Keeping up to date with the latest educational news and research through the STEM Community
Here at STEM Learning our Education Team produce education and research updates on the STEM Community. This months bulletin has just landed and will be shared with more than 20,000 educators throughout the country.
Headline news
DfE: Extra cash will 'ease' energy costs when support ends
Support for rising costs remains top of the agenda with most schools and colleges. The DfE have said that they expect additional school funding to help ease the pressure of rising energy bills when a support scheme ends in March. This announcement follows the recent review of school budgets by the Chancellor, resulting in an increase of £2.3 billion in each of the next two years. You can read more about the plan here.
General news
New EEF guide: Making a difference with effective tutoring
The EEF have published a new guide to support school leaders to implement tutoring effectively in their setting. It focuses on three central principles:
- Selecting pupils and scheduling sessions effectively
- Aligning tutoring with curriculum and assessment
- Creating a sustainable tutoring model
Four in five 'outstanding' schools lose top Ofsted grade
More than four-fifths of 'outstanding' schools inspected last year lost their coveted top grade, Ofsted has said, after their exemption from inspection was finally removed.
Chief inspector Amanda Spielman said the outcomes from the first full year of inspections since it was scrapped "show that removing a school from scrutiny does not make it better". A fifth dropped at least two grades.Early years and Primary
EEF blog: Developmental Progressions in Early Maths
This blog from the EEF explores the importance of developing practitioners' understanding of how children learn mathematics.
Best start in life: a research review for early years
Ofsted have published a subject-based curriculum research review focused on early years education. Among the key findings:
- Careful thinking is needed on what content to leave out of the curriculum
- Play is essential for children's development
- Fill gaps so all children can access the curriculum
- Consider local context
- All children should have the chance to develop a full range of interests
Secondary
"Now the whole school is reading" : supporting struggling readers in secondary school
Ofsted have carried out a research project on struggling readers in secondary schools. This report sets outs the findings and recommendations.Post-16
A-level disadvantage gap is the widest since records began
New Ofqual data shows that the disadvantage gap at A-level is the widest since it was introduced six years ago. The A-level disadvantage gap reflects the same trends at secondary and primary – where the gap widened to its largest in 10 years. The Sutton Trust said the gap is largely being driven by poorer pupils with higher prior attainment at GCSE falling behind their classmates.
3 gamechangers for FE
Gillian Keegan delivered her first speech to the FE sector in her new role as Education Secretary at the Association of Colleges conference. She highlighted three 'gamechangers' for FE:
- Local skills improvement plans 'will work'
- Institutes of Technology
- Excellent teaching in FE
Research
Understanding what makes some schools stressful places to work
FFT have produced a blog on what can make schools stressful places to work. It provides further links to research explaining the differences in job satisfaction and the desire to quit among teachers.
Opportunities
Gatsby Foundation Technical Education Networks
The Gatsby Foundation are establishing a new programme, Technical Education Networks, to support technical education teachers to deliver excellent subject-specific teaching through undertaking research, producing free teaching materials, and hosting route conferences to share expertise.
Activity will be established in five routes, including Science, initially focusing on support for T Levels delivery. At the heart of each network is a core group of teachers working in collaboration with employers and other key stakeholders, and recruitment of the science core group of teachers is now open.
Benefits of joining the programme include steering the direction of the teaching materials and opportunities to engage with the research and the publishing process.
To express interest in joining this network, please complete the short form here.
Embedding formative assessment
Due to funding from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), through the DfE's Accelerator Fund, the Schools, Students and Teachers Network (SSAT) is able to offer a limited number of schools with a secondary phase based in England funding for the Embedding Formative Assessment Programme. Further details are available here.