All posts tagged: schools

SEND reforms risk ‘smothering’ schools, government warned

SEND reforms risk ‘smothering’ schools, government warned

Published by skeptic

The scale of proposed SEND reforms alongside other policy changes risks “smothering” the school system, the government has been warned. School leaders’ union NAHT, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the Confederation of School Trusts (CST), as well as teaching unions NASUWT and the NEU have published responses to the Department for Education’s SEND consultation which closed on 18 May. All responses welcomed the move to create more inclusive environments with early intervention. But they also warned that funding and resources may not match up to expectations. Here’s everything you need to know. 1. ‘System-level smothering’ Leadership unions have warned that the SEND reforms – alongside changes to curriculum, enrichment and suspensions guidance – will be overwhelming for schools. The NAHT and CST both said implementing everything at once represented a “cumulative burden”, while ASCL said it had “serious concerns about the scale of expectations being placed on schools”. CST described this as “system-level smothering”, while the NEU said reform was “unsustainable before it has got off the ground” without protected and …

The Torah’s case for buffer zones around schools and synagogues

The Torah’s case for buffer zones around schools and synagogues

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — The Torah reminds us that societies rise or fall based on the systems they have built and whether those systems work to preserve order, safety, security and communal trust. This speaks powerfully to a complicated issue facing New Yorkers at this moment — the debate around buffer zone legislation near schools and houses of worship. While the bill establishing buffer zones around houses of worship passed with a veto-proof majority, on April 24, Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoed the complementary bill establishing buffer zones around educational institutions. Concerns about the right to protest are real, and a democratic society must fiercely protect the right to assemble, to disagree and to protest. So, too, does Judaism revere free speech as essential to a healthy society. Abraham, Noah and Moses all argued with G-d when they feared his wrath was too severe or unjust. Jewish history is filled with dissenters who spoke truth to power. But Judaism also teaches that rights exist within moral boundaries. While it fiercely protects intellectual dissent and debate, it thoughtfully restricts …

As A Mum Of Teens – I Have To Question Schools Before Agreeing To Photos Going Online

As A Mum Of Teens – I Have To Question Schools Before Agreeing To Photos Going Online

Published by Sam Flores

There can be a lot of questions for parents. Imagine a photograph of your child taken on sports day. They’re laughing, probably slightly out of breath, wearing their school kit. It’s the kind of image that ends up in the school newsletter, on the website, shared with pride by staff who want to show what school life looks like. Now imagine that same photograph being found by a criminal who lifts the face of the child in seconds and, using freely available AI tools, turns it into something so harmful I am not going to describe it in detail here. That image is then sent to the school with a demand: pay up, or it goes online.  This is not a hypothetical. The scale of child abuse imagery has grown from fewer than 10,000 images 25 years ago, to tens of millions today. This has happened to schools in the UK, and most schools have no idea it is possible.  I know that’s uncomfortable to read. Though, as the mother of two teenage daughters, I …

Ex-head banned for stealing £15k from two schools

Ex-head banned for stealing £15k from two schools

Published by skeptic

A former headteacher who defrauded two schools of more than £15,000 has been banned from the profession. Neil Metcalf, 52, was jailed for 15 months in 2024 after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud. He abused his position as head to steal £10,800 from St Anthony of Padua Catholic Primary School, Liverpool, between 2017 and 2022 and £4,690 from Our Lady’s Bishop Eton Catholic Primary School, Merseyside, between 2022 and 2023. The fraud involved invoices relating to a company that did not exist, with the money instead flowing to Metcalf. Now the education secretary has banned him from teaching following the recommendations of a Teaching Regulation Agency panel, with a stipulation he cannot ask for a review of the decision for six years. The panel noted the former head’s conviction, and that he had opted not to go to a full hearing. It also noted his behaviour “ultimately led to a sentence of imprisonment, which was indicative of the seriousness of the offences committed”. ‘Direct impact on school resources’ The panel found Melcalf’s actions …

Parents Explode in Fury at School’s Plan to Constantly Film Their Children to Train AI

Parents Explode in Fury at School’s Plan to Constantly Film Their Children to Train AI

