GCSE to be fully assessed on screen.

• Assessment
• GCSE
• Digital

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the increase in the number of education settings with confirmed Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).

• Funding
• RAAC

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication of the 2022 results of the OECD’s Programme for International Assessment (PISA).

• Assessment
• PISA

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report in The Sun that Education Secretary Gillian Keegan will today announce plans for minimum service levels in the event of strike action in schools.

• Government
• Industrial action
• Minimum service levels

The president of ASCL Northern Ireland, Victor Coert, is warning that a lack of investment in education and failure to resolve staff pay disputes, funding and unacceptable workloads has ‘contributed to a hesitancy amongst university graduates to join the profession and a sense of injustice within the teaching workforce’. 

• Pay
• Funding
• Workload
• Northern Ireland

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Ofsted’s annual report.

• Recruitment and Retention
• Inspection
• Ofsted

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, Responds to the Public Accounts Committee report on the RAAC crisis and deteriorating school estate.

• RAAC
• School estates

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the consultation on additional support materials for GCSE exams in 2024.

• Assessment
• Examinations
• GCSE

Today sees the launch of the updated School Cuts website showing the impact of Government funding decisions on every mainstream school in England. The School Cuts website is run by education unions NEU, ASCL and NAHT, and supported by Parentkind. 

• Funding
• Finance

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication of the Teacher Wellbeing Index by Education Support.

• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• Workload
• Staff absence

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the first report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers.

• Carers

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the Department for Education press release on Ofsted data showing 89% of schools are rated as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to research from the Sutton Trust into the difficulties young people are having in accessing mental health support.

• Health and Wellbeing
• Mental Health

Four education unions – ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT and NEU - have written to the Chancellor making the case for a significant increase in school funding as part of the Autumn Statement on 22 November.

• Funding
• STRB

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) on the impact of teacher training bursaries.

• Pay
• Teaching
• STRB
• Training
• NFER

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the King’s Speech.

• Funding
• Government

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the reports published by the Education Endowment Foundation on teacher workload and flexible working.

• Teaching
• Workload
• Flexible working

Tom Middlehurst, Association of School and College Leaders’ inspection specialist, comments on new research from Beyond Ofsted, the inquiry into the future of school inspections, chaired by Lord Jim Knight.

• Inspection
• Ofsted

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication of the National Foundation for Educational Research’s (NFER) implementation and process evaluation of the National Tutoring Programme’s third year.

• Disadvantage Gap
• National Tutoring Programme
• NFER

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Ofsted’s press release on education providers focusing tutoring interventions on exam preparation. 

• Ofsted
• Examinations

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government press release announcing £2 million investment in Oak National Academy to improve and expand artificial intelligence tools for teachers.

• Funding
• Curriculum
• AI

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the Department for Education press release about Education Secretary Gillian Keegan writing to schools over RSHE materials.

• Curriculum
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the announcement that minimum services levels will be introduced in schools and colleges.

• Teaching
• England

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Independent NTP Year 2 Impact Evaluation, conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).

• Funding
• Tutoring
• National Tutoring Programme
• NFER

John Trueman, Director of ASCL Northern Ireland, comments on the publication of Every CHILD, the Department of Education’s new corporate plan.

• Northern Ireland
• DfE

Tom Middlehurst, Curriculum, Assessment and Inspection Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from AQA, which states that digital exams will help young people develop the skills they need for the future.  

• Assessment
• Examinations
• Technology

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the letter from Schools Minister Nick Gibb rejecting union calls to restore funding rates announced in July

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, responds to the publication of the sector summaries section of the Chief Inspector’s Annual Report.

• Funding
• Cymru

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Education Policy Institute’s annual report, which shows that the attainment gap between poorer pupils and their peers continued to widen in 2022.

• Funding
• Attainment 8
• EPI
• Disadvantage Gap

Tiffnie Harris, Primary and Data Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of phonics screening check results, which show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard has risen from 75% to 79%.

• Primary
• Early years
• Reading

Today, the general secretaries of ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT and NEU have written to education secretary Gillian Keegan about the revision of the National Funding Formula (NFF) announced last Friday, 6 October. 

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Labour’s plan to encourage stronger lifelong numeracy by boosting primary school maths teaching.

• Primary
• Maths

Julia Harnden, Funding Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which states that general measures of economy-wide inflation are not providing an accurate picture of the cost pressures faced by schools.

• Funding
• Finance
• Government

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research, which shows that young pupils are recovering from missed learning during the Covid pandemic but that the disadvantage gap persists.

• NFER

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the announcement by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Conservative Party conference of plans to introduce a post-16 ‘Advanced British Standard’.

• Curriculum
• Post-16
• A Levels
• T Levels

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to AQA’s report on a new approach to assessing numeracy, literacy and digital fluency.

• Examinations
• Literacy
• Digital

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on reports that the Education Secretary will announce guidance requiring that pupils should not use mobile phones during the school day.

• Government
• England

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the announcement of four new attendance hubs by the Department for Education.

