HEP Talks

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

• There has been a legal challenge against the government’s choice of a working definition of antisemitism for schools to adopt.

• FFT Education Datalab analysis finds belonging has less of an academic impact than once certain factors are controlled for, and encompasses diverse measures.

• The DfE contracted ICF Consulting Services to find evidence on the impact of inclusion bases.

• Councils now have statutory targets for the share of Reception children reaching a GLD by 2028.

• Former education minister Lord Agnew wants England to focus on numeracy.

HEP Insights

• https://www.educateventures.com/research-human-intelligence-first-the-tool-is-the-smallest-part

Coming up at HEP:

• Inclusion and SEND Conference tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hep-inclusion-send-conference-2027-making-sense-of-all-the-change-tickets-1999479456880

Watching - https://scenariospace.org/partners/eef

Listening - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/kieran-mackle/episodes/Why-Attention-Comes-Before-Learning-e3qt147 

Reading - https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/features/neurodiversity-affirming-practice-part-5-training-is-only-the-beginning 

AI Tool - https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/space/getting-started 

⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠

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

• The DfE has confirmed the new pay scales for teachers and leaders.

• Ofsted inspections of multi-academy trusts are unlikely to start until 2028.

• A Tes analysis of Ofsted inspections found only 1.7 per cent mentioned mobile phone policies.

• The Children’s Commissioner has warned that services for children are in a “state of emergency.”

• Education Secretary Lucy Powell confirmed oracy will get equal status with reading and writing.

HEP Insights

• https://www.tes.com/magazine/teaching-learning/secondary/what-can-teachers-do-if-pupils-are-reading-too-quickly 

Coming up at HEP:

• Inclusion and SEND Conference tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hep-inclusion-send-conference-2027-making-sense-of-all-the-change-tickets-1999479456880

Watching - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1hob_amyIg 

Listening - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/equity-in-education-levelling-the-playing-field/id1448601060?i=1000637387343 

Reading - https://nationalcollege.com/guides/wellbeing-conversations 

AI Tool - https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/aila-teacher-choices-trial 

⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 14 October 2026 - Top stories include:

• Health professionals are warning that schools’ growing use of screens and edtech could be creating a serious child-health problem.

• New research from PF Global argues that Key Stage 3 still lacks a clear identity.

• School leaders’ union ASCL has passed a motion of no confidence in Ofsted’s leadership.

• Councils are warning that SEND deficits could climb to more than £10 billion by 2028.

HEP Insights

• https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6ac76fa5e8ef5609e7c93373/Ofsted_renewed_EIF_and_ITE_inspection_frameworks_evaluation_summary_of_interim_findings.pdf 

Coming up at HEP:

• Inclusion and SEND Conference tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hep-inclusion-send-conference-2027-making-sense-of-all-the-change-tickets-1999479456880

Watching - https://www.mariecollinsfoundation.org.uk/What-We-Do/Events/Access-Webinar-Series 

Listening - https://www.naht.org.uk/News/Latest-comments/The-School-Leadership-Podcast/ArtMID/557/ArticleID/3150/Improving-outcomes-for-white-working-class-pupils 

Reading - https://substack.nomoremarking.com/p/what-is-going-on-in-education-in 

AI Tool - http://gemini.google.com/students 

⁠

Music by Slo Pony⁠

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

• Ofsted extended its pause on inspections of NPQ and ECT Entitlement providers.

• The government’s new £174,000 cap on academy trust executive pay comes into force.

• New research shows severe pupil behaviour may be taking a physical health toll on teachers.

• Oak National Academy’s AI lesson-planning assistant, Aila, cut primary teachers’ planning time by almost a quarter in a new EEF trial.

HEP Insights

• https://teacherhead.com/2026/09/24/powerful-habit-changes-for-more-inclusive-teaching/

• https://hailihughes.substack.com/p/why-i-hate-popsicle-sticks-for-cold

Coming up at HEP:

• Big 7: What Every Teacher Needs to Know https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/calendar/big-7-what-every-teacher-needs-to-know-2/

• Inclusion and SEND Conference tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hep-inclusion-send-conference-2027-making-sense-of-all-the-change-tickets-1999479456880

Watching - https://youthendowmentfund.org.uk/yef-toolkit-what-works-to-prevent-youth-violence/ 

Listening - https://www.npr.org/2026/10/01/nx-s1-5985907/new-college-degrees-designed-to-job-proof-graduates 

Reading - https://home.edurio.com/resources/insights/school-staff-experience-report/ 

AI Tool - https://canva.link/jpi3vp1s58lep04 

⁠

Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 30 September 2026 - Top stories include:

• Education secretary Lucy Powell promises further reform of Ofsted.

• New research shows misogynistic language remains widespread in secondary schools.

• Teach First is shifting its focus away from inner cities and towards coastal and rural communities.

• New vocational GCSEs could widen inequality if they become a lower-status route.

HEP Insights

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-workforce-models

Coming up at HEP:

• The Mini Bro Code Launch: 

• For HEP member schools: https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/calendar/the-mini-bro-code-launch/

• For non-members: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-mini-bro-code-launch-prevention-starts-in-primary-tickets-2001190213800?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

• Foundational 5 for TAs: https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/calendar/foundational-5-what-every-teaching-assistant-needs-to-know/

• Inclusion and SEND Conference early bird tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hep-inclusion-send-conference-2027-making-sense-of-all-the-change-tickets-1999479456880

Watching - https://wmctraining.co.uk/resources/video/003-aideen-mccartney/ 

Listening - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/mind-the-gap-making-education-work-across-the-globe/id1516532537 

Reading - https://ifs.org.uk/publications/outlook-school-funding-england 

AI Tool - https://app.teachmate.com/tools/inclusion-strategy-generator 

⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 23 September 2026 - Top stories include:

• The government says this year’s 3.5 per cent teacher pay rise is affordable, but some schools have already built the pension savings into their budgets.