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech A planned University of Washington study would’ve had preschool teachers wear cameras to record first-person footage of everything in the classroom, including the young children they were instructing, and use that footage to train AI models. If a parent was uncomfortable with all that, they had to manually opt-out — meaning that unless the researchers were given a formal no, a parent’s child would’ve been automatically opted into the experiment. “With your permission, your child’s lead teacher may wear a small teacher-worn camera that captures the teacher’s approximate first-person perspective, and/or we may place a fixed video camera in the classroom,” reads a document given to parents and obtained by 404 Media in a new investigative piece. “These videos simply capture the normal interactions between teachers and children during regular classroom activities.” The parents did a little more than opt out, however. They revolted, and the backlash was so heated that the University of Washington called off the …

Kate Middleton Visits Kindergarteners on Final Day of Italy Trip: “Wish All Schools in the World Were Like This”

Kate Middleton Visits Kindergarteners on Final Day of Italy Trip: “Wish All Schools in the World Were Like This”

Published by Sam Flores

The last appointment in town, after a brief rain that did not change the schedule (everything organized, armored and controlled) was at the King Midas Center for Creative Recycling, where waste materials from two hundred local businesses become educational tools. Kate spent forty minutes with the president of the Reggio Children Foundation, former minister Francesco Profumo, and other educators. Finally, a tribute to the cuisine of the territory. In the Parma hills, at the Al Vigneto di Barbiano di Felino agriturismo, Kate wanted to “reflect on the visit and celebrate the connections between generations by spending time with local families.” Basically: she put on her apron and rolled out the pastry. Then the procession left for Parma airport, the private flight to London. When Middleton opens her suitcase at Kensington Palace—along with files on the Reggio Approach, perhaps there lies a recipe for erbazzone and maybe some clay to take to the children. FELINO, ITALY – MAY 14: Catherine, Princess of Wales helps prepare lunch at rural Agriturismo ‘Al Vigneto’ as she concludes a two-day …

Ofsted claims schools can’t predict inspection from websites

Ofsted claims schools can’t predict inspection from websites

Published by skeptic

Ofsted is ‘confident’ schools can no longer predict inspections based on downloads from their websites, despite a firm’s claim the practice still works. Schools Week exposed a loophole in 2023 that offered advance inspection notice to those who monitored downloads from their websites. Greenhouse School Websites provides a service which tracks activity patterns on hundreds of school websites to help predict when inspectors may visit. Source link

Some schools will get under £6k inclusive mainstream cash

Some schools will get under £6k inclusive mainstream cash

Published by skeptic

Almost one in 10 primary schools are set to receive less than £6,000 in annual funding to support pupils with SEND, with heads warning it’ll do little more than balance the books. During the next three years, schools will receive their share of a £1.6 billion “inclusive mainstream fund” (IMF) that is aimed at making mainstream schools more inclusive for pupils with additional needs. The Department for Education has not published a full breakdown of school-level allocations, but has issued a spreadsheet calculator allowing leaders to see their setting’s 2026-27 provisional allocation. Source link

Pediatricians Issue Warning For Schools That Treat Recess Like It’s A Reward Rather Than A Right

Pediatricians Issue Warning For Schools That Treat Recess Like It’s A Reward Rather Than A Right

Published by Jenni Sidey

For a lot of kids, recess is considered the best part of the school day. It’s the only time they’re allowed to get some fresh air and actually take a break from the hours of learning and sitting still in classrooms. Turns out most pediatricians agree. Unfortunately, many schools treat recess as a reward or even a perk rather than something students need. The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a warning to schools to stop eliminating recess or taking it away as punishment for bad behavior, insisting that recess and other unstructured play are deeply important for a child’s development. Pediatricians issue a warning for schools that treat recess like it’s a reward rather than a right. The American Academy of Pediatrics just released the first new guidance in 13 years about unstructured time at school and how it needs to be protected. The group “has always supported play – free play for kids – but it’s been increasingly threatened over time,” said Dr. Robert Murray, a lead author. “It has a very powerful benefit …