“I’m deeply honoured,” she tweeted as news of the appointment broke.

“Education transforms lives – I know that talent is spread equally around the country and I will work tirelessly to ensure opportunity is also.”

The MP for Chichester is the fifth person to act as education secretary in four months, following, in short order, Kit Malthouse, James Cleverly, Michelle Donelan and Nadhim Zahawi.

The frequency of turnover was condemned as “farcical” by Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

Welcoming Keegan to her new post, he said: “This revolving door shows a complete disregard for the importance of what should be a key government post and it must stop. Education matters more than this. It is a vital public service.

“Schools and colleges deserve stable political leadership which addresses the crucial issues of inadequate funding and severe staff shortages caused by a government which has undervalued the workforce and sapped its morale.”

The low priority given to the education of the nation’s children and young people and the low regard in which this government holds teachers and support staff has to stop – Dr Mary Bousted, NEU

Barton’s words were echoed by Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union:

“We welcome Gillian Keegan to the position of education secretary,” she said. “They are, staggeringly, the 10th education secretary in 12 years… This does not fill teachers, parents or students with any confidence that this government is treating the education brief as one of the most important jobs in cabinet.

Keegan arrives at the Department for Education from the Foreign Office, where she served a six-week spell as the minister for Africa.

Previously she was a health minister, with responsibility for care and mental health during the latter half of the Covid-19 pandemic, and minister for apprenticeships and skills.

In July, she was tasked by prime minister Boris Johnson with leading a government call for evidence on what should be included within the Down’s Syndrome Act statutory guidance.

“It is crucial this guidance is fit for purpose so we can ensure people with Down’s syndrome can access the support they need to thrive in their community,” she told the Daily Express at the time.

In other news: Digital inequalities and alarming levels of online abuse

Special educational needs and disability funding is an issue “close to my heart” she said previously, as the aunt of someone with Down’s syndrome. In 2020 she warned that special schools in her constituency were struggling under the weight of admissions and in need of funding to expand.

Investment was also uppermost in the minds of the union leaders as Keegan assumed her new role.

“When chancellor, Rishi Sunak was the architect of a wholly inadequate support package for post-pandemic education recovery and has refused to fully fund pay rises which have in any case not kept pace with inflation,” said Bousted.

“He has also presided over years of real-terms cuts to school and college funding, which makes the job of heads so much more difficult.

“It can only be hoped that the new education secretary recognises these challenges and fights the corner of beleaguered staff as well as parents and pupils.”

For the ASCL, Barton said: “We would urge [Keegan] to focus on what matters most by ensuring schools and colleges have enough money, teachers and support staff to deliver the education that children and young people need and deserve.

“Without these essential resources, every other ambition and target is meaningless and educational standards are at risk.”

I know that talent is spread equally around the country and I will work tirelessly to ensure opportunity is also – Gillian Keegan

Gillian Keegan back story:

Born 13 March 1968 in Leigh, Lancashire

Attended primary school in Yorkshire before moving to Knowsley, Merseyside

Went to a comprehensive secondary school – St Augustine of Canterbury, Huyton – before leaving at 16 with 10 O-levels

After becoming an apprentice at a local electronics factory, she was sponsored to study a degree in business at Liverpool John Moores University, and later took a Sloan Fellowship Master’s degree at London Business School

Prior to entering parliament in 2017, Keegan spent almost 30 years living and working in the manufacturing, banking and IT sectors

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The honour was made in recognition of work undertaken by the boarding school for girls’ eco-committee, run and staffed by students and charged with the aim of making sustainable, environmentally friendly decisions to benefit the school community.

An award is only made after Eco-Schools has assessed a school’s level of sustainability across a wide range of areas, including classrooms, kitchen, infrastructure, governance, utilities and community.

“[The committee] work tirelessly to raise awareness of important local, national, and global environmental issues within our school community and beyond,” said Harriet Whiting, St Mary’s’ sustainability coordinator, who oversees the committee’s work.

“They should be incredibly proud of this achievement.”

You may also like: Sustainable schools – leading the way to a greener future

To achieve the Eco-Schools Green Flag award, the eco-committee was required to complete a seven-step process in a single academic year.

Following a school-wide environmental review, conducted to identify opportunities for action, it opted to focus its efforts on three topics: marine, waste and school grounds.

