It would be hard to miss the publication of the Schools White Paper today. At Tes, we’ve covered all the main points for schools, including the announcements on a minimum length of the school week, new targets for English and maths and the “Parent Pledge”. We’ve also interviewed education secretary Nadhim Zahawi about his policy announcements, and provided a full breakdown of the crucial messages.
But what do teaching and learning leads need to know beyond those initial headlines? Here, we’ve analysed the White Paper to reveal 10 ways in which the proposals could affect day-to-day teaching and pastoral care.
Schools White Paper: How it will affect teaching and pastoral care
1. No changes to the national curriculum
The paper says that in “order to provide stability for schools and enable them to remain focused on recovery from the pandemic and raising standards of literacy and numeracy”, there will be “no changes to the national curriculum for the remainder of the Parliament”.
2. A new literacy and numeracy test
Much of the White Paper is dedicated to raising levels of literacy and numeracy in schools, and it states that we can expect “a new test of literacy and numeracy, taken by a sample of children in Year 9, to estimate performance at a national level”.
Many teachers will be reminded here of the days of key stage 3 Sats.
The full detail of what the new test might look like is yet to be revealed, but according to the White Paper, it will consist of a short series of digital activities undertaken by a small number of children in school.
3. A leading literacy NPQ
To support the delivery of the government’s ambition for literacy, the White Paper says that schools will be able to access a new Leading Literacy National Professional Qualification from September 2022.
“This will train literacy experts who will drive higher standards of literacy teaching in their schools,” it says. “As with every other qualification in the ‘golden thread’, these qualifications are underpinned by the best available evidence, assured by the Education Endowment Foundation.”
4. Monitoring progress in English and maths with ‘robust assessment’
There are other commitments to English and maths, too. The paper says that “the best schools use robust, reliable assessment to identify children who need extra help, and offer targeted, evidence-based support to these children”.
This will be an expectation across England, and all schools should monitor pupils’ progress in English and maths using robust assessment. Schools will need a “system for responding to what this shows” - both in terms of adjustments to classroom practice and providing additional support for children who need it - drawn from the growing evidence base of effective support approaches.
The DfE says that, in partnership with Ofsted, it will set out further guidance on targeted support and the use of effective assessment.
5. Development of the best-evidenced literacy and numeracy interventions
The document also commits to providing over £55 million for the Accelerator Fund to develop and scale up the best-evidenced literacy and numeracy interventions, “spreading effective programmes to every corner of the country”.
The result, according to the White Paper, will be “cutting-edge, evidence-based programmes, directly informing the best practice targeted support schools will implement”.
6. Assessment of EYFS reforms
In recent years, the Early Years Foundation Stage has gone through a series of reforms, not all of which have been popular with teachers. The White Paper commits to “assess the effect” of these reforms on teaching practice and, “where necessary, identify ways to go further in ensuring children are prepared for key stage 1, recognising the critical role of early language development in building strong foundations for literacy and numeracy”.
The document also lays out plans for a new National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership, which “recognises the expertise required to deliver great early years outcomes”.
7. Modern foreign language hubs
The DfE says that it remains committed to improving the uptake of EBacc subjects, and “will continue to drive improvements in access to high-quality language teaching to realise this”. From 2023, therefore, it will seek to establish a “network of modern foreign language hubs and introduce more effective continuous professional development courses for language teachers in both primary and secondary schools”.
8. Recognition of the Sendco role
The paper also proposes introducing a leadership level Senco National Professional Qualification for new Sendcos, “recognising the significance of the Senco role in schools and ensuring professional development for this role builds upon our wider ‘golden thread’ of teaching reforms”.
More details around SEND reform are expected tomorrow, when the DfE publishes a Green Paper for SEND education.
9. Increased behaviour support
The DfE has already issued new guidance to schools on how to approach behaviour, and in this White Paper, it says that all “teachers and leaders employed in state-funded schools have access to a fully funded training scholarship to undertake a National Professional Qualification in Behaviour and Culture”.
As part of this, the DfE will launch a new National Behaviour Survey “to better understand what parents, children, teachers and leaders think of behaviour and wellbeing in their school”.
10. Mental health support teams
As part of the proposals, the DfE says that every school will have the opportunity to access funded training for senior mental health leads, who will form part of mental health support teams.
“We are building on the additional £79 million invested in specialist mental health support for children and young people during the pandemic by accelerating the introduction of mental health support teams that provide extra capacity for early support and advising school staff,” it adds.
