Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL)

What are the most effective, evidence-informed steps leaders can take to improve teaching and learning across their setting, and what does this look like in practice? High-quality teaching remains the most powerful lever for improving pupil outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged learners. Yet many leaders face the challenge of translating research into consistent, sustainable practice across departments, schools, or trusts.

Ofsted inspection is one of the most high-stakes moments in a school leader’s professional life, and under the renewed framework, the landscape has shifted. Knowing what inspectors are looking for, how to present your school’s story with confidence, and how to manage the process from first notification to final report card has never been more important.

By Kathryn Morgan, ASCL Leadership and Workforce Specialist As another academic year draws to a close, attention is increasingly turning towards one of the most significant developments in the future accountability landscape: the introduction of trust inspection. Before we decide how trusts should be inspected, we need to be clear about what trust inspection is intended to achieve. A few weeks ago, ASCL Council’s trust leaders’ group provided feedback on the DfE’s trust quality descriptors.

By Richard McDonald, Assistant Principal, The Education Alliance One of the achievements of this Pride Month is the Section 28 Justice Coalition’s success in reaching the threshold for a government response to its petition for a public inquiry into the impact of Section 28. Whilst much of the work on Section 28’s impact focuses on the LGBTQ+ community, its enduring legacy in schools and colleges might not be policy but the way it has shaped our profession's approach.

“We welcome the publication of this guidance which builds on the excellent provision that already exists in many schools and colleges. However, we are not convinced that the government has allocated enough money to deliver the massive expansion of Send support in mainstream education it envisages. “Its reforms mean schools and colleges will be supporting many more students with complex needs.

“This research identifies a significant risk to schools serving the most disadvantaged communities and requires urgent attention by the government. Falling pupil rolls means less funding and while schools will do everything they can to mitigate the impact on pupils the stark reality is that they will have fewer resources. “These are exactly the schools which we particularly need to ensure are well-supported in their vital role of improving lives and we fully endorse the NFER’s recommendations.

“We are pleased the Welsh government is taking action over a clear inequity by extending free school meal eligibility in secondary schools to more households receiving Universal Credit. The current income limit excludes many families who are experiencing very difficult living conditions, and we’ve called for its removal.

This webinar introduces the National Crime Agency’s Cyber Choices programme, a national initiative formed in 2017 designed to safeguard young people and adults from committing illegal cyber activity while encouraging the development of positive, lawful cyber skills. The session begins by outlining what Cyber Choices is, why it exists, and how it supports individuals who may be at risk of or have committed low-level cyber dependent offences.

by Neil Smith, ASCL Independent Sector Specialist There was a time when a Labour government saw independent schools as central to delivering its education strategy. Seeking to expand the academies programme launched by the then Secretary of State for Education and Employment, David Blunkett, Schools Minister Andrew Adonis spoke at the HMC Annual Conference in October 2007 and invited its members to open or sponsor a new academy.

Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, comments on plans by the Welsh government to introduce new statutory guidance to restrict mobile phone use in schools. “We welcome plans for national guidance on mobile phone restrictions in schools.