Our news and press releases

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

Anne Murdoch, college leadership adviser at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a paper from the Higher Education Policy Institute, ‘Connecting the Dots: The Need for an Effective Skills System in England’.

• Post-16
• Careers
• Qualifications

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement announcement. 

• Funding
• Finance
• Government
• Education system

Today (Weds 22 Nov), education organisations NAHT, ASCL, NGA and WomenEd release their annual analysis of the gender pay gap in education.

• Pay
• Equalities

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, responds to the launch of a consultation on changing the school calendar in Wales.

• Cymru
• School Improvement

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.  

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to claims from the government that “responsible bodies” have not returned RAAC surveys to the Department for Education.

• Health and safety
• DfE
• RAAC

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

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments on the publication of this year’s GCSE and vocational qualification results in Wales.

• Assessment
• Cymru
• Wales
• GCSE
• Secondary
• VTQs

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton is calling for a more humane qualification system as the number of pupils achieving a Grade 4 ‘standard pass’ in GCSE English and maths is expected to fall tomorrow (Thursday) consigning many more young people to a demoralising cycle of retakes in post-16 education.  

• Examinations
• Key Stage 3
• GCSE
• Results day

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication of this year’s A level and VTQ results in England.

• Assessment
• Examinations
• A Levels
• AS Levels
• BTEC
• T Levels
• VTQs

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments on the publication of this year’s A-level and vocational qualification results in Wales.

• Cymru
• A Levels
• T Levels
• UCAS
• VTQs
• Results day

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

• Post-16
• Examinations
• A Levels
• T Levels
• Northern Ireland
• UCAS
• Grading
• Apprenticeships
• VTQs
• Results day

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Labour’s press release about the widening regional attainment gap in top A-level grades in England.

• Inclusion
• Examinations
• Social Mobility

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication of tomorrow’s A-level and VTQ results in England.

• Post-16
• Examinations
• Key Stage 3
• Key Stage 4
• A Levels
• Marking
• Grading
• Qualifications
• VTQs
• England

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to research from the Sutton Trust into how financial difficulties are curbing educational choices.

• Inclusion
• Post-16
• BTEC
• Post-18
• Social Mobility

Extending the pupil premium to support disadvantaged 16-19 year-olds and introducing a new automatic enrolment system for children who qualify for free school meals are among the measures recommended in ASCL’s manifesto for the 2024 General Election.

• ASCL
• Government
• Strategy

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of Initial teacher training performance profiles, which shows the percentage of trainees awarded qualified teacher status fell to 93% in 2021/22 from 95% the previous year.

• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• Workload
• Training

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Committee into the many challenges faced by the childcare and early years education system.  

• SEND
• Early years
• Education system

The Association of School and College Leaders is halting its ballot on strike action in England after members voted in favour of accepting the government’s offer on teacher pay and funding for 2023/24.

• Pay
• Funding
• STRB

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the selection of Sir Martyn Oliver as the preferred candidate to become the new Chief Inspector of Ofsted. 

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted

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

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Department for Education guidance over the minimum expectation of a 32.5-hour school week.

• Leadership
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the announcement of school funding allocations for 2024-25.  

• Funding
• Government

Joint statement on teachers' pay by the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, the Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, the General Secretaries of the four education unions - Mary Bousted, Kevin Courtney, Geoff Barton, Paul Whiteman and Patrick Roach - and General Secretary Elect of NEU, Daniel Kebede:  

• Pay
• Funding
• Government
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on analysis from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which states that a teacher pay increase of 6.5 per cent will not be enough on its own to make a significant difference to long-term teacher supply.  

• Pay
• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention

Tiffnie Harris, Association of School and College Leaders’ primary specialist, comments on the release of Key Stage 2 SATs results today.

• Assessment
• Primary
• Key Stage 2
• SATs

Associations representing England’s colleges and college leaders are fully supporting the call being made in a debate scheduled today (Wednesday 5 July) in the House of Commons for a review into post-16 funding.

• Funding
• Post-16
• College

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on teacher strikes taking place today and Friday.  

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

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Labour’s plan to ‘shatter the class ceiling’ and undertake radical reform of the education system.

• Government
• Policy
• Education system

The TUC and school unions have today (Tuesday) called on the Education Secretary to stop delaying the publication of the School Teacher Review Body (STRB) pay recommendations.  

• STRB
• DfE
• England

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Sutton Trust report which reveals the extent to which the talent of high-potential disadvantaged young people is being wasted due to inequalities in society and education.

