Education Media - EdCentral - Results from #240

Teacher shortages? Five key metrics behind the new DfE workforce data

The new school workforce figures have brought with them headlines of more teachers at the chalkface, but expert Jack Worth warns that this masks a much more mixed picture of teacher shortages in schools.

Government urged to review two-year development assessment to boost school readiness

The Government should review the two-to two-and-a-half year health and development check to increase numbers of children finishing Reception with a good level of development (GLD), a think tank says.

Commissioner calls for quicker roll out of mental health support teams in schools

The creation of mental health support teams (MHST) in schools is too slow and ministers must do more to speed up their roll out, Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza has told MPs.

Barring universities from China trade mission ‘massive own goal’

Sector’s absence from Starmer’s trip to Beijing and Shanghai ‘wasn’t for lack of trying’, says Birmingham vice-chancellor.

Wrong to compare student loans to PPI scandal, says Jacqui Smith

Labour politicians defend student finance system, including retrospective changes, as they suggest uplifting higher education funding is not a priority.

Value-for-money ratings for university degrees hit 13-year high

Steep rise in UK students’ happiness with programmes despite job cuts, fee rises and negativity over student loans.

North-east universities launch joint spin-out fund

Five institutions collaborate with regional mayor to support businesses built on university research.

OfS green-lights three-year student caps for TEF poor performers

Regulator scraps overall ratings after consultation on revamped exercise but commits to plans to limit growth at bronze providers.

First round of consultation on future TEF sees movement on the implications of a Bronze award

The Office for Students has published the outcomes of the first round of consultation on the future Teaching Excellence Framework. Debbie McVitty sets out what's new – and what's still to be decided.

North East England’s new investment fund is a template for university spinout success

Universities in the North East of England have set up a fund dedicated to university spinout creation. Northumbria University vice chancellor Andy Long explains the thinking behind it.

Students are coping better because the system is demanding less

Signs of genuine recovery in student experience appear in this year's Student Academic Experience Survey. Jim Dickinson argues the data tells a more constrained story – one where value, expectations and withdrawal form a single gradient, and money sits at its root.

Low expectations aren’t the same as high satisfaction in student housing

With OfS leading on headline satisfaction scores, Jim Dickinson reads an underlying research report on student housing – and finds a regulator that has mistaken tolerance for quality.

Warwick and Reading rebrand foundation and language provision as Global Academies

The University of Warwick and the University of Reading have both rebranded their language and foundation studies operations as Global Academies, reflecting a wider rethink of how universities support international students and where those functions sit within institutions.

Schools should ‘self-fund’ building projects, says ex-DfE property boss

Suggestion comes amid reports that school buildings funding will be diverted into defence budget.

Support-staff unions threaten industrial action over pay

GMB, Unison and Unite express ‘profound concerns’ over the direction of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body.

Revealed: the most popular GCSE and A-level subjects in 2026

Provisional entries data for this summer has been released by Ofqual – with sharp drops in computing and French among the standout trends.

DfE highlights Taylor Swift gig in crackdown on ‘one-off’ absences

Government publishes the research behind its plans to curb one-day absences, alongside a new parental communications guide for schools to help keep messaging ‘useful’.

Nearly three-quarters of nursery schools to cut costs amid pressures

Many maintained nursery schools are struggling to stay afloat, research shows – at a time when the government is talking up early years’ role in getting children school-ready.

Grants of up to £50k on offer for new ‘early education partnerships’

New partnerships between primary schools and early years settings will be given grants of up to £50,000 to improve reception readiness.

GCSE computing entries drop by 10,000 in two years

More than 10,000 fewer students are sitting GCSE computing compared to two years ago, while French has also seen a sharp decline.