Weekly round-up: Behaviour, teacher pay and Ofsted

Catch up on all your must-read Tes news and analysis here:

• Behaviour: suspensions hit record high
  School suspensions have soared above pre-pandemic levels with more than half a million recorded in 2021-22, new data published by the Department for Education shows.
   
• Suspensions: the scale of the problem revealed
  The increase in behaviour issues that schools are having to deal with post-pandemic has been uncovered by new DfE research, which also shows the year groups most affected.
   
• 5 key insights into school behaviour
  The government’s new National Behaviour Survey contains valuable insights that can help schools in tackling poor behaviour, says deputy head Luke Ramsden.
   
• Ofsted ‘flat-out wrong’ on MAT exclusions, says DfE adviser
  Ofsted has been criticised by the DfE’s behaviour adviser for saying that suspensions and exclusions in a multi-academy trust are “too high”.
   
• FAQ: teacher pay rises
  With the government announcing a 6.5 per cent pay rise, Grainne Hallahan answers the big questions about teacher salaries in 2023-24.
   
• TLR payments: how much extra can teachers earn?
  Tes explains the increases in teaching and learning responsibility payments in 2023-24 - and what teachers need to do to get them.
   
• Is there any way back for Ofsted?
  With the government now having chosen the next head of Ofsted, Charlotte Santry asks: does Sir Martyn Oliver have anything to work with or does the whole inspection system need to be scrapped?
   
• Ofsted’s annual report: seven key findings
  Less than half of schools have used Ofsted inspection findings to make changes to improve standards - and other insights from the watchdog’s latest annual report.
   
• Flexible working could help teachers’ admin overload
  School leaders could provide teachers with the flexibility to work from home to complete administrative tasks, a new government-commissioned report suggests.
   
• Most teachers have to run lessons outside of specialism
  The majority of teachers responding to a government survey have had to lead lessons outside of their subject specialism this year, and most said this increased their workload.
   
• Highest teacher trainee dropout rate in 5 years 
  The number of trainee teachers who dropped out or did not achieve qualified teacher status rose to its highest rate in five years last year, new DfE figures reveal.
   
• Do we really expect schools to fix poverty?
  Expecting schools to solve huge issues like poverty and social mobility ignores the reality outside the classroom - and provides a convenient scapegoat for politicians, says Alasdair Macdonald.