• Disadvantage Gap

ASCL, NAHT, and National Education Union have today written to all MPs, asking them to urge Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to publish the STRB report and urgently resolve the pay dispute.

• Pay
• Funding
• STRB
• Government
• DfE

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the National Audit Office (NAO) report that around 700,000 children in England are studying in schools requiring major rebuilding or refurbishment.  

• Health and safety
• School Improvement
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the letter from the Minister for Women and Equalities to Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman requesting a snap inspection of Rye College, in East Sussex.  

• Inclusion
• Ofsted
• Government
• DfE
• Transgender pupils

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a survey from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which found that many school leaders do not feel the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) is cost-effective.

• Tutoring
• National Tutoring Programme

The General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has warned that the brewing crisis in schools and colleges can only be solved if the Secretary of State for Education reopens talks with unions and resolves the pay dispute. 

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• Government

The Association of School and College Leaders has today launched the first national ballot on industrial action in our 150-year history.  

• Funding
• Government
• Industrial action
• Ballot

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a report from the Higher Education Policy Institute, which found personal statements are read for just two minutes on average.  

• Post-16
• Key Stage 3
• UCAS
• University
• Education system
• England

Tom Middlehurst, Curriculum, Assessment and Inspection Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the announcement that the Education Committee has launched an inquiry to examine the way in which Ofsted inspects schools.

• Teaching
• Health and Wellbeing
• Inspection
• Ofsted
• Mental Health

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on Ofsted’s announcement of changes to inspection processes, a revised complaints procedure, and new wellbeing investment.

• Inspection
• Ofsted
• Mental Health

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a review from the Education Endowment Foundation into the challenges with the recruitment and retention of teachers.

• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to new data from the Department for Education, which shows that teaching vacancies have doubled over the last two years.  

• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention

A handbook setting out the conditions of service for school teachers in England and Wales has been updated for the first time in over two decades.

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which warns that the impact of the pandemic on children’s education will have far-reaching consequences for an entire generation unless urgent action is taken.  

• Equalities
• Health and Wellbeing
• Mental Health
• DfE
• Education system
• Disadvantage Gap

Today, the general secretaries of teacher and school leader unions, including NAHT, ASCL and NEU, have written to their members in all schools in England encouraging them to hold joint-union staff meetings on industrial action.  

• Industrial action
• Ballot

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the formation of an independent expert advisory panel who will advise on the review of the Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum.  

• Teaching
• Curriculum
• RSE

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

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders and member of the Strategic Advisory Board for the NFER’s The Skills Imperative 2035 programme, responds to a report by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), which warns that urgent action is needed to prevent skills shortages.  

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the latest COVID Social Mobility & Opportunities (COSMO) study, examining links between poverty, mental health issues and educational attainment.  

• Equalities
• Pastoral
• Health and Wellbeing
• Health and safety
• Income
• Mental Health
• School meals

Education unions have today (Thurs 25 May) written to the Secretary of State for Education calling for the government to formally publish the recently leaked pay recommendation made by the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) and to urgently re-start negotiations in the dispute over teacher and leader pay and the funding of pay awards.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• Industrial action

Teachers, leaders, support staff and governors are joining forces to lobby MPs for a better deal for schools, colleges and children.  

• ASCL
• Pay
• Teaching
• Government

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the DfE’s announcement about changes to the National Tutoring Programme (NTP).  

• Government
• DfE
• Tutoring
• National Tutoring Programme

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report in the Sunday Times that says the School Teachers’ Review Body has recommended a 6.5% pay award for teachers in 2023-24.

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention
• STRB

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of non-statutory guidance from the Department for Education, designed to help accredited Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers to involve special schools in their ITT partnerships.  

• Inclusion
• Teaching
• SEND
• Training

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the government’s press release announcing new pupil attendance measures.

• Attendance
• Performance measures
• Education system

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on England’s success in the Progress International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).

• Primary
• Reading

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders responds to the Children Not In School (Register) Bill, introduced in the House of Commons by Flick Drummond MP.

• Government
• DfE
• Home schooling

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, responds to the publication of the review of the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers (NPQH).

• Leadership
• Cymru
• Wales
• Professional Development
• NPQ
• Qualifications

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, responds to the written statement of Jeremy Miles, Minister for Education and Welsh Language, about plans to reduce workload for school staff.   

• Funding
• Cymru
• Wales
• Recruitment and Retention
• Workload

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Policy Institute, which shows maths outcomes for primary-aged pupils remain below pre-pandemic levels.

• Funding
• Primary
• Education recovery
• National Tutoring Programme

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from wellbeing charity Education Support about how the growing emotional and practical demands on teachers are affecting their mental health.

