Welcome to HEP Talks: Roundtables, where we take the big questions in education to our member schools.

In this second episode on Ofsted, we're diving into the recently proposed changes to the inspection framework—what they say, what they really mean, and whether they hit the mark.

Joining us for this episode, we have:

• Jade-Simone Bacon, Headteacher at St Michael’s C.E. Primary School
• Lucy Walker-Collins, Headteacher at Stroud Green Primary School
• Stephen McNicholas, Headteacher at St John Vianney Primary School and Our Lady of Muswell Catholic Primary School
• James Page, Chief Executive of HEP
• Fran Hargrove, Deputy Chief Executive of HEP

The roundtable covers the rise of report cards and toolkits, and whether ‘exemplary’ is just the new ‘outstanding’ in disguise. Spoiler alert: it’s complicated...

The Education Brief: Saturday 5 April 2025 - Top stories include:

• Ofsted is considering renaming the proposed ‘secure’ grade on its five-point school report cards.

• A new trial suggests AI could “revolutionise” how student writing is assessed.

• Bridget Phillipson has called for more male teachers to act as role models for boys.

• The cost of repairing England’s crumbling school estate will exceed £13.8 billion.

This week’s deep dive: 

• One City, Two Worlds

We’ll also tell you what’s happening at HEP this week and what we’ve been watching, listening to, and reading!

Watching - https://news.sky.com/story/the-system-just-doesnt-work-more-children-than-ever-are-not-in-school-report-finds-with-more-than-11-million-lost-days-13331143

Listening - https://freshedpodcast.com/paglayan/

Reading - https://epi.org.uk/publications-and-research/children-missing-from-education/

AI Tool - https://aicoursecreator.eskilled.io/

Music by Slo Pony

The Education Brief: Saturday 29 March 2025 - Top stories include:

• The Schools Bill has ignited fierce debate between councils and academies over admissions.

• Oracy is now back in the spotlight of the national curriculum review.

• Ofsted’s Sir Martyn Oliver has declared full support for headteachers who ban mobile phones.

• International schools are growing uneasy over the US government’s rapid rollback of DEI policies.

This week’s deep dive: 

• Haringey Racial Equity Conference 2025

We’ll also tell you what’s happening at HEP this week and what we’ve been watching, listening to, and reading!

Watching - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8FPQKWxdXI

Listening - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-did-lockdown-impact-children/id267300884?i=1000699223582

Reading - https://www.ippr.org/articles/who-is-losing-learning-solutions

AI Tool - https://manus.im/login

Music by Slo Pony

The Education Brief: Saturday 22 March 2025 - Top stories include:

• The government’s interim curriculum review outlined 4 areas of focus for the national curriculum.

• Severe absence has reached its highest point on record, especially affecting those with SEND.

• The UK’s "lost learning crisis" has worsened; researchers propose 10 bold solutions.

• Government support for rising employer national insurance contributions could fall short by 35%.

This week’s deep dive: 

• Covid-19: Five years later

We’ll also tell you what’s happening at HEP this week and what we’ve been watching, listening to, and reading!

Watching - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLVxvWufeTA

Listening - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0028v06

Reading - https://sendmatters.co.uk/2025/01/29/send-provision-and-parents-communicating-the-why-that-drives-our-what/

AI Tool - https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/ai-tools-education-2025/

Music by Slo Pony

The Education Brief: Saturday 15 March 2025 - Top stories include:

• Ofsted Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver insisted that inspections must involve grades.

• School leaders have warned that budgets for next year are even tighter than expected.

• Councils given approval to divert £82 million from education budgets to cover SEND deficits.

• The latest TES investigation into academy CEO pay has revealed soaring salaries.

• Teacher retention payments are failing to reach schools in areas hit hardest by staff shortages.

This week’s deep dive: 

• HEP Women’s Leadership Conference Day

(Special thanks to Heather de Silva)

We’ll also tell you what’s happening at HEP this week and what we’ve been watching, listening to, and reading!

