General
Thursday
11th Jul 2024
Weekly round-up: Labour’s big schools mission begins
This week’s education news round-up focuses on Bridget Phillipson taking the helm at the DfE and how she will put her party’s ambitious plans for education into action
![Weekly round-up: Labour’s big schools mission begins](https://assets.tes.com/magazine-attachments/s3fs-public/styles/448x245/public/2024-07/Round-up_0.jpg?itok=hyW_W5IA)
Just ‘1 in 3 trusts’ could afford 3% teacher pay rise
Most trust finance chiefs say their organisations are vulnerable and eating into their reserves to cover costs
![teacher pay rise](https://assets.tes.com/magazine-attachments/s3fs-public/styles/448x245/public/2024-07/3percent_pay_rise.jpg?itok=3eyIp1dh)
Exclusive
Tuesday
9th Jul 2024
Don’t sack heads for a poor Ofsted, CST leader says
Leora Cruddas, chief executive of the MAT sector body, says trusts should know their schools and heads, and not be reliant upon Ofsted to highlight problems
![Leaving job](https://assets.tes.com/magazine-attachments/s3fs-public/styles/448x245/public/2024-07/Ofsted-sacking.jpg?itok=PbUf2N8i)
Damian Hinds named as shadow education secretary
Former education secretary and schools minister appointed to the Conservatives’ opposition front bench
![Damian Hinds](https://assets.tes.com/magazine-attachments/s3fs-public/styles/448x245/public/2024-07/Damian-Hinds2.jpg?itok=lmC8AkfE)
Monday
8th Jul 2024
Punitive measures to cut absence ‘no longer work’
Schools should instead adopt a ‘collaborative approach’, providing support to families of pupils with poor attendance, study finds
![Attendance](https://assets.tes.com/magazine-attachments/s3fs-public/styles/448x245/public/2024-07/Punitive-attendance2.jpg?itok=Ipamk5lL)
Labour government names DfE ministers
Department for Education confirms ministerial appointments following last week’s general election
![Labour government names DfE ministers](https://assets.tes.com/magazine-attachments/s3fs-public/styles/448x245/public/2024-07/DfE%20team%20Labour-5.jpg?itok=3bAQKHUc)
Labour must end SEND ‘arms race’, MAT leaders say
MAT leaders have said that the SEND system needs ‘radical reform’ and should be fixed as a ‘priority’
![Labour must end SEND ‘arms race’, MAT leaders say](https://assets.tes.com/magazine-attachments/s3fs-public/styles/448x245/public/2024-07/Arms%20Race.jpg?itok=uSQ5tTQD)
Bridget Phillipson to meet with unions as ‘priority’
Department for Education also says it will expand the national teacher recruitment campaign but has not set out any details
![Bridget Phillipson to meet with unions as ‘priority’](https://assets.tes.com/magazine-attachments/s3fs-public/styles/448x245/public/2024-07/Bridget%20Phillipson4.jpg?itok=n-N4Zdk6)
Saturday
6th Jul 2024
MAT chief: ‘Mistake’ to assume academies were a ‘silver bullet’
A former DfE adviser also tells the Festival of Education that the Labour government will have to ‘tackle a bunch of questions’ about the academy system despite its ‘agnostic’ stance on school structure
![Bandaid broken glass](https://assets.tes.com/magazine-attachments/s3fs-public/styles/448x245/public/2024-07/Silver-bullet.jpg?itok=f3mwSufo)
Labour urged to back national governor recruitment drive
The National Governance Association said the DfE had found money for a governor recruitment drive before the election was called
![Labour urged to back national governor recruitment drive](https://assets.tes.com/magazine-attachments/s3fs-public/styles/448x245/public/2024-07/governor%20recruitment.jpg?itok=fSlKeYeT)