• Conditions
• Pastoral
• Workload
• Mental Health

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from Ofsted which states that mounting teacher workloads are reducing opportunities for professional development.

• Funding
• Ofsted
• Workload
• Professional Development

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders,responds to analysis from Labour identifying major gaps in expert teaching in schools.  

• Employment
• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• Careers
• Government
• Education system

In a joint press conference taking place on Friday 28 April at school leaders’ union NAHT’s Annual Conference in Telford, the general secretaries of all four education unions will announce that they intend to co-ordinate their unions’ industrial action moving forward.

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention
• DfE

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to a report from the Education Select Committee, that calls for a pause in the defunding of applied general qualifications (AGQs).  

• Funding
• Post-16
• BTEC
• T Levels
• Post-18
• Apprenticeships
• Qualifications

Robert Wilson, Regional Officer at ASCL Northern Ireland, comments on today’s announcement of Stormont’s budget for 2023-24, which shows education funding will be cut.  

• Pay
• Funding
• Income
• Government
• Northern Ireland
• School Cuts

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to polling for the Sutton Trust on cuts to teaching assistants, school trips, sport and other provision.  

• Funding
• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• Education system
• Support staff
• School Cuts

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the government’s press release on school funding.  

• Funding
• Finance
• GCSE
• Government

Tom Middlehurst, Curriculum, Assessment and Inspection Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Ofsted’s report into how multi-academy trusts are involved in school inspections.  

• Ofsted
• MAT
• DfE
• Education system

Robert Wilson, Regional Officer at the Association of School and College Leaders in Northern Ireland, comments ahead of tomorrow’s planned day of strike action by the majority of teachers in Northern Ireland.  

• Government
• Northern Ireland
• Industrial action

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the statement by Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman on calls for Ofsted reform.  

• Health and Wellbeing
• Ofsted
• Grading
• Education system

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

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the government’s press release in relation to the latest National Tutoring Programme figures.  

• DfE
• Education system
• National Tutoring Programme

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Prime Minister’s planned speech reaffirming his ambition to ensure every young person studies some form of maths up to the age of 18.

• Funding
• Curriculum
• Post-16

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of the Department for Education’s Working lives of teachers and leaders report.  

• Teaching
• STRB
• Workload

ASCL members have voted to reject the pay and conditions offer made by the government following recent talks with education unions over the industrial dispute triggered by the inadequacy of this year’s pay award.

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention
• Industrial action

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on new research from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, which shows a significant increase in vacancies in nursery, primary and secondary schools.

• Employment
• Teaching
• Primary
• Recruitment and Retention
• Flexible working
• Careers
• Secondary
• Education system

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Department for Education’s announcement about a review of Relationships, Sex, Health and Education guidance.

• Teaching
• RSE
• Government

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the results of surveys commissioned by campaign group More Than A Score about views of SATs.  

• Assessment
• Key Stage 1
• Key Stage 2
• Literacy
• Grading
• Education system
• SATs

Anne Murdoch, Senior Adviser in College Leadership at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which shows that recommended pay levels for college teachers have fallen by 18% since 2010.  

• Pay
• Post-16
• Recruitment and Retention
• Key Stage 3
• Key Stage 4
• Income
• T Levels
• Careers
• HE

Kevin Gilmartin, Post 16 Specialist at the Association of Schools and College Leaders, comments after the government published its latest list of qualifications that will have funding removed.  

• Funding
• Post-16
• Key Stage 3
• T Levels
• Apprenticeships

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on new research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which found that there are 1.7 million pupils in England who are not eligible for free school meals despite their families being entitled to universal credit.  

• Funding
• Government
• Free school meals
• School meals

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government press release outlining funding for upgrading and refurbishing school and college buildings, and for more school places.  

• Funding
• School Improvement
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s offer on pay and conditions following talks with ASCL and other education unions.

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention
• Government

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the statement by Ofsted Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman concerning the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the NFER’s Teacher Labour Market in England Annual Report 2023, which shows a huge increase in teacher vacancies.  

• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• Careers

Louise Hatswell, Pay Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments following ASCL’s submission of evidence to the STRB for the 33rd report.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• STRB

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the death of headteacher Ruth Perry following an Ofsted inspection.

• Health and Wellbeing
• Inspection
• Ofsted

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, will today (Saturday 18 March) describe plans to scrap many popular BTECs and similar qualifications as “risky and reckless” and call for ministers to reconsider.

• Assessment
• Post-16
• BTEC
• T Levels
• College
• FE
• DfE

The Government and the education trade unions, Association of School and College Leaders, National Association of Head Teachers, NASUWT and National Education Union, have agreed to move into a period of intensive talks. The talks will focus on teacher pay, conditions and workload reduction.

