Browse News Articles

Following the announcement last week that the North East will become its own RSC region, the Department for Education shake-up has continued with a review of the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) taking place.

The Schools North East’s annual Governance Conference 2022 took place this week, with hundreds of NE governors joining us for sessions including cyber security, safeguarding, environment and wellbeing, and an update from Ofsted Regional Director Emma Ing.  Many thanks to our event Main Sponsor Wrigley’s Solicitors (visit their website here) for their support in hosting this mainstay of our annual calendar.

We are passionate about giving the schools of this region a powerful platform to air their views and a collective voice lobbying on the issues that matter the most to them.  The feedback we receive from our State of the Region survey is crucial in getting the voice of North East schools heard by policy makers.

The House of Commons’ education committee held a session on mental health on Tuesday, as part of Children’s Mental Health Week. Giving evidence were Lord O’Donnell, Lord Layard, Catherine Roche (CEO at Place2Be), and Mouhssin Ismail (Principal at Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre).

Children from Mill Hill Nursery have been given the opportunity to share the different ways in which they communicated through a project to increase digital engagement in their local community.
The project, run by Mill Hill Nursery in partnership with Sunderland City Council was set up after identifying that, during peak times of the pandemic, lockdown had a negative impact on the wellbeing of residents in their community due to isolation and loneliness and that technology could be used to support communication and interaction between the children and their community.

As part of a wider internal overhaul, dubbed “Future DfE”, the North East will become its own RSC region, breaking away from the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, as eight RSC regions will become nine.

Extol Academy Trust schools are involved in a campaign which looks to “improve the lives of young women.”

Education ministers faced departmental questions in the House of Commons on Monday, although the Secretary of State was unable to attend due to testing positive for Covid.

Pupils from Thomas Bewick C of E Primary school in Northumberland have taken part in a basic first aid course where they have learnt a variety of skills.

The long awaited Levelling Up White Paper was published this week, outlining the government’s plans to spread opportunity more equally across the country. The package includes plans to improve education for those living in the most disadvantaged areas.

The Department for Education has turned its attention to student attendance figures this week, with new proposals to tackle ‘avoidable absences’ being announced.

The Times Education Commission published findings this week, looking at the evidence they have taken on the purpose of education, social mobility, the curriculum, teaching, assessment and mental health. The report said that, despite the important work done by individual teachers and schools, evidence suggests that the system is failing to ensure every child is achieving their full potential.