UK Education Round‑up (STEM‑first): 10–16 September 2025
An evidence‑rich, 15‑minute read for UK teachers across STEM and beyond, covering notable stories from 10–16 September 2025 (inclusive) and items published in the last 7 days on the sources below. Duplicate stories have been merged rather than repeated. All links go to original pieces so you can dig deeper.
Sources checked this week: Schools Week, FE Week, Tes Magazine, Sky News (Education/UK), Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). (BBC News – Education blocks automated access; if you spot a must‑include BBC link for this window, send it over and I’ll add it.)
1) SEND system under the microscope: principles, pressure and parents’ concerns
What’s new
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New minister sets out principles: Georgia Gould outlined reform principles that put teacher/pupil voice at the forefront and commit to a legal right to additional support. Useful context for SENCOs and department leads who are planning provision this term.
👉 Read: Schools Week — New minister reveals SEND reform principles (15 Sept).
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Parents fear loss of legal protections: Data‑led explainer on why families are worried about potential changes to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Includes local‑authority timeliness data and case studies you can use in briefings.
👉 Read: Sky News (UK) — Why are parents worried about Labour’s possible changes to education for children with special needs? (15 Sept).
Why it matters for STEM
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If EHCP processes or thresholds shift, departments may see changes in demand for in‑class adjustments, 1:1 support, exam arrangements and small‑group interventions in practical subjects.
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The minister’s emphasis on teacher/pupil voice strengthens the case for co‑designing reasonable adjustments in labs and workshops (e.g., seating, visual supports, quiet prep rooms, risk‑assessed alternatives for practicals) and documenting them well.
Quick takeaways
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Audit current adjustments for pupils with plans and for those on SEN Support (most pupils with SEND do not have an EHCP).
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Build a one‑page “practical safety profile” for each pupil with SEND whose curriculum includes labs/DT workshops, so cover teachers and technicians can act safely and consistently.
2) Inspection landscape: Report cards arrive — sector scepticism grows
What’s new
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Ofsted won’t publish consultation breakdown: The inspectorate released final plans for school report cards but declined to publish quantitative analysis of consultation responses, prompting transparency concerns.
👉 Read: Schools Week — Ofsted keeps report cards support (or lack of) secret (12 Sept).
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Teacher support for ditching one‑word grades plunges: Following details of the new model, a Teacher Tapp poll shows support for removing headline grades has fallen sharply.
👉 Read: Schools Week — Fewer teachers now support ditching headline Ofsted grades (10 Sept).
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FE angle — DfE promises ‘pragmatic’ interventions under the new, colour‑coded FE/skills report cards, with engagement planned to set out intervention triggers.
👉 Read: FE Week — Ofsted reform: DfE commits to ‘pragmatic’ intervention approach (12 Sept).
Why it matters for STEM
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Report cards will likely raise the profile of granular curriculum and inclusion evidence. STEM departments should expect sharper questions about practical pedagogy, safety, sequencing, participation of disadvantaged and SEND learners, and progression routes (including T Levels, apprenticeships and A level sciences).
Quick takeaways
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Refresh your departmental self‑evaluation with short evidence snapshots (curriculum intent in a paragraph, sequencing map, practical entitlement, participation/attainment by group, enrichment).
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Keep a ready‑to‑show practicals register: what students actually did, by class, including missed/alternative practicals and catch‑up opportunities.
3) Attendance & safeguarding tech: outages and ‘internal truancy’
What’s new
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MIS outage hits schools at start of term: Bromcom service problems (4–9 Sept) left some schools unable to pay suppliers, run clubs or access timetables; leaders reported safeguarding admin being hampered.
👉 Read: Schools Week — MIS outage leaves schools in the lurch (11 Sept).
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The hidden attendance problem: Beyond absence, Tes investigated internal truancy — pupils physically present but absent from learning — adding fresh nuance to attendance strategies.
👉 Read: Tes — The hidden problem inside the attendance crisis (12 Sept).
Why it matters for STEM
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In practical subjects, internal truancy shows up as missed demos, incomplete practical write‑ups, and safety briefings not heard.
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MIS resilience is now a safeguarding concern; STEM staff often rely on MIS for class lists, medical alerts and risk‑assessment flags before practicals.
Quick takeaways
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Create paper‑light fallbacks: laminated class lists with medical/SEND icons (no sensitive details), offline practical checklists, and an emergency attendance sheet for lesson 1.
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For internal truancy, trial “micro‑retrieval check‑ins” (30–60s) during practicals and theory to verify core understanding before pupils move on.
4) Languages and the STEM pipeline: funding squeeze for hubs
What’s new
Why it matters for STEM
Quick takeaways
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Plan at least one cross‑curricular STEM‑Languages project per key stage (e.g., building bilingual lab signage; analysing scientific abstracts in another language).
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Tap local employers/universities to co‑host multilingual STEM talks.
5) Cyber security in schools: students as an ‘insider’ risk
What’s new
Why it matters for STEM
Quick takeaways
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Introduce credential drills once per term (password manager 101; phishing spot‑the‑signs; do‑not‑share norms for homework platforms).
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Ring‑fence technician accounts with MFA, and never share logins for convenience during practicals.
6) Evidence to action: updated Pupil Premium guidance and barriers
What’s new
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EEF publishes an updated digital‑first Guide to the Pupil Premium, alongside analysis of 1,255 school statements. The top barriers cited: literacy (83%), attendance (78%), and SEMH/wellbeing (74%).