• Pay
• Funding
• Workload
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Chancellor’s Spring Budget 2023 announcement.  

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• Government
• DfE
• Education system
• Spending Review
• England

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a meeting this afternoon (Tuesday 14 March) between Geoff Barton and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, over the pay dispute and industrial action.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• Government
• Industrial action
• England

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s planned speech to ASCL Annual Conference outlining how Labour would consult on a new ‘report card’ to replace Ofsted’s four headline grades.  

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton's speech to Annual Conference on Friday 10 March 2023.

• Leadership
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention
• Government
• DfE

Geoff Barton will today call on Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to stop “trading fatuous soundbites” and put forward a meaningful offer which brings to an end the industrial dispute in education.

• Leadership
• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• Government
• DfE

Unions representing teachers and school leaders in England are today united in calling on the School Teachers’ Review Body to make urgent recommendations on pay, workload and conditions of service to address the critical pay issues and the recruitment and retention crisis in the profession.

• Pay
• Funding
• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• STRB

ASCL President Evelyn Forde MBE's keynote address to ASCL Annual Conference 2023 on 10 March 2023.

ASCL President Evelyn Forde will today (Friday 10 March) condemn the government for the erosion of children’s support services over the past decade as a survey reveals that the vast majority of school and college leaders view these services as being inadequate

• Funding
• Health and Wellbeing
• Health and safety
• Government

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on research from the Sutton Trust showing large inequalities in the use of private tutoring.

• Education system
• Disadvantage Gap
• Tutoring
• National Tutoring Programme

Tiffnie Harris, Primary and Data Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments following the announcement that 2023 Key Stage 2 test results will be delayed by a week.

• Key Stage 2
• SATs

An attempt by education unions involved in the industrial action dispute over pay and funding to break the current deadlock and move forward with talks with the government has been ignored.

• Pay
• Funding
• DfE
• Industrial action

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s press release outlining new standards to ensure all children are offered the same sports during PE and extracurricular activities.

• Funding
• Teaching
• Curriculum

Gillian Keegan MP, Secretary of State for Education, has turned down an invitation to speak to school and college leaders at ASCL’s Annual Conference in Birmingham next week.

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention
• Professional Development
• DfE
• Industrial action

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s press release ahead of the publication of their SEND and AP Improvement Plan

• SEND

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the latest tranche of leaked messages from Matt Hancock published by the Daily Telegraph and his exchange with then Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.

• Health and safety
• Government
• Coronavirus
• Risk assessment

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on secondary school offer day.

• Ofsted
• Transitions
• Parents
• Secondary

Hundreds of school and college leaders sign letter to Secretary of State for Education urging her to delay plan to scrap most BTEC qualifications.  

• Post-16
• Examinations
• BTEC
• HE
• Post-18
• College
• FE
• Qualifications

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Government’s submission to the School Teachers' Review Body.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• STRB
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments after the latest round of talks with officials from the Department for Education, which were focused on reducing teacher and leader workload.

• Conditions
• Pay
• Funding
• Workload
• DfE

Robert Wilson, Regional Officer at ASCL Northern Ireland, comments ahead of tomorrow’s half-day strike action being carried out by the majority of teachers in Northern Ireland.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• Government
• Northern Ireland
• Education system
• Industrial action

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on talks today between education unions and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan over teacher recruitment and retention, pay erosion and industrial action.

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention
• Government
• DfE
• Industrial action

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments on the improved teacher pay offer for the 2022/23 academic year announced by the Welsh government.

• Pay
• Funding
• Cymru
• Wales
• Recruitment and Retention

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Department for Education’s State of the Nation report.

• Health and Wellbeing
• Examinations
• Mental Health

Kevin Gilmartin, Post 16 Specialist at the Association of Schools and College Leaders, responds to the news that apprenticeship opportunities will be advertised to young people alongside undergraduate degrees in plans to broaden UCAS.

• Post-16
• Careers
• UCAS
• College
• Apprenticeships

Victor Coert, President of ASCL Northern Ireland, comments following the announcement that the majority of teachers in Northern Ireland are to hold a half-day strike on February 21.

• Pay
• Northern Ireland
• Industrial action

Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the announcement of the government’s Children’s Social Care Implementation Strategy.

• Inclusion
• SEND
• Early years
• Education system

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the National Audit Office’s report on education recovery in schools in England.

