Weekly round-up: School building closures and attendance plans

Catch up on all your must-read Tes education news and analysis from the past week right here:

• Schools at risk of collapse told to close buildings
  More than 100 schools were advised this week to vacate areas containing a type of concrete at risk of collapse, days before the start of the new term.
   
• RAAC: Over 8,000 more schools could be at risk 
  More than 8,000 schools could be at risk of collapse due to having buildings containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) it has emerged.
   
• RAAC timeline: How a wonder material became a school nightmare
  With school buildings now being closed because they contain the material RAAC, Dan Worth looks at the warnings over recent years.
   
• RAAC and school collapse risks: what schools need to know
  Tes explains the latest Department for Education guidance issued to schools regarding the danger posed by RAAC in older buildings.
   
• Attendance: 7 changes schools should know about 
  The DfE has announced plans on school attendance after a consultation.
   
• New PE policy changes: everything you need to know 
  New guidance on PE in schools comes into force this term - Dr Vanessa King explains the changes.
   
• Four key questions for the coming school year 
  With a general election looming in 2024, Tes editor Jon Severs highlights four big issues in education that need to be addressed.
   
• Ofsted: Schools face scrutiny on youth violence 
  Watchdogs, including Ofsted, are to jointly carry out targeted inspections in schools where there is a risk of students being exposed to violence or exploitation by county lines drug gangs.
   
• Back to school: 5 ways to cut teacher workload
  As a new term begins, a former headteacher shares ways in which school leaders can help to reduce their teachers’ workload.
   
• One in four teachers brings food for hungry pupils 
  A quarter of teachers brought food into school last term because they feared for hungry pupils, according to new research, which has sparked calls to extend free school meals.
   
• Why northern school attainment gap fears are misplaced 
  The idea that schools in the North are somehow failing their students simply isn’t true, says Professor Stephen Gorard, who presents evidence that northern schools produce comparable outcomes to those in the South for equivalent pupils.
   
• Revealed: How the new Sendco qualification will work 
  The Department for Education has published the details of its new leadership-level Sendco National Professional Qualification for schools.
   
• ‘Preparing students for work is as important as exams’ 
  The government needs to provide funding to support schools with careers programmes that are falling behind, writes former schools minister Robin Walker.