👉 Read: EEF press release — Schools identify low literacy skills and poor attendance as the biggest challenges to disadvantaged pupils’ attainment (10 Sept).
👉 Read: EEF explainer — How our updated Guide to the Pupil Premium can help you… (11 Sept).
(Tes also highlighted these barriers on 10 Sept; to avoid duplication we’ve linked the primary EEF sources.)
Why it matters for STEM
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The three barriers map directly onto KS3–5 science and maths attainment. Disciplinary literacy (e.g., data commentary, proportional reasoning, multi‑step problem explanations) and attendance to practicals are high‑leverage.
Quick takeaways
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Update your PP tiered plan with one explicit disciplinary‑literacy action per STEM subject (e.g., ‘describe‑explain‑evaluate’ sentence frames in science; ‘because‑therefore’ proofs in maths).
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Track practical entitlement by PP/EHCP status to ensure equitable hands‑on experience.
7) International classroom trends: attention & self‑management
What’s new
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A Cambridge International survey of 3,000+ teachers reports that 88% believe student attention spans have decreased, with self‑management skills seen as crucial yet hard to teach.
👉 Read: Tes — Teachers across the world see student attention decreasing (16 Sept).
Why it matters for STEM
Quick takeaways
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Build two‑column practical sheets (left: steps; right: ‘what good looks like’ checks).
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Use 1‑minute metacognition at the end of practicals (“Which step tripped you up and how will you tackle it next time?”).
8) Estates & infrastructure: LocatED to be absorbed by DfE
What’s new
Why it matters for STEM
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Estates decisions affect prep rooms, fume cupboards, gas supply, secure chemical storage and specialist classroom layouts. Centralisation could streamline (or slow) approvals for refurb projects.
Quick takeaways
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Keep an up‑to‑date specialist‑rooms asset register (extraction, gas isolation, eyewash, electrical isolation, storage).
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Align bids with curriculum changes (e.g., extra physics benches for larger cohorts) and safety compliance (CLEAPSS/BS EN standards).
9) FE & skills: medals, role models and report cards
What’s new
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Team UK wins six medals at EuroSkills Herning, including bronze in Industry 4.0 and five Medallions for Excellence.
👉 Read: FE Week — Team UK takes six medals at EuroSkills Herning (13 Sept).
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Competition wraps with ministerial backing and strong performances across disciplines.
👉 Read: FE Week — EuroSkills 2025: Competition comes to a roaring close (12 Sept).
Why it matters for STEM
Quick takeaways
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Run a “Skills Olympics” assembly with short clips and local employer shout‑outs; link to T Levels and apprenticeships in digital, engineering, construction and health.
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Invite alumni or local competitors/assessors to demo an Industry 4.0 challenge (sensors + data dashboards) with your KS4/5 classes.
10) Political literacy in the classroom (context, not a directive)
What’s new
Why it matters for STEM
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STEM teachers are trusted voices on evidence‑use, risk, uncertainty and trade‑offs — foundations of civic reasoning. Impartial, curriculum‑aligned activities (e.g., debating energy mix scenarios) build those skills without straying into partisanship.
Reflections & prompts for STEM departments
Planning & leadership
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Inspection‑ready evidence: What’s the one‑page story your department will show this term (curriculum map, practical entitlement, outcomes, inclusion)? Who owns each evidence “tile”?
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PP strategy refresh: Which disciplinary literacy routine will you try for 6 weeks and measure (science explanations, maths reasoning, computing docstrings)? What counts as success?
SEND & inclusion
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Co‑design adjustments: Choose two practicals this term to pilot student‑designed adjustments (visual prompt cards, quiet prep, alternative apparatus). What did pupils say improved access/safety?
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Provision without labels: How will you ensure pupils without EHCPs but with similar needs get consistent, documented support in your labs/workshops?
Digital & safeguarding
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Resilience drills: Can your team run practicals safely during an MIS outage? What’s the offline plan for medical alerts and class lists?
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Cyber habits: When is your next credential hygiene mini‑lesson and what’s the quick metric (e.g., % using MFA, phishing‑quiz score)?
Curriculum & careers
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EuroSkills inspiration: Which EuroSkills events best match your local labour market? What’s one authentic task you can adapt for KS4/5 this half‑term?
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STEM x Languages: Can you add a bilingual component to a KS3 project (e.g., safety symbols in French/Spanish; interpreting a German engineering datasheet)?
Assessment & attendance
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Internal truancy: Where does “present but not learning” appear in your subject (e.g., copying results, skipping write‑ups)? What’s your 30‑second check to catch it?
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Practical entitlement tracking: Are PP/EHCP pupils getting the same number and quality of practicals? What does the data say?
What we checked (10–16 Sept 2025)
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Schools Week — multiple items dated 10–16 Sept.
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FE Week — EuroSkills coverage and Ofsted/DfE changes in the same window.
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Tes Magazine — news items dated 10–16 Sept.
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Sky News (UK/Education) — 15 Sept SEND explainer.
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EEF — 10–11 Sept press release and guidance update.
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BBC News – Education — blocked by robots.txt (cannot verify within this tool).
Spot a missing story for this exact window? Send the link and I’ll add it in the next update.
Direct links to every story