• Budget
• Education recovery
• Education system
• Disadvantage Gap
• National Tutoring Programme

A snapshot survey conducted by the Association of School and College Leaders suggests the majority of schools have been affected by today’s strike by teachers in the National Education Union.

• Teaching
• Industrial action

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on talks this afternoon between Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and education unions including ASCL over teacher pay and the strike action planned by NEU members in England on Wednesday,  

• Recruitment and Retention
• Government
• Industrial action

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the Chancellor’s speech this morning.

• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• Education system
• Energy costs

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the National Foundation for Educational Research’s report that states the government’s plan to have all schools in a multi-academy trust (MAT) by 2030 is not possible.

• Recruitment and Retention
• MAT
• Policy
• Schools Bill

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s annual poverty report, which shows that there are 3.9million children living in poverty in the UK.

• Free school meals
• School meals
• Education system
• Energy costs

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to news that Ofsted will not be scheduling inspections on days of national or regional industrial action.

• Ofsted
• Industrial action

The Association of School and College Leaders has today published The Future of Inspection, a discussion paper seeking to fuel a debate that ultimately leads to a fairer, more constructive approach to school and college inspection.

• Inspection
• Ofsted

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on today’s talks between education unions and officials at the Department for Education over teacher and leader pay, recruitment and retention, and potential industrial action.

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention
• DfE
• Industrial action

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments on the written statement of Jeremy Miles, Minister for Education and Welsh Language, about the reintroduction in Wales of the Capped 9 points score measure of school performance in GCSEs.

• Cymru
• GCSE
• Performance measures

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on today’s talks with Education Secretary Gillian Keegan about teacher pay, the recruitment and retention crisis, and the prospect of industrial action. 

• Conditions
• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention
• DfE
• Industrial action

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ report on the real-terms cut to teacher pay since 2010. 

• Conditions
• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention

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, responds to the Prime Minister’s announcement of a new ambition of ensuring that all school pupils in England study some form of maths to the age of 18.  

• Curriculum
• Post-16
• Education system

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Prime Minister’s New Year speech.

• Teaching
• Learning
• Post-16
• Key Stage 4

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Department for Education announcement on renovation projects for 239 more schools and sixth forms, and further detail on school funding allocations next year.

• Funding
• Budget
• Health and safety

Tom Middlehurst, Curriculum, Assessment and Inspection Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of reviews by Ofqual, Pearson and OCR into the delayed VTQ results.

• Assessment
• Post-16
• Examinations
• Ofqual
• VTQs

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to research from the Education Policy Institute, which revealed the biggest increase in the disadvantage gap on record.

• Funding
• EPI
• Disadvantage Gap

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the publication of performance statistics for the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) by the Department of Education.

• Funding
• National Tutoring Programme

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to Ofsted’s annual report, which recognises that many problems in education are being caused or exacerbated by recruitment issues.

• Funding
• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• Ofsted
• School Cuts

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the IFS’s annual report on education funding in England, that states there has been no real-terms growth in the last 14 years.

• Funding
• Finance
• Government
• Education system

Graham Montgomery, ASCL Northern Ireland president, has written to Chris Heaton-Harris, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to express his dismay at the financial settlement for schools in 2022/23.

• Pay
• Funding
• Northern Ireland
• Energy costs
• School Cuts

Claire Armitstead, ASCL Cymru president, has warned that the lack of sufficient funding to cover the rising cost pressures on schools risks failing the generation of Covid learners.

• Funding
• Cymru
• Wales
• Legislation
• School Cuts

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the decision to scrap the Schools Bill.

• MAT
• Government
• Schools Bill

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the Department for Education announcement that schools and colleges in England will be allocated a share of £500 million to spend on energy efficiency upgrades.

• Funding
• Business Leadership
• Resources
• Energy costs

New projections for school funding, compiled by School Cuts, show that 90% of schools with comparable data will have lower per pupil funding in real terms in 2023-24 than in 2022-23. Real terms per-pupil funding is set to be cut by £147 over the same period. This is on top of historic real-terms cuts.   

• Funding
• Finance
• Parents
• Resources
• Government
• School Cuts

School and education leaders representing more than a million teachers, support staff and others working with children have embarked on a new drive to protect their pupils from the cost-of-living crisis with a letter to Prime Minister Liz Truss demanding Free School Meals are offered to all children in families receiving universal credit in England.  

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the publication of the Key Stage 4 performance tables.

• Assessment
• Data
• Examinations
• Key Stage 4
• Performance Tables
• Secondary
• Education recovery

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the findings from the National Foundation for Educational Research’s evaluation of the National Tutoring Programme.