• Green and Reform voters share similar rates of dissatisfaction with schools in a new poll.

• The gender pay gap between headteachers in England’s state schools has reached its widest point since records began.

• A new report says England’s education system needs a dedicated “rapid response unit” and mandatory school AI strategies by September 2027.

• Explicitly teaching pupils about their rights may strengthen belonging, safety, and inclusion in schools.

HEP Insights

• https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Dual-Coding-Guide-for-Teachers-one-pager-v2.pdf

Watching - https://www.aei.org/events/instructional-illusions-what-we-get-wrong-about-good-teaching/

Listening - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/making-coaching-work-in-schools-with-matt-stone-mind/id1516532537?i=1000787774252

Reading - https://www.tes.com/en-gb/for-schools/content/school-management-report 

AI Tool - https://www.nereo.io/ 

⁠

Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 16 September 2026 - Top stories include:

• Education secretary Lucy Powell wants to end the “dog eat dog” culture between schools.

• England’s school food rules are getting new standards due from September 2027.

• A new report suggests schools joining academy trusts improve pupil attainment more, but there are caveats.

• Ofsted’s new inclusion framework may be penalising the very schools serving the highest proportions of pupils with SEND.

• Only 59 per cent of parents now say they feel involved in their children’s education.

• The biggest concern for England’s planned natural history GCSE is staffing.

Deep Dive: England’s PISA Results

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pisa-2025-national-report-for-england

Watching - https://www.suttontrust.com/our-programmes/teacher-work/

Listening - https://www.npr.org/2026/09/07/nx-s1-5959775/when-is-your-brain-actually-adult 

Reading - https://www.faireducation.org.uk/report-card-2026 

AI Tool - https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/back-to-school-2026/ 

⁠

Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 9 September 2026 - Top stories include:

• Internal exclusions in England’s secondary schools have almost tripled in just three years.

• The government’s SEND reforms are facing some serious warning signs before beginning.

• England has strengthened its performance in the latest PISA international rankings.

• School leaders call for stronger government support to deal with AI deepfakes.

Insights:

• 1.From Teacher Quality to Teaching Quality: Instructional Productivity and Teaching Practices

• 2.The Memory Paradox: Why Our Brains Need Knowledge in an Age of AI

• 3.From Gradual Release of Responsibility to Gradual Release of Technology: A Case for the Staged Use of AI in Formal Education

• 4.Interventions to Improve Connectedness, Belonging, and Engagement in Secondary Schools: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Watching - https://www.9ine.com/watch/kcsie2026webinar

Listening - https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/maths-prioritising-problem-solving 

Reading - https://thedustytsundoku.wordpress.com/2026/07/10/were-not-doing-anything-about-inclusion-heres-why/  

AI Tool - https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2026/08/gemini-in-google-classroom-is-expanding-to-users-of-all-ages-with-contextualized-Gemini-starter-prompts-for-students.html 

⁠

Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 2 September 2026 - Top stories include:

• Young people in poor urban schools are more than twice as likely to be NEET after Key Stage 4 as those in affluent suburban areas.

• A new pilot is attempting to tackle England’s growing SEND tribunal backlog.

• England’s GCSE English and maths pass rates have fallen for the fifth year running.

• Students in least deprived areas are three times more likely to take GCSE PE and drama as those in the most deprived.

• AI may be easing teachers’ workloads, but not necessarily reducing work hours.

Insights:

• School belonging and attainment at key stage 4: linked data study: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a70a6c7e348732cfe958bdb/School_belonging_and_attainment_at_key_stage_4_linked_data_study.pdf 

HEP Updates:

• Get your HEP CPD Package here: https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/professional-development-at-hep/

Watching - https://www.safeguardinginschools.co.uk/kcsie_2026 

Listening - https://podcasts.apple.com/cy/podcast/science-of-reading-the-podcast/id1483513974 

Reading - https://theparentvoiceproject.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Parent Voice Project Report 3.pdf 

AI Tool - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/blog/2026/05/study-and-learn-ai-built-for-your-student/ 

⁠

Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 15 July 2026 - Top stories include:

• Pearson’s nine-day SATs delay is now spilling into the summer holidays.

• The DfE is consulting on plans to shift SEND funding directly into mainstream school budgets.

• NAHT issued guidance warning schools about accepting delegated healthcare tasks.

• A new report has recommendations for the Burnham government about schools.

Deep Dive: 2025-2026: The Year in Review

HEP Updates:

• Get your HEP CPD Package here: https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/professional-development-at-hep/

Watching - https://www.irishnews.com/life/how-to-talk-to-children-about-upsetting-stories-and-fake-news-UQ6HAL6WM5LS3J5AJ7UUE4GTAU/ 

Listening - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2026/jun/teaching-fully-inclusive-classrooms-staffroom-s06e07 

Reading - https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/inclusive-teaching 

AI Tool - https://claude.ai/new ; https://openai.com/index/gpt-5-6/

⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