Industry News – November

November is a time for mock exams, a time when stress levels rocket in teenagers preparing to take these trial examinations. Meant to get them prepared and focussed for the real thing next summer, they can lead to anxiety and worry. The role of teachers and parents at this time is key, spotting the signs of nerves and stress and dealing with both in a calm and understanding way is vital to supporting a child through this difficult stage of their education. Planning and preparation are key to minimising stress and last minute revision.

At the other end of the spectrum parents with children of primary school age are beginning their primary school admission considerations on which school to send their child to begin their educational journey. With schools having tight admissions criteria it is not always a foregone conclusion that a child will safely secure a place in the nearest or their preferred school. The School Admissions Code was revised in December 2014 and provides statutory guidance for school admission policies. Parents of primary children who are not successful in securing a place at their preferred school can go through appeal. Places are confirmed to parents early in the New Year when the planning for the child’s academic journey can really begin.

Also this month, interest in grammar schools has been awoken as a result of Weald of Kent School in Tonbridge being granted permission to build a grammar school annex. Labour passed laws in 1998 banning the creation of new grammars and instead opting for comprehensive education. Labour has described the decision as a “hugely backward step” which will lead to the floodgates opening for more applications of satellite selective schools. However Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has said “This is one particular school with one particular set of circumstances. Bids from other schools would still face “statutory prohibition”. Source: BBC News

In a report published by the Institute of Fiscal Studies schools in England are likely to see spending per pupil fall by 8% in real terms over the next five years. This is largely due to rising costs, increasing pupil numbers and rises in NI and employer pension contributions from April 2016. A DoE spokesman said “We are protecting the schools budget … part of our core mission is to raise standards across the country and make sure every child reaches their full potential”. Source: BBC News. At Edusentials, we are very mindful of school budgets and how these real-term increases could limit your spend on classroom resources. We are reviewing our prices for next year now and wherever possible our plan is to hold our prices as we continue to make customer satisfaction our number one priority.

Finally for this month we finish on what has always been a hot topic of debate, whatever the time of year, and that is taking children out of school during term time for family holidays. Strict new rules on term-time holidays, including imposing fines on parents were introduced in 2013. But the Local Government Association (LGA) says a “common sense approach” should be applied to parents in England taking children out of school for holidays. The fresh call from the LGA follows a recent case in which a father avoided prosecution for refusing to pay a fine for taking his child out of school for a holiday. Source: BBC News

Originally written 2 November 2015