Teach Secondary Issue 14.8

THE SPEECH: HMCI addresses Confederation of School Trusts annual conference WHO? SirMartyn Oliver,Ofsted’s Chief Inspector WHERE? Confederation of School Trusts 2025 annual conference in Birmingham WHEN? 17th October 2025 “We are making things fairer for teachers by giving true detail in our judgements that allows all schools to show their strengths. By sharing provisional grades as we work with you during the inspection, with early feedback that will cover all the points you can expect from the written report card – and by shouting about the positives. There are many good examples out there; we will celebrate the best while supporting those in greatest need. There is a persistent, yet flawed story of a poor set of inspection grades automatically leading to headteachers being removed. And I stand here now and say that, throughout my career, I know this is not true. Every school leader I’ve ever met – including those on the receiving end of a bad set of results or a disappointing Ofsted grade – were in the job for the right reasons. We all exist to raise standards for children: it is why pressure exists, and we can never fully take that away. But we should all work to remove the pressure which is unnecessary. That’s why the narrative of ‘schools vs Ofsted’ and ‘Ofsted vs schools’ is so unhelpful. Because what we all do is too important to be used for political ends. We have an enormous responsibility towards children, and also towards our staff. We have to give people a chance to get better, while always ensuring the best outcomes for children.” THE RESPONSE: NASUWTresponds to government’s pay proposals FROM? MattWrack, general secretary of the NASUWT REGARDING? The government’s recommendation to the School Teachers’ ReviewBody of a pay offer to teachers amounting to 6.5%over three years WHEN? 30th October 2025 “These proposals are only likely to exacerbate the current recruitment and retention crisis in teaching and lead to further reductions to support, resources and provision for pupils in our schools. We believe pay must increase significantly above RPI inflation for 2026 to begin restoring the losses of the past decade.” Anew curriculum One of the earliest pledgesmade by the current Labour administration was to carry out a review of the curriculumand assessment system for schools in England. It duly appointed Professor Becky Francis, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation, to lead a ReviewPanel that would gather evidence and deliver a series of recommendations.And now those recommendations have arrived in the formof the CurriculumandAssessment Review’s final report. For secondary educators, themost eye-catching proposals include the introduction of diagnostic assessments in English andmaths to assess students’ capabilities and understanding,which would be taken inY8 (but are entirely separate from a recent DfE proposal for a dedicatedY8 literacy assessment).The panel also calls for the removal of the English Baccalaureate, citing its constraining effect on students’ GCSE choices and the lack of increased entries for EBacc subjects at 16 to 19. In what will be welcome news for teachers of the arts, the panel recommends revising the KS3 programmes of study formusic and drama, and enabling broader access to both subjects at KS4.The report additionally calls for an entitlement to triple science at GCSE, ensuring that any student who wishes to pursue that option can do so.There’s also a recommendation that the government work with Ofqual to reduce the overall examtime of GCSEs by 10%. Needless to say, there’s considerablymore within the reviewpanel’s recommendations thatwe’ll look to explore further in future issues. For now,you can read themfor yourselfvia tinyurl.com/ts148-NL2. SPEECHES AND CORRESPONDENCE Forget the media-friendly soundbites – what else was in those announcements and letters you missed? 19-20 NOVEMBER 2025 Schools & Academies Show | 25 NOVEMBER 2025 Dyscalculia Conference 2025 | 21-23 JANUARY 2026 Bett SAVE THE DATE 19-20 NOVEMBER 2025 Schools &Academies Show TheNEC, Birmingham schoolsandacademiesshow.co.uk The ‘#SAASHOW’will be once again be setting up shop at the NEC, Birminghamthis autumn for another two days of CPD centred on strategy and school improvement, and opportunities tomeet with and learn from fellow leaders across the country.As always, there’ll also be a sizeable and thoughtfully curated exhibition floor hosting numerous suppliers and solution providers. 25 NOVEMBER 2025 Dyscalculia Conference 2025 Online event bdadyslexia.org.uk/events Subtitled ‘Drawn to Numbers: Empowering Children to UnderstandMaths’, this virtual conference organised by the British Dyslexia Association is aimed at classroomteachers and will explore resources and strategies that can empower dyscalculic learners.Topics covered will include use of visual imagery to illustrate maths concepts, and how creative approaches to the subject can engage reluctant learners. 21-23 JANUARY 2026 Bett ExCeLLondon uk.bettshow.com Amust for any intrepid explorers of cutting- edge edtech, Bett is a two-day exhibition of themost advanced products, solutions and services the sector has to offer. Beyond the extensive showfloor you’ll also find an array of informative presentations addressing a wide spectrumof topics (both tech-related and otherwise), CPD opportunities aplenty and a series of thought-provoking keynote talks. 07 teachwire.net/secondary N E WS | N O V/ D E C