• Funding
• Teaching
• Learning
• Education recovery
• National Tutoring Programme

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on pupil attendance statistics from the Department for Education published today.

• Health and Wellbeing
• Data
• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Risk assessment

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the IFS analysis that the public sector workforce may need to be cut by more than 200,000 by 2024 to stay within current government spending plans.

• Employment
• Pay
• Funding
• Government

Twelve organisations representing education staff, parents, governors and trustees have today written to Prime Minister Liz Truss and Education Secretary Kit Malthouse warning of their concern over the looming education funding crisis. 

• Funding
• Finance
• Resources
• Government
• DfE

The Association of School and College Leaders has written to Education Secretary Kit Malthouse expressing our dismay at some of the comments he made in his speech to the Conservative Party Conference on Tuesday.

• Leadership
• Funding
• Government
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders responds to plans being announced by Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to introduce fully funded breakfast clubs in every primary school in England.

• Funding
• Inclusion
• Health and Wellbeing
• Primary
• Key Stage 1
• Key Stage 2
• Free school meals

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on UCAS data about record numbers of students entering higher education.

• UCAS
• HE
• University
• Social Mobility

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

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, pays tribute to the Queen following the announcement of her death.

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Department for Education press release on an attendance drive as the new term starts for millions of pupils.

• Leadership
• Funding
• Attendance
• DfE
• Strategy

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the briefing from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) on the inflation squeeze on public services

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the announcement of the teachers’ pay award for 2022/23

Unions representing education staff, teachers and school leaders, have today written jointly to new Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Education, Andrea Jenkyns, to express their ‘grave concern’ over the incident in which she made an obscene gesture to the public outside Downing Street last week.

• Professional Standards
• Government
• Behaviour

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton today warned that teacher shortages had reached crisis point as a survey showed that more than 9 in 10 schools and colleges in England are experiencing difficulties in recruiting staff.

• Pay
• Funding
• Recruitment and Retention
• STRB

Kevin Gilmartin, post-16 specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the UCAS report about the experience of disabled students in education.

• Funding
• Inclusion
• Post-16
• Health and safety
• Disability
• UCAS
• College
• FE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on news that the government is scrapping several clauses in the Schools Bill.

• Funding
• Legislation
• Government
• DfE
• Schools Bill

Louise Hatswell, pay specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on research by the National Foundation for Educational Research showing that the Department for Education’s teacher pay proposals are unlikely to solve teacher supply problems in STEM subjects.  

• Pay
• Funding
• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• STRB

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Department for Education statistics on secondary and primary school applications and offers for entry in September 2022.

• Data
• DfE
• Admissions

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru comments on Estyn’s announcement that school inspections from the autumn will involve a deeper focus on the progress and attainment of pupils disadvantaged by poverty.

• Funding
• Wales
• Accountability
• ESTYN

On Monday, representatives of the Association of School and College Leaders in Northern Ireland met with the management side of the Teachers’ Negotiating Committee to consider the implications of the current NASUWT industrial action on schools. ASCL represents nearly 200 school leaders in Northern Ireland.

• Pay
• Funding
• Northern Ireland

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s food strategy.

• Funding
• Health and Wellbeing
• Government
• Free school meals

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders,  comments on the increase in the number of pupils in England eligible for free school meals.

• Funding
• Free school meals
• DfE
• School meals

Teachers say worsening hunger crisis damaging children’s prospects. School and Education Union leaders representing more than a million teachers, support staff and others working with children have written to the chancellor Rishi Sunak and the education secretary Nadhim Zahawi demanding free school meals are offered to all children in families receiving universal credit or equivalent benefits.    

• Funding
• Inclusion
• Health and Wellbeing
• Primary
• Parents
• Free school meals

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, pledges support to the Food Foundation’s demand for action on free school meals.

• Funding
• Health and Wellbeing
• Primary
• Health and safety
• Pupil Premium
• Free school meals
• School meals

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders comments on the government press release on a renewed focus on teacher training.

• Leadership
• Teaching
• Recruitment and Retention
• Early Career Framework
• Training

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the government press release on the next steps towards all schools being in, or in the process of joining, multi-academy trusts by 2030.

• Governance
• Governors and Trustees
• MAT
• Policy
• DfE
• Strategy

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the government press release on plans for a fundamental shift in children’s social care.

• Funding
• Pastoral
• Health and Wellbeing
• Health and safety
• Safeguarding
• Mental Health

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on research by the National Foundation for Education Research revealing that the most significant ethnic disparities in teacher career progression occur during early career stages.

