Families and children in every corner of England will soon benefit from free, daily breakfast clubs as the government is set to confirm the first 750 schools to offer the scheme, putting up to £450 a year back in parents’ pockets.
From as soon as April, chosen schools across all nine regions will kick-off the historic programme, with an early adopter phase set to inform the government’s landmark national roll out which will give all parents access to the scheme.
Delivering on promises made to working parents in the government’s manifesto, all primary aged children in early adopter schools will be able to access a free breakfast and at least 30 minutes of free childcare, every day, helping to support parents getting into work by dropping their children off half an hour earlier.
Schools are encouraged to offer healthy, varied and nutritious breakfasts, with examples from wheat bisks and porridge to fresh fruit and yoghurt. The early adopter schools also provide the perfect setting to host activities including arts and crafts, educational puzzles, reading and more.
Universal free breakfast clubs are central to the government’s Plan for Change, removing barriers to opportunity by making sure every child starts the school day ready to learn – with research showing the clubs can have a lasting impact on children’s behaviour, attendance and attainment.
Making sure no child starts school hungry, the scheme also has an important role to play in the government’s commitment to remove the stain of child poverty, as out of the 180,000 children who will benefit in the early adopter schools, around 67,000 attend schools in deprived areas.
The clubs come alongside a raft of measures designed to cut the cost of living for families, including the commitment to significantly cut uniform costs through a cap on branded items and complement government-funded childcare...read more
The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has confirmed the appointment of Sir Ian Bauckham CBE as Chief Regulator of Ofqual.
Sir Ian will start the permanent five-year position after serving as interim Chief Regulator since 1st Jan 2024.
The privy council has confirmed Ian's appointment through an order in council, after a thorough recruitment process conducted in line with the requirements set by the commissioner for public appointments.
Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson said: "This government is committed to high and rising standards and fair assessments are crucial to this, opening the door to opportunity for children and young people and breaking the link between background and success.
"With his vast expertise in education, Sir Ian is exceptionally suited to lead Ofqual in maintaining a system that provides all young people with high-quality, rigorous qualifications and training, equipping them with the skills needed to succeed."
Appointed Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham CBE said: "I’m honoured to take on this permanent role, after dedicating my career to improving education and opportunities for young people.
"Qualifications are the currency of education. Ofqual, as guardian of standards, will protect their value and integrity to ensure they remain trusted by students, teachers, universities and employers alike...read more
The Department for Education (DfE) is making £1 million available to support developers in creating AI tools to help with marking and feedback in England’s schools.
It said that each of the 16 tools will be targeted at a specific age and subject and that prototypes are expected to be developed by April of this year.
They will draw on an AI store of data, backed by £3 million from the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSIT), to ensure the accuracy of information used in training their algorithms It will pool and encode guidance on the school curriculum, lesson plans and anonymised pupil work that can be used by AI companies to train their tools.
DfE said these could perform activities such as providing individual feedback on handwritten essays, identifying common errors in maths equations and shaping lessons. They would all retain teacher oversight of the feedback to ensure their judgement and expertise would still be applied.
Raise standards
Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson said: “Through our Plan for Change, we are determined to drive high and rising standards across schools so we can break down the barriers to opportunity. Giving every child a cutting edge school experience is a crucial part of our mission.
“High quality teaching is the single biggest driver of high standards in schools and through harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence we can get teachers at the front of classrooms doing what they do best – teaching.”
DfE said that, according to a survey carried out through the TeacherTapp app, almost half of teachers are already using AI to help with their work. But most AI tools are not specifically trained on the documents that set out how teaching should work in England, and are not accurate enough to help teachers with their marking and feedback workload.
It added that training AI tools on the content store can increase feedback accuracy to 92%, up from 67% when no targeted data was provided to a large language model. That means teachers can be assured the tools are safe and reliable for classroom use...read more
At Red Apple Education we rely totally on recommendations and word of mouth. Our success has been built on the philosophy that if we are doing what we do properly, equitably and most importantly with integrity then staff and schools will follow!
This has proved to be one of the key reasons for our success which is why we now feel the time is right to launch our 'Recommend a Friend' scheme.
