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