• Leadership
• Recruitment and Retention
• Professional Development
• Diversity
• Careers
• NQTs
• Early Career Framework

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Department for Education press release about measures in the new Schools Bill.

• Leadership
• Government
• Policy
• DfE
• Strategy

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Schools Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech.

• Funding
• Legislation
• Government

Eithne Hughes, Director of ASCL Cymru, comments on the Welsh government’s announcement that Covid measures in schools will be relaxed, effective from 9 May.

• Cymru
• Wales
• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Risk assessment

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to the Department for Education press release about plans to publish data on each school’s take-up of the National Tutoring Programme.

• Funding
• Government
• Coronavirus
• Education recovery
• National Tutoring Programme

Eithne Hughes, Director of ASCL Cymru, comments on the publication by Estyn of the leaflet We don’t tell our teachers, but schools need to know – a report for learnerson peer-to-peer sexual abuse.

• Cymru
• Wales
• Safeguarding
• ESTYN
• Sexual harassment
• Sexual violence

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

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on today's updated guidance from JCQ on summer exams and Covid-19. 

• Assessment
• Examinations
• GCSE
• A Levels
• AS Levels
• Ofqual
• Coronavirus
• Risk assessment

Hayley Dunn, Business Leadership Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a Labour press release claiming that children’s learning and opportunities are being put at risk by rising energy prices.

• Funding
• Business Leadership
• Budget
• Finance
• Resources
• Energy costs

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the school attendance statistics published today by the Department for Education.

• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Risk assessment

Trade unions representing most of England’s school and college leaders have written jointly to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi calling on him to reconsider the decision to withdraw free Covid testing from pupils and staff. 

• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Risk assessment
• DfE

Eithne Hughes, Director of ASCL Cymru, comments on the joint announcement by the Welsh government and Plaid Cymru that free school meals will be made available to all primary school pupils in Wales by September 2024.

• Inclusion
• Cymru
• Wales
• Primary
• Free school meals

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government press release about the launch of the SEND and alternative provision green paper on Tuesday.

• SEND
• Government
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Department for Education press release outlining the schools white paper being launched on Monday.

• Leadership
• Parents
• Collaboration
• Literacy
• Government
• Policy
• DfE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on research carried out by the Education Policy Institute into learning loss from the pandemic published by the Department for Education.

• Leadership
• Teaching
• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Education recovery

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Chancellor’s spring statement.

• Funding
• Budget
• Finance
• Government

Eithne Hughes, Director of ASCL Cymru, comments on the latest school attendance statistics published by the Welsh government.

• Funding
• Cymru
• Wales
• Health and safety
• Attendance
• Risk assessment
• Strategy

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the school attendance statistics published today by the Department for Education.

• Health and Wellbeing
• Data
• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Risk assessment

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton's address to ASCL Annual Conference 2022.

• Leadership
• ASCL

ASCL President Pepe Di'lasio's keynote address to ASCL Annual Conference 2022 on 11 March 2022.

• Leadership
• ASCL

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the school attendance statistics published today by the Department for Education.

• Leadership
• Data
• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Attendance

Eithne Hughes, Director of ASCL Cymru, summarises the pay award evidence presented by the Association of School and College Leaders to the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB) about teacher pay awards for 2022 and 2023.

• Conditions
• Pay
• Cymru
• Wales

On Thursday 3 March, organisations representing virtually all teachers and school leaders in England submitted a joint statement to the School Teachers’ Review Body.

• Conditions
• Employment
• Pay
• STRB

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Department for Education press release that a consultation will be launched on Wednesday seeking views on plans to reform post-16 qualifications at level 2 and below.

• Assessment
• Post-16
• Qualifications

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders comments on the Department for Education’s announcement on post-qualifications admissions as part of the consultation on its higher education policy statement and reform.

• Assessment
• Post-16
• Examinations
• A Levels
• BTEC
• HE
• University
• Post-18
• College
• FE
• Qualifications

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the school attendance statistics published today by the Department for Education.

• Leadership
• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Risk assessment

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders comments on the government’s announcement that Covid self-isolation and testing rules will end on Thursday 24 February.

• Health and safety
• Government
• Coronavirus
• Risk assessment

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the Health Secretary’s announcement that he accepts the JCVI recommendation to offer Covid vaccinations to primary school-aged children from April.

• Primary
• Key Stage 1
• Key Stage 2
• Health and safety
• Government
• Coronavirus
• Risk assessment

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders comments on the announcement by Digital Minister Chris Philip that the Online Safety Bill will be strengthened to better protect children from online pornography.

