The Week in Education: What STEM Teachers Need to Know (19–25 Nov 2025)
1) Four-day teaching weeks floated in Scotland
Scotland’s education secretary tabled proposals for four-day teaching weeks, giving teachers one day a week for planning, assessment and wider responsibilities. Ministers are also exploring later starts and longer breaks. Unions welcomed extra professional time in principle but raised concerns about detail, delivery and process. For schools near the border or with families moving between systems, this is one to watch for timetable knock-ons and pupil equity.
Read more: Sky News coverage. Sky News
2) Area-based partnerships pushed as the “missing link”
A new report championing Local Education Partnerships argues that place-based collaborations between schools (maintained and academies), trusts and councils can fill a “policy vacuum” and drive improvement through shared CPD, inclusion work and local literacy programmes. Camden Learning and HFL Education are highlighted as examples; ministers are considering structural proposals in an upcoming white paper. For STEM departments, this could mean new local offers (e.g., joint subject networks, assessment moderation, or shared technician training).
Read more: Schools Week report. Schools Week
3) Ofsted’s new “report-card” inspections: more collaborative… and more stressful
Early feedback from heads involved in the first wave of the new Ofsted inspections suggests the process feels more collaborative but is also more stressful and adds workload, especially around “secure fit” judgements and planning complex two-day schedules. If you are in a STEM leadership role, plan ahead for evidence on curriculum and inclusion, and rehearse your timetable for day two.
Read more: Tes analysis. Tes
4) Routine Ofsted inspections to resume and “state of the classroom” snapshots
Beyond the individual school reports above, sector monitoring this week captured system-wide signals:
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Inspections resume from 1 December after a pause since July. Schools Week tracked the timeline and sector reaction.
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Behaviour snapshot: national survey responses suggest calmer classrooms overall, yet lesson time lost to disruption hasn’t shifted—around seven minutes per lesson on average.
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Exclusions: suspensions fell for the first time since the pandemic; permanent exclusions are near pre-COVID levels.
Taken together, that paints a mixed but slightly improving climate for teaching and learning.
Read more: Inspections restart, Behaviour survey, Suspensions data. Schools Week+2Schools Week+2
5) Reading in the spotlight: Year 8 test concerns and a new inquiry
Two reading stories landed:
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Year 8 reading test concerns: teachers’ leaders warn an additional high-stakes assessment could narrow the curriculum and harm engagement. For science departments that rely on strong disciplinary literacy, unintended consequences are worth considering.
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Reading for pleasure inquiry: MPs launched a probe into a “generational shift” in home reading habits and will seek school exemplars that buck the trend. There’s an opportunity here for STEM-literacy crossover (e.g., reading science non-fiction, science journalism, and infographics) to support whole-school strategies.
Read more: Tes on Year 8 test, Tes on the inquiry. Tes+1
6) Attendance: AI targets questioned; data trends continue
The past few days also brought fresh angles on attendance:
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AI-powered attendance targets proposed by government continue to face push-back from leaders, who say there’s no quick fix and worry about unintended behaviour-management incentives.
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Suspensions and persistent absence data (see item 4) provide context for any new target-setting regime. For STEM, attendance volatility affects practical work scheduling, coursework pacing and equitable access to labs.
Read more: Tes overview on AI attendance targets (see “AI targets won’t tackle attendance crisis…”). Tes
7) Teacher contact time details (Scotland)
Following up the four-day week debate, new detail emerged on what could count towards reduced contact time—including assemblies, certain uses of technology and timetable changes—with councils signalling concerns over cost and implementation pace. For STEM heads, modelling timetable scenarios—including lab access, technician hours and double-period practicals—will be key if anything similar ever crosses south.
Read more: Tes explainer. Tes
8) EEF funds eight new local partnerships (223 schools)
The Education Endowment Foundation announced eight “Evidence into Action” partnerships worth over £550k, supporting 223 schools with targeted work in maths, small schools, coastal communities and reading. Expect fresh CPD and implementation projects to ripple into partner areas; STEM leads may find opportunities to align with EEF-supported interventions (e.g., maths problem-solving, diagnostic assessment, metacognitive strategies in science).
Read more: EEF press release. EEF
9) FE and skills: pace of reform and employer confidence
In further education, two stories with direct implications for STEM pathways and T Level/apprenticeship destinations:
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“Don’t sprint skills reform”: sector voices warned that rapid policy timetables risk shallow consultation and implementation fatigue; leaders favoured “slow, evidence-informed policy” for lasting impact.
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Employer backlash on apprenticeship assessment changes: multiple industries—including engineering and manufacturing—fear “watering down” end-point assessment could damage apprenticeship credibility; one manufacturer reportedly halted recruitment. Schools advising STEM learners on progression should factor in changing employer sentiment.
Read more: FE Week column on reform pacing, FE Week exclusive on apprenticeships backlash. FE Week+1
10) People & policy moves you might have missed
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New chief schools adjudicator: The Reverend Nigel Genders, currently the Church of England’s chief education officer, will lead the Office of the Schools Adjudicator—relevant for admissions appeals and PAN decisions affecting STEM set sizes and lab capacity planning.
Read more: Schools Week. Schools Week
Why this matters for STEM classrooms
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Timetabling & practical work: Any move to reprofile contact time or compress the week requires careful modelling for double-period practicals, prep room workflows, and technician deployment. Items 1 and 7 signal where this debate may head. Sky News+1
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Assessment & literacy: The Year 8 reading proposal and the reading-for-pleasure inquiry put disciplinary literacy centre stage. STEM teams can contribute by curating rich scientific texts and data-led reading that build vocabulary and comprehension for science and maths. Tes+1
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Behaviour & attendance: Calmer classrooms are welcome, but time lost remains stubborn. If AI attendance targets advance, be alert to how targets interact with behaviour policies and SEND inclusion, especially in practical lessons requiring safe staffing ratios. Schools Week+1
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Progression routes: Apprenticeship credibility and FE reform pacing affect post-16 STEM choices. Accurate, up-to-date IAG (information, advice and guidance) will help pupils navigate change without losing confidence in technical pathways. FE Week+1
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Place-based support: Area-based partnerships and the new EEF projects could bring local CPD, coaching, and evidence-informed interventions into your orbit—worth exploring if you’re in a participating region. Schools Week+1
Quick links (all within 19–25 Nov or the last 7 days)
Reflections & prompts for your next team meeting
Timetabling & workload
STEM literacy
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Audit one upcoming KS3/KS4 unit and identify two reading-for-pleasure links (popular science articles, explainer comics, biographies). Which texts could build vocabulary for the working scientifically statements? Tes+1
Behaviour & attendance
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Using your last half-term’s data, where is time lost to low-level disruption in STEM? Trial one 10-minute routines tweak (entry task, equipment pick-up flow, board ready check) and measure reclaimed minutes over two weeks. Schools Week
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Map how any attendance targets you’re set interact with practical safety ratios and coursework deadlines. What’s your plan if persistent absence clusters in practical-heavy groups? Tes
Evidence-informed improvement
Post-16 guidance
Inspection readiness
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Under the new Ofsted report-card approach, assemble a one-pager for science and maths covering curriculum intent, assessment, inclusion/SEND, attendance in practicals, and enrichment. Practise a 5-minute “department walk” script to reduce on-the-day cognitive load. Tes
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.