AI-set attendance targets for every school
DfE will use AI to generate non-public, context-aware attendance improvement targets per school; schools missing them may be referred for support. Schools Week
STEM takeaway: convert marginal attendance gains into practical learning with a published “missed-practical ladder” and a parallel route for missed code labs.
36 new attendance & behaviour hubs
Network expands to share routines, systems and family engagement playbooks. Tes
STEM takeaway: adopt a 90-second lab set-up (tray → safety check → do-now) to protect practical minutes.
Absence remains stubbornly high
Early-year data suggest attendance is flat vs last year; persistent absence continues to bite. Tes
STEM takeaway: design modular write-ups (methods, diagrams, data tables) so returners can complete core evidence without re-running full practicals.
High-needs budgets labelled a “ticking time bomb”
Councils warn spiralling SEND costs risk breaking point; protests highlight delays and rationing fears. Sky News
STEM takeaway: standardise department-wide adjustments (equipment variants, large-print diagrams, calm workstations) so access isn’t budget-dependent.
SEND pressure: admissions gap widening
Schools with higher proportions of SEND pupils report breaking-point pressures and widening gaps. Schools Week
STEM takeaway: make practical entitlement explicit in pupil plans (rooming, benching, apparatus sets, alternative evidence routes).
Record and report seclusion: legal duty proposed
Schools could be required to log any use of non-disciplinary isolation and notify parents. Schools Week
STEM takeaway: align behaviour systems with safe re-entry to labs; monitor if seclusion correlates with missed practicals.
Sixth-form teachers accept 4% pay award
Settlement agreed for 2025–26; workload proposals rejected. FE Week
STEM takeaway: protect technician prep time and exam-practical consumables in timetable and budgets.
Inclusion by design in FE (not just diagnosis)
New Ofsted report-cards prompt calls for universal design reaching learners without EHCPs. FE Week
STEM takeaway: rewrite practical briefs with step numbers, apparatus photos and success criteria; allow video/photo/oral evidence mapped to outcomes.
GCSE British Sign Language: rules confirmed
Ofqual finalises the rulebook; question now is which boards will offer specs. Schools Week
STEM takeaway: opportunity for STEM clubs and deaf awareness in labs/workshops; consider cross-curricular projects.