June Newsletter | Election Promises Regarding Education, AI in Schools and Our Latest Jobs

Dear Subscribers

Welcome to our June newsletter.

Finally, today there is some sunshine!🌞

As the election draws near, I think about how the main parties will approach education. This is surely a key area of focus for all parties. Below is a summary of key election promises regarding education.  

Leading on from this, I look at AI in schools and how this is now woven into Ofsted inspections. As a recruiter for IT, data and finance positions, I look at how these developments will impact school support roles.

Lastly, we have links to our live jobs. We have been recruiting for a new IT Director for Berkhamstead School, among other enticing roles!

As ever, please leave me any feedback at info@esp-recruit.co.uk.

Warm regards
William Townsend
Managing Director
ESP Recruitment


What Are The Key Education Policies from the 2024 Election Manifestos?
With the election looming, we have created a quick summary of the key election manifesto items relating to education from four of the political parties. Teacher recruitment and funding are key election promises across the board. 

Labour
-Recruit 6,500 new teachers
-End tax breaks for private schools
-Deliver high and rising standards in early education
-Free breakfast clubs in every primary school
-Mental health support in schools & communities for all young people
-Improve how data is shared to pick up special educational needs and disabilities earlier
-End single-word Ofsted judgements and bring in report cards with annual checks on safeguarding and attendance
-Inspect multi-academy trusts as well as schools themselves
-Introduce a new focus on improving schools with regional teams to drive outcomes for children
-A Teacher Training Entitlement for all teachers
-Prepare young people for their futures with a broader curriculum, a strong core of literacy and numeracy alongside access to sports and arts subjects
-A new focus on speaking and listening skills
-Ensuring all children have digital skills
-Professional career guidance in all schools & colleges
-Two weeks’ worth of work experience for all students

https://labour.org.uk/change
 
Conservatives
-30 hours of free childcare a week, saving eligible families £6,900 a year
-A new National Service for 18-year-olds
-100,000 high-quality apprenticeships
-The Advanced British Standard to enhance technical learning 
-Require schools to ban the use of mobile phones during the school day 
-Introduce the Advanced British Standard
-Attract more talented teachers by expanding recruitment and retention and reducing workload 
-New teachers in priority areas and key STEM and technical subjects will receive bonuses of up to £30,000 tax-free over five years 
-Extend payments to eligible teachers in further education colleges 
-Two hours of PE weekly in primary and secondary schools
-Every young person will spend more time in the classroom, learning more subjects, including English and maths to 18 
-Improve school attendance
-Expand strong academy trusts
-Ofsted to provide clear judgements to parents on the quality and safety of schools
-Rebuild over 500 schools through the School Rebuilding Programme
-Deliver 60,000 more school places and a further 15 new free schools for children with special educational needs 
-Instead of penalising independent special schools by taxing them, we will back them because we believe in the right of parents to choose the best education for their children.

https://www.conservatives.com

Liberal Democrats
-Put a dedicated, qualified mental health professional in every primary and secondary school
-Increase school and college funding per pupil above the rate of inflation every year
-Introduce a ‘Tutoring Guarantee’ for every disadvantaged pupil who needs extra support 
-Invest in high-quality early years education 
-Reinstate maintenance grants for disadvantaged students 
-Create new Lifelong Skills Grants, giving all adults £5,000 to spend on education and training throughout their lives, aiming to increase them to £10,000 in the future 
-Tackle the crisis in teacher recruitment and retention 
-Establish a standing commission to build a long-term consensus across parties and teachers to broaden the curriculum and make qualifications at 16 and 18 fit for the 21st century 
-Strengthen career advice and links with employers in schools and colleges 
-Include arts subjects in the English Baccalaureate
-Give power to Ofsted to monitor the curriculum 
-Expand the provision of extracurricular activities, such as sports, music, drama, debating and coding, starting with a new free entitlement for disadvantaged children. 
-Reform Ofsted inspections and end single-word judgements
-Implement a new parental engagement strategy, including a regular, published parent survey.

https://www.libdems.org.uk

Reform
-A Patriotic Curriculum in Primary and Secondary Schools 
-History and social science curricula are to be reviewed and audited regularly to ensure balance children must be taught about their heritage 
-Ban Transgender Ideology in Primary and Secondary Schools 
-Inform parents of under 16s about their children’s life decisions
-Must have single-sex facilities
-Tax relief of 20% on all Independent Education. No VAT on Fees 
-Scrap Interest on Student Loans 
-Extend loan capital repayment periods to 45 years
-Restrict undergraduate numbers and enforce minimum entry standards 
-Cut Funding to Universities that undermine free speech
-Those that allow political bias or cancel culture must face heavy financial penalties 
-Permanent Exclusions for Violent and Disruptive Students 
-Double the number of Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) so schools can function safely 
-Universities Must Provide 2-Year Undergraduate Courses.

https://www.reformparty.uk

Are you One Step Ahead of AI in Schools? 

In April this year, Ofsted published its approach to AI in schools. Many schools and colleges are already using AI within education and this presents opportunities and also risk. Whilst Ofsted will not directly inspect the quality of the AI tools used, they will look at how the AI tools impact inspection outcomes. If using AI improves educational outcomes for children, then it will be supported. 

Across schools, AI has other benefits such as reducing workload and creating more innovative ways of working. As an IT, data or finance leader in a school, it will become more important to have a firm grasp of the range of AI tools available and how these may be used for good in schools, what the cost is (if any) and how this is balanced against the benefits. 

Certainly, AI will become key in streamlining school operations, data and admin so if you are an IT, data or finance professional in a school, this is an area to stay informed about. It will impact the roles more and more as AI becomes embedded across schools over the coming years. 

How AI is already being used in schools

Here are some examples of how AI is already being used in schools, many of the larger MATs are taking a leading role in looking into this and rolling out sensitive use of AI tools to support teaching and learning. 

  • personalised learning
  • automated grading
  • content creation
  • graphics and design
  • automation of tasks
  • practise questions and real-time feedback
  • language translation

For more information


Latest Jobs!

Here are the latest roles we are recruiting for. I am delighted to say we have been handling some exciting positions at prestigious schools. If you are interested in any of these, please drop me a line! 

Please contact us if you are interested in any of the roles above.

+44 (0)20 8559 2077

info@esp-recruit.co.uk

Terms of usePrivacy Policy