The Education Brief: Wednesday 11 February 2026 - Top stories include:

• Peers have backed a statutory ban on smartphones in schools in a House of Lords vote.

• Most teachers and leaders don’t think their schools overuse suspensions.

• Nearly eight in ten councils say they could be pushed towards insolvency with SEND deficits.

• The government says it will write off 90% of councils’ historic SEND deficits with a new grant this autumn.

This week’s deep dive: Citizenship in the Primary Curriculum

HEP Updates:

• Book your ticket to the Haringey Racial Equity Conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/haringey-racial-equity-conference-2026-tickets-1982524828129?aff=oddtdtcreator

• Book your ticket to the HEP Headteacher Conference: 

• Inclusive Behaviour Strategies: https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/calendar/inclusive-behaviour-strategies/

• Find and book CPD sessions at https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/

Watching - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74PF_4pyYY8

Listening - https://radiolab.org/podcast/song-of-the-cerebellum

Reading - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dr-alex-blower-24a3346b_dignity-respect-and-meaningful-engagement-activity-7424388708616892416-YCa6/

AI Tool - https://headlite.co.uk/

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The Education Brief: Wednesday 4 February 2026 - Top stories include:

• Ofsted’s new inspections are driving a rise in workload for headteachers and SENCos.

• White disadvantaged girls are seeing the sharpest fall in GCSE attainment.

• Plans in the upcoming schools White Paper will push settings “beyond their comfort zone.”

• Disputed data suggests one in six schools are running shorter than the 32.5-hour minimum.

• Pupils feeling in control of their learning can make up to two months’ extra progress in reading.

• 28 per cent of parents avoid reading with their children because they lack confidence.

HEP Updates:

• Sign up for our Governor Conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/haringey-governor-conference-2026-sustainable-and-informed-governance-tickets-1977619334666

• Find and book CPD sessions at https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/

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

Listening - https://email.nurseryworld.co.uk/c/1USqyZky7xSr0sgyFx4xN4LBNRX8

Reading - https://wslaw.co.uk/blog/the-impact-of-ai-in-school-complaints-processes/

AI Tool - https://www.canva.com/magic/

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The Education Brief: Wednesday 28 January 2026 - Top stories include:

• Disadvantaged white pupils are the group most likely to fall furthest behind after primary.

• Ministers are launching a trial of AI tutoring tools in England’s schools.

• Extending free school meals to all pupils in families on universal credit is expected to bring in around 500,000 pupils, as well as a major funding gap.

• A new report from Lit in Colour says it will take decades for GCSE English Literature to properly reflect the diversity of modern Britain.

Deep Dive: New Mobile Phone Guidance for Schools

HEP Updates:

• Leadership 55 - HEP Members: https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/calendar/leadership-55-with-jon-hutchinson/

• Leadership 55 - Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/leadership-55-with-jon-hutchinson-tickets-1980621769028

• Ofsted Training: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/ofsted-unpacked-for-school-trust-leaders-4805843

• Get your Big 7 place: https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/calendar/big-7-what-every-teacher-needs-to-know-2/

• Sign up for our Governor Conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/haringey-governor-conference-2026-sustainable-and-informed-governance-tickets-1977619334666

Watching - https://uk.bettshow.com/highlights

Listening - https://open.spotify.com/show/0FWXOO5a6aHTMNZmcjPELv

Reading - https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/the-bro-code/

AI Tool - https://blog.google/products/gemini/gemini-3-flash/

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The Education Brief: Wednesday 21 January 2026 - Top stories include:

• All school staff will receive SEND and inclusion training, backed by £200 million from the DfE.

• Ofsted will start checking every school’s mobile phone policy during inspections.

• New DfE complaints guidance tells parents to keep complaints respectful and off social media, and to use AI “with caution.”

• Nearly three-quarters of teachers in a new NEU survey say their school can’t afford “the basics.”

HEP Updates:

• HEP Inclusion and SEND Conference 2026: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hep-inclusion-send-conference-2026-neurodiversity-in-the-classroom-tickets-1758147629889

• Leadership 55 - HEP Members: https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/calendar/leadership-55-with-jon-hutchinson/

• Leadership 55 - Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/leadership-55-with-jon-hutchinson-tickets-1980621769028

• Ofsted Training: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/ofsted-unpacked-for-school-trust-leaders-4805843

• Get your Big 7 place: https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/calendar/big-7-what-every-teacher-needs-to-know-2/

• Sign up for our Governor Conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/haringey-governor-conference-2026-sustainable-and-informed-governance-tickets-1977619334666

Watching - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d95J8yzvjbQ

Listening - https://www.thinknpc.org/blog/podcast-systems-change-elliot-trevithick/

Reading - https://teacherhead.com/2026/01/11/the-choreography-of-teaching-30-children-at-the-same-time/

AI Tool - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40979-023-00146-z

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The Education Brief: Wednesday 7 January 2026 - Top stories include:

• Ofsted has published the first batch of school “report cards” under its new inspection framework.

• Labour is pressing ahead with plans for Ofsted inspections of multi-academy trusts.

• Data on the effectiveness of RISE school improvement teams will be published this year.

• Daniel Kebede warned the NEU would “absolutely” strike if the government changed the 1,265-hour directed time limit.

• The DfE will use an AI “correspondence drafter” to help answer its external emails.

