The Week in Education: What mattered for STEM teachers

An educator-facing long-read pulling together key stories from Tes, Schools Week, FE Week and the EEF. Duplicate coverage has been consolidated, with links to the original stories.

Quick map (if you only have two minutes)

• Teacher pay dominated the week, with a 3.5% rise for 2026–27, a further 3% from September 2027, and schools expected to find the first 1% each year.
• Heatwave disruption stayed live, with DfE messaging to schools criticised after closures and early finishes during extreme heat.
• Assessment systems remained under pressure, with KS2 Sats results delayed by more than a week because of technical issues.
• RISE regional plans were published, setting out local school improvement priorities around attendance, attainment, Reception quality and mainstream inclusion.
• Inclusive teaching moved from principle to practice, with the EEF publishing a new guide and warnings against adaptations that lower expectations.
• SEND pressures continued to build, including warning signs around tribunal backlogs and rising appeal volumes.
• Post-16 careers and assessment faced fresh scrutiny, with careers support in colleges falling sharply and Ofqual warning about coursework in the AI era.

1) Teacher pay: 3.5% announced, but schools still face a funding gap

Tes reported that teachers will be offered a 3.5% pay rise for 2026–27, followed by a 3% rise from September 2027. The DfE said it would provide additional funding to schools across both years, but schools will still need to find the first 1% of the pay rise in each year.

This matters because pay decisions do not land in isolation. Schools are already managing inflation, falling rolls in some areas, SEND pressure, estates costs and recruitment challenges. A partially funded pay award may support retention, but it also creates difficult decisions if the shortfall has to come from staffing, support roles, CPD, curriculum resources or enrichment.

STEM departments should pay close attention to what gets squeezed. Technician time, practical consumables, equipment maintenance, small post-16 groups and subject-specific CPD are all easy to cut quietly, but they are core to safe, high-quality STEM provision.

2) FE pay: colleges get extra money, but distribution details matter

FE Week reported that colleges and training providers will receive £485m over two years to help match school teacher pay rises. The funding includes £120m in 2026–27 and £365m in 2027–28, but sector leaders were still waiting for detail on how it will be distributed.

This is significant for STEM pathways. If FE cannot offer competitive pay, colleges struggle to recruit and retain staff with technical expertise, especially in areas such as engineering, computing, construction, health sciences and green skills. That affects the quality and availability of post-16 technical routes for young people.

The school-facing takeaway is simple: when advising students, do not assume that all local technical provision has equal capacity. Local staffing, facilities and employer links shape what a course can actually deliver.

3) Heatwave follow-up: schools criticised DfE messaging after closures

Tes reported criticism of a DfE message sent to schools that had closed or finished early during the previous week’s heatwave. School leaders described the tone as patronising and lacking empathy, arguing that decisions to close were taken because many buildings were not equipped to keep pupils and staff safe in exceptionally high temperatures.

The issue is bigger than one message. Heatwaves are becoming a planning problem for schools, especially where classrooms lack ventilation, shade or cooling. In STEM subjects, the risks can be greater: laboratories and workshops may contain heat-generating equipment, PPE, chemicals, computers or crowded practical spaces.

Departments should have a “hot weather practicals” plan: which activities can continue, which need adapting, and which must be postponed. Safe learning conditions are part of curriculum quality, not a separate estates issue.

4) KS2 Sats results delayed: another reminder that assessment systems need resilience

Tes reported that the release of key stage 2 Sats results has been delayed by more than a week because of technical issues affecting Pearson systems. The DfE said it would explore options including financial penalties and potential contract cancellation, while Pearson apologised for the disruption.

This comes after several recent assessment issues involving digital platforms, on-screen papers and online marking. The lesson is not that digital systems are inherently bad, but that assessment infrastructure has to be robust enough for high-stakes use.

For STEM teachers, assessment reliability matters because pupils and families place huge trust in exam systems. When technical problems occur, schools need clear communication, calm reassurance and a process for recording any concerns, especially where results influence setting, intervention, transition or confidence.

5) RISE regional plans: national priorities, local pressure points

Tes reported that the DfE has published regional plans for its RISE school improvement teams. The plans focus on four national priorities: attendance, attainment, Reception-year quality and mainstream inclusion, while also identifying regional issues such as falling rolls, coastal disadvantage and SEND attainment gaps.

This is useful because it shows how national reform is being translated into local priorities. Schools may begin to see more targeted improvement conversations shaped by regional data and delivery partnerships.

STEM teams should look for the local angle. In some areas, the issue may be KS2 writing and early language; in others, secondary inclusion, absence, or low SEND attainment. Those priorities affect how leaders allocate CPD time, intervention, curriculum review and subject support.

6) Inclusive teaching: strong everyday practice first, then carefully chosen adaptations

The EEF published a new guide to inclusive teaching, designed to help schools develop evidence-led inclusion strategies before the end of the year. Tes highlighted one of the most useful warnings from the guide: adaptations are not automatically effective just because they are well-intentioned.