• Safeguarding
• Social Media
• RSE
• Digital
• Everyone's Invited
• Sexual harassment

Kevin Gilmartin, Post 16 Specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders comments on the call by the Office for Students (OfS) for universities and colleges to work much more closely with schools to improve exam results.

• Post-16
• A Levels
• AS Levels
• UCAS
• University
• College
• FE

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders comments on the school attendance statistics published today by the Department for Education.

• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Risk assessment

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders comments on the publication of an Ofsted report into attendance levels in schools. 

• Funding
• Teaching
• Ofsted
• Safeguarding
• Attendance

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders comments on the release today [7 February] of details of exam adaptations and advance information.

• Curriculum
• Assessment
• Examinations
• GCSE
• A Levels
• AS Levels
• Ofqual
• Coronavirus

Eithne Hughes, Director of ASCL Cymru, comments on the latest school attendance statistics published by the Welsh government. 

• Cymru
• Government
• Attendance
• Education recovery

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the press release about the government’s levelling up white paper.

• Leadership
• Funding
• Post-16
• Finance
• Government
• Early years
• Policy
• DfE

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments on the Education Minister’s announcement that Covid measures will be scaled down.

• Leadership
• Cymru
• Wales
• Business Leadership
• Coronavirus
• Risk assessment
• Strategy

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders comments on the Prime Minister’s announcement in the House of Commons that students will no longer be required to wear face masks in classrooms from Thursday 20 January.

• Health and safety
• Government
• Coronavirus
• Risk assessment

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton comments on the Department for Education announcement that it will press ahead with controversial changes to the way GCSE French, German and Spanish is assessed.

• Teaching
• Curriculum
• Assessment
• MFL
• Key Stage 4
• GCSE

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton comments on the latest school attendance statistics.

• Leadership
• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Risk assessment

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton comments on the government’s decision to recommend that face coverings are worn in classrooms for students in Year 7 and above in light of the Omicron variant surge.

• Post-16
• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Secondary
• Risk assessment
• Face coverings

Six trade unions representing the majority of education staff have issued a joint statement prior to the return of schools and colleges for the spring term. The statement is from ASCL, GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU and UNISON.

• Leadership
• Health and safety
• Planning
• Government
• Coronavirus
• Policy
• Risk assessment
• Face coverings
• DfE

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton comments on the school attendance figures published today by the DfE. 

• Data
• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Risk assessment

ASCL General Secretary Geoff Barton comments on the school inspection results data published today by Ofsted.

• Accountability
• Inspection
• Ofsted
• Coronavirus

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the report of the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee on children and young people’s mental health.

• Funding
• Learning
• Pastoral
• Health and Wellbeing
• Resources
• Mental Health
• Government

Julie McCulloch, ASCL Director of Policy, comments on Labour’s warning about the government’s failure to put ventilation measures in place in schools.

• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Risk assessment
• Carbon dioxide monitors

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on DfE statistics on the initial teacher training census for the academic year 2021/22.

• Employment
• Pay
• Recruitment and Retention
• Career Progression
• Early Career Framework
• Training

New analysis released today by school leaders’ union NAHT, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the National Governance Association (NGA) and WomenEd, shows that the pay gap between male and female school leaders has worsened over the last decade.

• Pay
• Pensions
• Recruitment and Retention
• Career Progression
• STRB
• STPCD
• Governors and Trustees
• Professional Development

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.

• Health and safety
• Planning
• Coronavirus
• Attendance
• Risk assessment
• Vaccination
• Face coverings

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the reopening of the Covid workforce fund to provide financial assistance to schools and colleges in covering staff absences.

• Leadership
• Funding
• Teaching
• Health and safety
• Resources
• Coronavirus

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on the government’s announcement that children aged 12 to 15 will be invited for a second Covid vaccine dose as part of the response to the new Omicron varian​t.

• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Secondary
• Risk assessment
• Vaccination

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on advice issued to schools and colleges by the Department for Education on new measures in response to the Omicron variant of Covid-19. 

• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Risk assessment
• Face coverings

Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, comments on a Department for Education email telling secondary schools to prepare to test their pupils on-site on return to school in January.

• Health and safety
• Coronavirus
• Risk assessment
• DfE

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

• Leadership
• Conditions
• Health and Wellbeing
• Workload
• Mental Health

Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru comments on the publication of the revised Curriculum for Wales guidance. 

• Leadership
• Learning
• Curriculum
• Cymru
• Wales
• Curriculum

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders comments on the report from the Education and Skills Funding Agency on the school resource management adviser (SRMA) pilot programme.

• Funding
• Business Leadership
• Financial planning
• Budget
• Finance
• Resources