Teach Secondary Issue 14.3

THE SPEECH: ASCLpresident addresses annual conference WHO? Manny Botwe, president of theAssociation of School and College Leaders WHERE? ACC Liverpool WHEN? 14thMarch 2025 “Today’s young people face challenges that are vastly different from those of previous generations. Their world is shaped by smartphones, social media, memes, and influencers – forces that shape their identities, interactions and even their mental wellbeing. This technology has brought incredible benefits, connecting people across continents, fostering creativity, and expanding access to knowledge. But as we all know, it has a darker side. It leaves a trail of harm– safeguarding concerns, fractured friendships, bullying, anxiety and the spread of extremist ideologies. And increasingly, it is being weaponised against schools and teachers, with disgruntled parents using it as a platform to target staff. For too long, tech billionaires have been given immense power without accountability. They hide behind the defence that they are champions of free speech while profiting from platforms that allow harm to fester. But enough is enough. It is time to bring these platforms to heel and force them to police their own spaces. While we welcome the Online Safety Act, we have yet to see its protections come into force and how effective they prove in practice. As a society, we have the right to demand the protection of our children, the enforcement of decency and the upholding of standards. That right must be asserted.” THE RESPONSE: NEU responds toChancellor’s Spring Statement FROM? Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union REGARDING? Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement WHEN? 26thMarch 2025 “The Spring Statement will cause deep anger among education staff because it does not address the key issue preventing schools and colleges from supporting children and young people – a lack of funding. Labour has pledged to increase opportunities for working class children, but this simply won’t happen without investment in our schools and funding for the pay increases needed to value, recruit and retain the educators we need.” Change in the air? Last month afforded a glimpse of what the profession can expect fromthe government’s far-reaching CurriculumandAssessment Review,with the publication of the team’s interim report. After reaffirming the position of Review lead Professor Becky Francis that the end result will focusmore on evolution than revolution, the report concedes that the current curriculumand assessment system seems to be delivering better for some learnersmore than others, and that a stubborn attainment gap remains – particularly for learners with SEND and those fromdisadvantaged backgrounds. The report also cites a number of submissions fromthe Review’s engagement programme calling for improvements to specific curriculumsubjects, arguing that their balance of content hinders young people’s progress, limits the abilities of teachers to tailor or adapt course content, and reduces the time available for breadth of learning,with the promise that these concerns will be carefully considered during the Review’s next phase. The report additionally highlights the growing demand for teaching focused on media literacy, critical thinking and digital skills, in response to rapid technological changes driven byAI and global social and environmental challenges. It’s also noted that young people and their families are among thosemost keen to seemore applied knowledge taught at school, byway of preparation for adult life and employment. The full interimreport canbe downloadedvia tiny.cc/ts143-NL1 SPEECHES AND CORRESPONDENCE Forget the media-friendly soundbites – what else was in those announcements and letters you missed? 15 MAY 2025 Schools & Academies Show | 26 JUNE 2025 The Northern Education Show | 3-4 JULY 2025 Festival of Education SAVE THE DATE 15 MAY 2025 Schools &Academies Show ExCeLLondon schoolsandacademiesshow.co.uk If you’re a school leader looking to boost student outcomes whilemanaging costs, you’ll find plenty of innovative ideas, informative discussions and inspirational talks taking place at this day-long event, which is set to include an extensive exhibition floor, a packed CPD agenda and opportunities to obtain one-to-one practical advice from representatives of the DfE. 26 JUNE 2025 TheNorthern Education Show Bolton StadiumHotel northerneducationshow.uk Free to attend for school leaders, administrative staff and local government representatives,The Northern Education Showwill give key education decision- makers the chance tomeet directlywith educational suppliers, and hear first-hand fromgovernment officials about the latest policy trends and developments set to shape the profession. 3-4 JULY 2025 Festival of Education WellingtonCollege,Crowthorne educationfest.co.uk This annual gathering of educators will once again be hosting a series of thought- provoking discussions and engaging speakers across some 40 on-site locations,As the name suggests, this really is a ‘festival’, providing visitors ample opportunities to share their ideas, experiences and practice with like-minded – and indeed very differently inclined – teachers fromacross the country. 07 teachwire.net/secondary N E WS | A P R / M AY