The Week in Education: What mattered for STEM
A neutral, classroom-focused round-up for UK teachers • 10–15 December 2025
Free schools shake-up: 46 projects scrapped; special/AP pipeline paused Schools Week
Government cancelled dozens of mainstream free school projects and placed many special and alternative provision schemes in limbo, diverting capital towards local authorities instead. For STEM, the near-term impact is pressure on places, SEND capacity and local planning for specialist facilities.
Read the Schools Week report
SEND funding tilt: mainstream expansion raises special-school concerns Tes
Sector voices questioned whether the new mainstream SEND places programme risks short-changing special schools at a time of rising complexity and demand. STEM departments should anticipate more in-class adjustments and joint planning with SENCOs for practical work and assessments.
Read the Tes analysis
Ofsted: beware ‘inflexible’ behaviour policies for pupils with SEND Tes
A joint Ofsted/CQC report warned that rigid rules can disadvantage pupils with SEND and push them out of school. Practical takeaway for STEM: codify reasonable adjustments for labs, including equipment routines, pre-teaching of safety language and alternative evidence routes for practical competencies.
Read the Ofsted/CQC coverage
Data download: safeguarding, malpractice and absence trends in one place Schools Week
A useful round-up pulled key government data sets together, including child exploitation, exam malpractice and attendance. Department leaders can use these to stress-test behaviour systems and exam protocols ahead of mocks and practicals.
See the 4 takeaways
On-screen exams by 2030? Pilot subjects invited by Ofqual Schools Week
Ofqual opened the door for exam boards to propose two lower-entry on-screen specifications as the first step towards wider digitisation. STEM teams should assess device access, invigilation logistics and the impact on diagrams, formula entry and coding responses.
Read the assessment update
Two elite sixth forms approved; a third blocked FE Week
Eton College and Star Academies received approval for two of three proposed post-16 colleges. For advisers, expect local interest in STEM A-levels and high-attainment pathways, plus questions about admissions and transport.
Read FE Week coverage
Apprenticeships: Pearson drops out of EPA top-10; pass rate rebounds FE Week
Latest Ofqual statistics showed movement among end-point assessment organisations and a first-time pass rate back above 90%. Update employer briefings and apprenticeship guidance for Y11–13 accordingly.
See the stats story
What on-screen exams mean for FE maths/English resits FE Week
A FE-focused take on Ofqual’s digital assessment plan highlights practicalities for resit cohorts, including accessibility and centre readiness. Consider parallel paper options and device contingencies.
Read FE Week’s angle
Discipline and SEND on the national agenda Sky News
Sky reported on a case of harsh discipline at an ‘Outstanding’ school and ran explainer clips on the £3 billion SEND commitment. The themes dovetail with Ofsted’s attendance/behaviour narrative and sector debate about mainstream vs special provision.
Education topic page (10–12 Dec items)
Early years language: ‘Concept Cat’ shows promise (implementation notes inside) EEF
EEF highlighted a promising programme for early verbal concepts with reflections on careful implementation. Primary STEM leads can adapt ideas for vocabulary-rich science talk and pattern language in early maths.
Read the EEF blog (10 Dec)
Reflections & prompts for STEM teams
- Practical entitlement & SEND: Audit where rigid routines might unintentionally disadvantage pupils with SEND (e.g., equipment issue, lining up for labs). Write a one-page “reasonable adjustments in practicals” guide and trial for two weeks.
- Digital exams rehearsal: Run a 30-minute on-screen mock for a past GCSE science/computing short-answer paper. Log device failures, accessibility needs, and invigilation tweaks.
- Destinations advice: After the sixth-form decisions and EPA stats, update option-evening slides with: admissions criteria for local elite pathways, EPA provider checks, and routes into engineering/digital for apprenticeships.
- Local place planning: With free-school changes, check your LA’s capacity picture for 2026–27. Where STEM labs are constrained, agree a technician-hours protection plan before options blocks are finalised.
- Early language in STEM: Share the EEF early-years piece; identify two science/maths vocabulary routines to adopt in EYFS/KS1 (e.g., concept talk cards; “say-show-draw”).
- Data to practice: Use the “four things we learned” article to pick one safeguarding or malpractice process to tighten before spring mocks (e.g., lab invigilation scripts, storage of calculators/devices).
Note: This blog post is an AI curated summary of news articles from various sources. The aim is to provide educators with a comprehensive overview of recent developments in the education sector. All hyperlinks direct readers to the original news articles for further reading.