Watching - https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/live-lessons/articles/zrcf8p3

Listening - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-future-of-education-with-ravi-gupta/id1667373657?i=1000696228542

Reading - https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/stop-panicking-over-teens-and-social-media-a8aad571?st=Xa2dDr&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

AI Tool - https://x.ai/blog/grok-3

Music by Slo Pony

The Education Brief: Saturday 8 March 2025 - Top stories include:

• England’s £11 billion EHCP budget is not improving outcomes for children with SEND.

• School leaders across England are facing an alarming surge in parental abuse.

• Concerns are growing over the government’s decision to scrap behaviour hubs.

• The government’s supervised toothbrushing scheme is set to roll out in England.

This week’s deep dive: 

• Human Intelligence in the Age of AI

We’ll also tell you what’s happening at HEP this week and what we’ve been watching, listening to, and reading!

Watching - https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/live-lessons/articles/z33hcxs#zbfgmbk

Listening - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reading-myths-mastery-motivation-getting-fluent-with/id1516532537?i=1000692227939

Reading - https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/specialist-sector/how-reform-ehcps-benefit-schools-and-families-send-support

AI Tool - https://claude.ai/new

Music by Slo Pony

The Education Brief: Saturday 1 March 2025 - Top stories include:

• Ofsted is set to trial its proposed new inspection framework with visits to around 240 schools.

• New analysis reveals that CEO pay at the largest multi-academy trusts continues to rise.

• Teachers in four Haringey secondary schools have gone on strike over plans to raise class sizes.

• The 750 schools that will take part in a pilot offering free breakfast clubs have been announced.

This week’s deep dive: 

• Your round-up of education updates

We’ll also tell you what’s happening at HEP this week and what we’ve been watching, listening to, and reading!

Watching - https://steplab.co/watch/great-teaching-unpacked-episode-1-harnessing-attention

Listening - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3RKzI8HvcHtVDzkrwDVdFs

Reading - https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/what-do-the-latest-policy-changes-mean-for-governors/

AI Tool - https://teacherbot.io/

Music by Slo Pony

The Education Brief: Saturday 15 February 2025 - Top stories include:

• Ofsted reports marks down for behaviour have halved since Covid, but teachers disagree.

• Teach First has announced James Toop as its new CEO.

• 60% of academy trust CEOs say new reforms would have no impact on their schools.

• Government minutes reveal a heated exchange between Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh.

This week’s deep dive: 

• Haringey Governor Conference 2025

We’ll also tell you what’s happening at HEP this week and what we’ve been watching, listening to, and reading!

Watching - https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/live-lessons/articles/zm9vwsg

Listening - https://www.ted.com/talks/rethinking_with_adam_grant_sam_altman_on_the_future_of_ai_and_humanity

Reading - https://schoolsweek.co.uk/its-time-to-finally-put-re-in-the-national-curriculum-where-it-belongs/

AI Tool - https://klingai.com/

Music by Slo Pony

The Education Brief:Saturday 8 February 2025 - Top stories include:

• Academy trusts are under growing financial pressure.

• The government is investing £2 million in a new “writing framework” and literacy training.

• The Education Secretary has voiced concerns over the growing number of parental complaints.

• School leaders have slammed the government’s new intervention plans for “stuck schools.”

This week’s deep dive: 

• Improving the way Ofsted inspects education

We’ll also tell you what’s happening at HEP this week and what we’ve been watching, listening to, and reading!

Watching -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsXlEwh8VKk

Listening -https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/will-the-debate-over-vocational-and/id1591570847?i=1000684947421

Reading -https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/40-years-of-bett-uk-how-ai-is-shaping-the-next-era-of-education/

AI Tool -https://www.deepseek.com/

Music by Slo Pony

The Education Brief: Saturday 1 February 2025 - Top stories include:

This week’s deep dive: 

We’ll also tell you what’s happening at HEP this week and what we’ve been watching, listening to, and reading!

Watching - https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/articles/zpph9ty

Listening - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2kWB7NJD4QvOwAbNsByHly

Reading - https://snacks.pepsmccrea.com/p/assume-the-worst

AI Tool - https://labs.thenational.academy/

Music by Slo Pony