• Mental Health
• Attendance
• DfE

Organisations working in the education sector have today (Wednesday 27th September 2023) outlined new commitments for action demonstrating how they will play their part in improving equality, diversity and inclusion within education.

• Equalities
• Inclusion
• Diversity

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Select Committee, which states that better mental health and SEND support is required to tackle the school absence crisis.

• Mental Health
• SEND

Pepe Di’Iasio will be the next General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders when Geoff Barton steps down in April 2024.

• ASCL
• About

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the announcement that Dr Jo Saxton will be stepping down as Chief Regulator of Ofqual.

• Examinations
• Ofqual

ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, GMB, UNISON, Unite, Community and the National Governance Association have today written to the Prime Minister pointing out the need for urgent action to ensure that the school estate is upgraded and made safe for education in the 21st century.

• Funding
• Government
• Risk assessment
• Environment
• RAAC

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to reports that the Prime Minister is planning to establish a ‘British Baccalaureate’ in which pupils would study more subjects after the age of 16.

• Post-16
• Key Stage 4
• A Levels
• T Levels
• Qualifications

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which shows that teaching assistants are taking second jobs or leaving education to work in better paid roles.

• Employment
• Teaching
• Support staff
• NFER

An STRB response and a statement to education secretary Gillian Keegan are both signed by ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU and Community.

• Pay
• STRB
• Workload

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which shows that many parents don’t consider ‘value-added’ Progress 8 scores when applying to secondary school for their child.

• Progress 8
• Secondary
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the updated list from the Department for Education showing 27 more schools with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

• Health and safety
• DfE
• RAAC

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s announcement of the membership of the taskforce working towards reducing teacher and leader workload.

• Recruitment and Retention
• Workload

Julia Harnden, Funding Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which found that almost half of primary schools and special schools and two-fifths of secondary schools in England had or were expecting an in-year deficit in 2022/23.  

• Funding
• Primary
• England

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), revealing that the majority of schools are providing clothing and food to some pupils in response to cost-of-living pressures.  

Today, school leaders’ unions NAHT and ASCL, have written jointly to the Secretary of State for Education expressing their members’ dismay at her comment that some schools need to ‘get off their backsides’ in the RAAC concrete crisis.

• Health and safety
• DfE
• RAAC

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has today published a response to the proposed changes to Ofsted’s post-inspection arrangements and complaints handling.

• Inspection
• Ofsted
• DfE
• Performance measures
• Education system

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Labour’s announcement of their intention to reintroduce the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) should they be elected at the next general election.

• Pay
• Business Leadership
• STRB
• Support staff

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, will today be writing to Education Secretary Gillian Keegan calling for clarification on a number of issues arising from the RAAC crisis.  

• Health and safety
• DfE

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, is calling on the Welsh Government to provide urgent clarity on the extent of the use of RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) in schools and colleges in Wales.

• Cymru
• Health and safety

Education and public sector unions have today written* to education secretary Gillian Keegan to ask for urgent answers on the RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) emergency.

• Funding
• Health and safety
• Risk assessment
• DfE
• RAAC

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on updated guidance from the Department for Education advising schools “to vacate and restrict access to spaces with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete".

• Inspection
• Health and safety
• Risk assessment
• DfE

Robert Wilson, Regional Officer at ASCL Northern Ireland, comments on a study from Northern Ireland’s Mental Health Champion, which shows that the wellbeing of children aged 11 is at its lowest level since 2010 and that 45.2% of 16-year-olds have a probable mental illness.  

• Health and Wellbeing
• Mental Health
• Northern Ireland
• Behaviour
• Education system

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication today of GCSE and Level 2 VTQ results in England.

• Assessment
• Examinations
• GCSE
• Ofqual
• Secondary
• VTQs

Robert Wilson, Regional Officer at ASCL Northern Ireland, comments on the publication of this year’s GCSE and Level 2 vocational qualification results in Northern Ireland.

• Assessment
• GCSE
• Northern Ireland
• Secondary
• VTQs

Headteacher and former ASCL President Pepe Di’Iasio has been nominated for the post of General Secretary to succeed Geoff Barton from next April following a selection process.  

• ASCL

The first national ballot on industrial action in the 150-year history of the Association of School and College Leaders will run from 19 June to 31 July.  

• Funding
• Government
• Education system
• Industrial action
• Ballot

The Association of School and College Leaders, for the first time in its history, will hold a formal ballot for national strike action in England over the school funding crisis, the erosion of teacher and leader pay and conditions, and consequent staff shortages which are undermining the education system.  

• Teaching
• Education system
• Industrial action
• England

A consultative ballot on industrial action conducted by the Association of School and College Leaders in England has shown a majority in favour of proceeding to a formal ballot.

• Pay
• Industrial action
• England

A consultative ballot on industrial action conducted by the Association of School and College Leaders in Wales has shown a majority in favour of proceeding to a formal ballot.  

• Pay
• Wales
• Industrial action

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the energy bill relief scheme for non-domestic customers published by the Department for Business this morning.

• Funding
• Business Leadership
• Financial planning
• Finance
• Government
• Energy costs

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication by Ofsted of its strategy for the next five years.

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted