HEP Talks

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

⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠

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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Music by Slo Pony⁠

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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Music by Slo Pony⁠

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

The Education Brief: Wednesday 19 November 2025 - Top stories include:

• Teacher wellbeing has hit a new low, according to Education Support’s latest Wellbeing Index.

• The government’s new AI-generated attendance reports have been pulled just days after launch.

• The DfE have named 36 new attendance and behaviour hub lead schools.

• Councils say the high-needs funding system is on the brink of “total collapse”, while some primaries now have six times as many pupils with EHCPs as others.

• Teachers and leaders say extra enrichment is impossible.

HEP Updates:

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

• https://register-national-professional-qualifications.education.gov.uk/

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

• https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/How-to-use-Multimedia-in-the-Classroom-A-design-guide-based-on-evidence-.pdf

Watching - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2025/oct/21/why-the-manosphere-clicked-for-young-men-a-visual-deep-dive

Listening - https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/podcasts

Reading - https://demos.co.uk/research/inside-the-mind-of-a-16-year-old-from-andrew-tate-to-bonnie-blue-to-nigel-farage-what-do-first-time-voters-think-about-social-media-politics-the-state-of-britain-and-their-futures/

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

⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 12 November 2025 - Top stories include:

• Schools should appoint a named staff contact for families needing support with uniform costs.

• Ofsted has made last-minute changes to how performance data will be used.

• England still has 850 stand-alone trusts - with many untempted to join a MAT.

• RE will join the national curriculum, but only if the sector can reach consensus on how to do it.

• Bridget Phillipson admits the triple science entitlement will need more specialist teachers.

This week’s deep dive: The Curriculum and Assessment Review

HEP Updates:

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

• https://register-national-professional-qualifications.education.gov.uk/

Watching - Watch the Zoom recording here

Listening - https://evidenceintoaction.podbean.com/

Reading - https://tdtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CPD_Report_Digital.pdf

AI Tool - https://research.google/blog/learn-your-way-reimagining-textbooks-with-generative-ai/

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Music by Slo Pony⁠

The Education Brief: Wednesday 5 November 2025 - Top stories include:

• The DfE’s pitch to the STRB is a 6.5% teacher pay rise over three years.

• The NAO warns Labour’s SEND reforms must squarely tackle home-to-school transport.

• The DfE has lifted the lid on the Strategic School Improvement Capital Budget.

• School referrals to children’s social care hit a record in 2024–25, topping 130,000.

Round Up for Schools:

• The DfE and Ofsted are both leaning heavily into SEND, highlighting the need for reform in the system.

• Absence at primary is just over 4% in primary and 7% in secondary.

• New research on summer-born pupils has been released.

• The plan is to remove all RAAC from affected schools and colleges before the general election.

• Ofsted has refreshed its AI guidance as well as information on workforce transparency and pupil/parent voice.

• A/T/V Levels are in focus due to the new Post-16 White Paper.

• New guidance has been released on students who may be arriving from Gaza.

HEP Updates:

Watching - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YTTJPez4zw

Listening - ⁠https://www.ppfideas.com/episodes/fixing-democracy%3A-tiktok%2C-disinformation-and-distraction

Reading - https://www.ippr.org/articles/breaking-the-cycle-send-reform

AI Tool - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/groups/cgk3rj0kl55t

⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