The EEF emphasises high-quality classroom practice, including explicit instruction, effective feedback, scaffolding that gradually builds independence, positive teacher-pupil relationships and calm, predictable environments. It also warns that some adaptations can reduce cognitive demand, lower expectations or unintentionally limit opportunities for pupils to think deeply.

This is extremely relevant to STEM. In practical subjects, inclusion is not about removing the thinking. It is about making the route into the thinking clearer: structured methods, visual instructions, vocabulary support, worked examples, equipment routines and alternative ways to show understanding where needed.

7) SEND tribunals: backlog warning shows the scale of system strain

Tes reported IFS analysis warning that SEND cases are helping to drive record tribunal backlogs. The number of appeals to the SEND tribunal has risen sharply in recent years, with appeals opening faster than cases can be resolved.

This matters for schools because tribunal pressure is a symptom of families not getting timely, trusted decisions earlier in the system. It also creates uncertainty for pupils, families and schools while provision is disputed or delayed.

STEM departments cannot solve the tribunal system, but they can help reduce avoidable friction by keeping clear records of what pupils can access, what adaptations have been tried, what works in practical lessons and where specialist support is genuinely needed.

8) Curriculum: RE moves toward national curriculum status, while post-16 reform remains in flux

Schools Week reported that religious education will form part of the national curriculum after consensus was reached with faith groups. Although this is not a STEM subject, it matters because curriculum reform is a system-wide process: every subject is watching how entitlement, national expectations and local flexibility are balanced.

For STEM, the equivalent question is always: what is the entitlement every pupil should receive, regardless of school, region or background? That includes practical science, computing, mathematical fluency, environmental literacy and meaningful encounters with STEM pathways.

FE Week also carried useful post-16 commentary on qualification changes, T Levels, V Levels and the wider reform landscape. Schools do not need to track every technical detail, but they do need to understand enough to guide pupils clearly through routes after 16.

9) AI and coursework: assessment design is being forced to catch up

FE Week reported comments from Ofqual chief Ian Bauckham warning that written coursework plans will face far more scrutiny under reformed qualifications because of the risk of AI-generated work substituting for genuine human endeavour.

This is directly relevant to STEM subjects with extended tasks, practical write-ups, project work or non-exam assessment. The issue is not simply whether a pupil used AI. It is whether the assessment still captures their reasoning, decision-making, method choices and understanding.

A practical response is to redesign tasks so thinking remains visible: in-class components, oral explanations, draft trails, annotated calculations, practical observations, error analysis and short “why did you choose this method?” reflections.

10) Careers support in colleges: activity has fallen sharply

FE Week reported that careers support for college and sixth-form students has fallen sharply in two years, with careers lessons, face-to-face advice, mentoring and employer visits all declining according to student survey data.

Students said they wanted more work experience, clearer information about apprenticeships and employment routes, and stronger links between their courses and future careers. The report also highlighted attendance barriers, including transport, finance, mental health and caring responsibilities.

This has a clear STEM capital angle. Employer encounters, placements and practical careers guidance are not extras for young people considering technical routes. They are often the difference between “that sounds interesting” and “I can see how I could get there”.

11) T Levels and progression: “gold-standard” routes still need clearer destinations

FE Week reported analysis suggesting that T Levels still rarely lead to top universities, despite being presented as a high-quality technical route. This is not an argument against T Levels, but it is a reminder that routes need transparent progression information.

For schools, the advice challenge is getting more complex. Pupils and families need to know which courses lead to which destinations, what local employers value, which universities recognise specific qualifications and what support exists if a learner changes direction.

STEM careers guidance should avoid vague hierarchy. A levels, T Levels, apprenticeships and other technical routes can all be strong options, but only when they are matched well to the learner, the destination and the local quality of provision.

Reflections & prompts for STEM teams

1) Pay and protection: If budgets tighten after the pay award, what STEM essentials must be protected? Name them now: technician time, practical consumables, equipment maintenance, small option groups and subject CPD.

2) Heatwave planning: Create a simple department heat plan: practicals that can continue, practicals that need adapting, practicals that must be postponed, and rooms that become high-risk during hot weather.

3) Assessment resilience: Agree a calm communication script for delays, errors or technical failures in assessment. Pupils need reassurance and a clear route for concerns, not rumours.

4) Regional improvement priorities: Check which RISE priorities apply most strongly in your area. How do they connect to STEM teaching: attendance, attainment, early language, inclusion or disadvantage?

5) Inclusive teaching: Review one adaptation you use regularly. Does it increase access while keeping the thinking demanding, or does it accidentally lower expectations? Adjust accordingly.

6) SEND evidence: For pupils with significant needs, record what works in practical lessons, not just what the need is. “Visual method card and staged equipment issue” is more useful than “needs support”.

7) AI-proofing coursework: Add one visible-thinking element to extended tasks: draft trail, oral explanation, annotated working, in-class component or reflection on method choice.

8) Careers and destinations: Update one careers slide with local post-16 STEM routes, including what each route leads to, what entry requirements apply and what questions pupils should ask about progression.