The Week in Education: What mattered for STEM

Secretary of State in the hot seat: recruitment, SEND, phones Schools Week

At the 3 December Education Committee session, Bridget Phillipson addressed teacher supply, SEND budgets, language take-up and expectations around mobile phones. The headline for classrooms is continuity on standards with firmer behaviour and attendance messaging, while funding and recruitment pressures remain unresolved.

Ofsted annual report: attendance, behaviour and the “out of step” warning Schools Week

Ofsted warned that too many pupils are “out of step with school life”, linking persistent absence with behaviour concerns. For STEM, missed pre-lab briefings and safety routines can widen gaps and raise risk, so consider flexible catch-up pathways for practical work.

New inspection framework: what ‘good’ means now Schools Week

Early experiences under the report-card model suggest clearer criteria but a higher bar for meeting the expected standard, with workload pinch points for smaller schools and stand-alone trusts. Expect deeper discussion of curriculum sequencing, practical entitlement and assessment validity in science, maths and computing.

Pupil numbers projected to fall by ~6% Schools Week

New projections sharpen choices for policymakers: adjust staffing/estates or raise per-pupil funding. In STEM, this flows into set sizes, double-period availability, technician hours and post-16 course viability.

Behaviour & Attendance Hubs: how support will work Schools Week

DfE outlined operation of 90 behaviour and attendance hubs, with regional and enhanced offers. Look for portable routines—entry, equipment issue, transitions—that reclaim minutes in practical lessons.

Inclusion under scrutiny: neurodiversity, AP data, homelessness duty

PINS neurodiversity programme Schools Week

Interim evaluation suggests only about half of participating primaries received the full offer—useful when planning staff training and intervention sequencing.

Alternative provision data quality Schools Week

The Children’s Commissioner warns many AP settings can only estimate pupils on roll—sobering for safeguarding and transition planning.

Homelessness notification duty Schools Week

Plans for councils to notify schools when a child enters temporary accommodation—expect tighter multi-agency coordination.

Attendance narratives: beware headline averages Tes

Tes’ attendance hub highlights why aggregate figures can mislead without cohort-level analysis (SEND, EAL, mobility). STEM teams might separately monitor attendance for practical lessons and adjust assessment windows to keep labs equitable.

Physics recruitment: rise in international trainees Tes

Initial teacher training data indicate a notable rise in international entrants to physics. The Institute of Physics urges close oversight to maintain quality and supply. Protect mentoring time and subject induction for new colleagues.

MATs & improvement tempo: where RISE spend is going Tes

Investigations track how nearly £19m of RISE funding has been used and whether the remaining pot can keep pace with report-card inspections. Align internal improvement cycles without adding unnecessary admin.

FE & skills: signals that shape STEM pathways FE Week

Foundation apprenticeships & youth pilots: DWP trailed new routes and a £140m pilot to link young people with opportunities (watch for technical copycats in engineering and digital).

HE franchise crackdown: tighter registration rules to curb franchise fraud—relevant for sixth-form advice on post-18 routes.

NCFE cyber incident: assessments due to resume—vital for apprenticeship continuity.

Provider closure: Acacia Training moving toward administration—check on-roll learners and transfers.

Lead indicators for outcomes: a commission argues for early engagement metrics to steer FE success.

EDI in FE leadership (op-ed): asks why Black leaders remain under-represented—useful for governance and talent pipelines.

Awards season: Apprenticeship & Training Awards 2026 finalists announced—great for assemblies and provider spotlights.

T & V Levels analysis: candid look at shortcomings and how to improve the system.

EEF this week: early maths, 16–19 PD, adaptive teaching EEF

Early maths evaluations: new findings for two programmes aimed at strengthening early number and pattern understanding—helpful for KS2–3 transition thinking.

Podcast: effective professional development in 16–19 settings—timely for spring planning.

Blog: feedback and metacognition as the engine room of adaptive teaching.

Safeguarding in Scotland: national review of grooming-gang evidence Sky News

The Scottish Government ordered a national review of evidence on grooming gangs, led jointly by education, policing and care inspectorates. Expect renewed emphasis on PSHE/RSE alignment, digital safety and multi-agency working.

Reflections & prompts for STEM teams

• Attendance & labs: Where do pupils most often miss critical safety briefings? Trial a 3-minute recap at the start of every practical and track near-miss/incident data for two weeks.
• Behaviour hubs → micro-routines: Choose one routine (entry task, kit issue, whiteboard checks) to standardise across KS3 science; measure minutes-on-task reclaimed.
• Curriculum & capacity: If roll falls, model two timetables—(A) protect double-period practicals; (B) compress them. Which protects attainment and workload best?
• Recruitment & mentoring: For any new specialist—especially international physics colleagues—ring-fence a weeks-1–12 mentoring cadence (co-planning + lesson study + subject knowledge).
• Post-16 guidance: Refresh Y11–13 slides with foundation apprenticeship news, NCFE recovery status and a checklist for assessing franchised HE courses.
• Pedagogy: Share the EEF adaptive-teaching blog in a 10-minute CPD slot; ask colleagues to trial one feedback/metacognitive tweak and bring examples to department time.