If you know someone who is currently working in a nursery, school or college environment and are looking to join a company that places them first, works hard to get them the right placements and schools and above all else, is committed to paying more...then why not refer them to us.
In doing so you will earn £100 for you and your friend.
The process is simple...make your friend aware of who we are and encourage them to make contact with us. Alternatively, you can provide their details to us (note you must have their permission) and we will contact them and start the registration process. Once they are registered and have met our minimum criteria then you and your friend will receive £100 in gift vouchers.
Note there are no limitations on how many friends you can refer so away you go...recommend away!
*terms and conditions apply
The summer break is over and most schools across England and Wales; Primary and Secondary, return today either for an INSET day or the start of term.
The shared view, and perhaps the first point of conversation, is how fast the summer break appears to have passed and also, what a washout our summer was! Focus then quickly turns to the new term, the curriculum, the classroom, the pupils and the workload!
Some staff may have enjoyed almost all of the full six weeks away from school, other staff may not have been so lucky! In most cases staff will either have worked part (or in the case of support staff most) of the holidays so returning today is just another day for them, although the school population will have increased significantly compared to the previous weeks, and I can guarantee what follows hand in hand is the volume of queries. For those staff returning after an extended period away today is great to meet and catch up with colleagues whilst for new staff starting it is the chance for them to familiarise themselves with the school, their new colleagues and the surroundings. For SLT, today presents a great opportunity to provide whole school training and to address all staff collectively, preparing them for the new term and sharing any changes (curriculum, regulatory etc) as well as any new procedures or processes. In Secondary schools Faculties will also have a chance to meet to ensure that they are ready for the new term.
The aroma of fresh paint, cleaning products and, if you are lucky (budget permitting) perhaps the smell of a new carpet and furniture will welcome staff back today. It is a great feeling when you return to your school and even better if it has been refurbished. The smallest amount of repair and maintenance can make a difference!
The walk back into school feels like you have never been away! If you are a member of middle management or SLT it is likely you haven’t, or at least not for a prolonged period! The pressures and the anxieties return quite quickly but they are met with the rush of adrenaline that makes you what you are, and it is this adrenaline that makes the school environment the right place for you!
The start of term for me was always a stressful time largely as part of my responsibility was the building work that would have been commissioned throughout the summer. Making sure the work was completed on time, specifications met and snags addressed was a challenge but we always ensured that when today arrived, the school looked fantastic and was ready for the return of our staff and our pupils.
For me personally the six week holidays was less frantic and pressurised than in term time naturally, through the absence of staff and pupils. However it was not my favourite time of the year largely because six weeks is a long time when you are used to working flat out with high levels of stress and pressure, all of which I enjoyed I might add! During the summer break your body clock would change slightly, the pressure and stress was not as extreme and as such you adjusted accordingly. You are never quite sure how much you have adjusted until the new term starts!
With most staff, the first week without doubt is about survival and adjustment- getting yourself back up to speed and organised, ensuring your working environment is sorted, meeting new pupils and getting to chat with current pupils, finding out what they did over the summer.
I always enjoyed welcoming our new pupils to the school. They would arrive with trepidation and excitement in equal measure and usually with half their household content stored away in what always appeared to be an oversized holdall! Parents and carers would wave from the school gates long enough to reassure themselves that their son/daughter would be fine but no longer as they will have been warned by their child before arriving at school not to embarrass them! I valued chatting to the new pupils and putting them at ease and doing the same with the parents. It is a difficult and emotional time but parents should rest assured that their children are in the hands of equally caring people who only want the best for them!
By the time the second week arrives it is all systems go!
Being founder and director of Red Apple Education my focus has changed ever so slightly now but having worked in schools for so long I still experience the adrenaline and excitement of the new term! I miss the pupil interaction but thoroughly enjoy working with our schools and I am so excited about working with them once again this term. I’m also really looking forward to welcoming new schools to Red Apple Education; we know that once we have worked with you, you will see what makes us different!
Good luck to all staff returning this week for the new term. Equally best wishes to all the pupils who either start another year in the school or maybe are starting for the first time! May your academic year be one of educational stretch and challenge but overall enjoyment!
I look forward to working with you and supporting you!
Best wishes,
Jamie