HEP Updates:

• Get your Big 7 place: https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/calendar/big-7-what-every-teacher-needs-to-know-2/

• Find the Monday Briefing here: https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26-01-12-HEP-Monday-Briefing-v1.0.pdf

• Access the Primary Middle Leadership Training here: https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/calendar/primary-subject-and-middle-leadership-training-session-1-of-4/

• Sign up for our Governor Conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/haringey-governor-conference-2026-sustainable-and-informed-governance-tickets-1977619334666

Watching - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lik-KsfxK5A

Listening - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ai-in-schools-2026-predictions-policy-and-what-might/id1546748470?i=1000744076671

Reading - https://uk.bettshow.com/send-crisis-whitepaper

AI Tool - https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001042-your-year-with-chatgpt-faqs

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The Education Brief: Wednesday 7 January 2026 - Top stories include:

• Margaret Mulholland argues schools have already made real progress on inclusion.

• Sir Martyn Oliver has told headteachers to think carefully about their approach to mobile phones.

• London’s universal primary free school meals scheme has had no measurable impact on pupil attainment in its first year.

• More than 400 schools across the UK have been forced to close due to heavy snow and ice.

• Schools are playing an increasingly central role in early education and childcare.

HEP Updates:

• Book sessions on the https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/ 

• Attend our SEND Conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hep-inclusion-send-conference-2026-neurodiversity-in-the-classroom-tickets-1758147629889

• WalkThrus Coaching course: https://walkthrus.co.uk/latest-events/coaching-with-walkthrus-summer-te-kakwd-r2264

• WalkThrus Coaching One Day Masterclass: https://walkthrus.co.uk/latest-events/coaching-with-walkthrus-summer-te-kakwd-r2264-42yn4

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

Listening - https://haringeyvox.lnk.to/thisworldisyours

Reading - https://localtrust.org.uk/news-and-stories/blog/improving-life-outcomes-for-young-people-in-doubly-disadvantaged-neighbourhoods/

AI Tool - https://openai.com/index/new-chatgpt-images-is-here/

⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 17 December 2025 - Top stories include:

• A safeguarding review triggered national dispute over strict behaviour policies.

• Headteachers are warning of an “exponential rise” in AI-generated parental complaints.

• Google DeepMind is developing a DfE-approved version of its Gemini chatbot.

• The DfE will scrap 46 free school projects, with a further 58 special and AP schools left in limbo.

• Ofqual confirms on-screen GCSE and A-level exams could begin appearing by 2030.

HEP Updates:

• Book sessions on the https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/ 

• Attend our SEND Conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hep-inclusion-send-conference-2026-neurodiversity-in-the-classroom-tickets-1758147629889

• WalkThrus Coaching course: https://walkthrus.co.uk/latest-events/coaching-with-walkthrus-summer-te-kakwd-r2264

• WalkThrus Coaching One Day Masterclass: https://walkthrus.co.uk/latest-events/coaching-with-walkthrus-summer-te-kakwd-r2264-42yn4

Watching - https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/north-london-shines-in-ks2-attainment-data/

Listening - https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Snowflake-Myth-Audiobook/B0G4NN8FSM

Reading - https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25670374.new-resource-developed-help-tackle-misogyny-schools/

AI Tool - https://vimeo.com/1136057496

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The Education Brief: Wednesday 10 December 2025 - Top stories include:

• The government is set to overhaul how disadvantage funding is allocated with income data.

• The DfE has unveiled how its newly merged behaviour and attendance hubs will operate.

• The DfE refused to release the full ICO audit that found it had broken data protection law.

• London wants to expand free school meals.

HEP Updates:

• Book sessions on the https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/ 

• Attend our SEND Conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hep-inclusion-send-conference-2026-neurodiversity-in-the-classroom-tickets-1758147629889

Watching - http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zk4n9ty

Listening - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002mz6w

Reading - https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/policy-making-left-behind-groups-boys-low-income-families

AI Tool - https://notebooklm.google/

⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 3 December 2025 - Top stories include:

• Teachers and leaders are reporting better wellbeing, according to the DfE Working Lives survey.

• Parent allegations against teachers have surged by a third in the past year.

• Plans to move religious education onto the national curriculum face “really big” hurdles.

• Assistive technology use in schools has surged, yet half of teachers report no training.

This Week’s Deep Dive: Schools and the Budget 2025

HEP Updates:

• Book sessions on the https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/ 

• https://aepa.org.uk/belonging-and-excellence-the-importance-of-local-education-partnerships-publication/

Watching - https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/labour-run-public-services

Listening - https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/episodes/7DrvV5D/

Reading - https://uk.bettshow.com/school-absenteeism-2025-report

AI Tool - https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-for-teachers/

⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 26 November 2025 - Top stories include:

• A school in Camden offers parents ‘attendance awareness courses’ instead of issuing fines, and three-quarters of participating families have seen attendance rise.

• Ofsted will resume routine inspections in state schools from 1 December.

• Male secondary headteachers earn £5,000 more a year than their female counterparts on average.

• Teachers get a far poorer maternity deal than many other public sector workers.

• Many councils are unable to say how many home-educated children are subject to child protection enquiries, raising safeguarding issues.

HEP Updates:

• Book sessions on the https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/ 

• https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hep-inclusion-send-conference-2026-neurodiversity-in-the-classroom-tickets-1758147629889

• https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/responding-to-a-cry-for-help-additional-resource-bases-in-schools/

• https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Using-Multimedia-in-the-Classroom-Teacher-Flyer.pdf

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

Listening - https://educationrickshaw.com/2025/11/10/s5e08-doug-lemov-on-what-to-do-and-active-observation-techniques/

Reading - https://carlhendrick.substack.com/p/is-a-noisy-classroom-a-thinking-classroom

AI Tool - https://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/oxed/secondary/Teaching_the_AI_Native_Generation.pdf

⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