In addition, to achieve a distinction, St Mary’s was tasked with completing an additional seven steps for both the bonus educational questions and the bonus environmental impact scheme, including an evaluation of just how effectively sustainability themes are embedded across the school’s curriculum.

“I know the eco-committee will continue to build on this success, implementing new initiatives and championing changes that will help to make St Mary’s a more sustainable place to learn now and in the future,” added Whiting.

Founded in 1994 and operated in the UK by the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, Eco-Schools describes itself as the largest educational programme worldwide.

Fifty-six thousand schools are signed up to the initiative across 70 countries, engaging 1.4 million teachers and 19.4 million students.

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The findings in The School Report, published by the Made By Dyslexia charity, are drawn from a survey of more than 12,000 teachers and parents in a range of educational settings across 102 countries.

The report claims that dyslexic challenges are not understood in more than half of schools across the globe. Indeed, 80% of dyslexics leave UK schools undiagnosed, according to a 2019 report from the all-party parliamentary group on the issue.

Other statistics underlining the seriousness of the issue in the UK include:

• More than half of inmates in the UK prison system are dyslexic
• 65% of children screened at a London pupil referral unit were dyslexic
• Children with special educational needs like dyslexia are seven times more likely to be excluded from school

As a result, the charity – founded and led by dyslexics – is launching a ‘Learn Dyslexia’ campaign, with schools asked to allow teachers to #takeadayfordyslexia and use it to conduct free online training in partnership with Microsoft.

The campaign film

“We’ve known how to support dyslexia for decades, and we’ve known that without support these children enter a spiral of failure, but nothing has been done,” said Kate Griggs, CEO and founder of Made By Dyslexia.

“There is, however, a very simple solution to this big problem; we need to train all teachers to spot, support, and empower dyslexic students, who are in every classroom around the world. And we need to do it at speed.”

The charity also emphasises that dyslexic thinking can be an advantage in its own right, with entrants to the apprenticeship scheme at GCHQ – the UK’s intelligence centre – four times more likely to be dyslexic than other organisations’ programmes.

Made By Dyslexia’s partnership with Microsoft offers three free training courses – on awareness, teaching, and dyslexia and technology – with more coming onstream next year.

“Understanding and knowing how to spot, support and champion dyslexic thinkers at all ages is vital,” said Paige Johnson, VP educational marketing at Microsoft.

“By offering accessible, free and informative training focusing on dyslexia in partnership with Made By Dyslexia, we hope to start to see a more inclusive world that embraces those who think differently.

“We are excited to launch the new training module focused on dyslexia and technology, to help people understand the free tools available to support and develop the skills of dyslexic thinkers”.

From the archive: Dyslexia Awareness Week – schools must embrace technology

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NAU is the digital professional development platform of international schools group, Nord Anglia Education (NAE), serving 15,000 staff in 81 schools across 32 countries.

In the UK, Nord Anglia runs two independent sixth form colleges (Oxford International College and Oxford Sixth Form College) and one co-educational day and boarding school (d’Overbroeck’s).

“Nord Anglia has a strong reputation for professional development,” said Barber, on his appointment.

“Their philosophy is that ‘great teachers make great schools’ and I’ll be working closely with their educators to look at new ways to invest in colleagues’ growth and to ensure that their growth improves student outcomes.

“I’m looking forward to working with Nord Anglia’s experts to further enhance how NAU delivers high-quality professional development at scale.”

Sir Michael Barber will ensure we continue to offer the best professional development programme in international education – Andrew Fitzmaurice, NAE

NAU’s new chair brings vast experience to the organisation, having worked in schools, higher education and government for more than 30 years. After studying history at the University of Oxford, he trained as a teacher and went on to teach in schools in the UK and Zimbabwe.

His highest profile work came when he served as chief advisor to the secretary of state for education on school standards from 1997 to 2001, before founding and leading Tony Blair’s delivery unit in No. 10, established to monitor and accelerate the implementation of public service reform priorities.

Barber was knighted for his efforts to improve government in 2005.

“Sir Michael brings significant experience and value to Nord Anglia, and his insight will ensure we continue to offer the best professional development programme in international education,” said Andrew Fitzmaurice, CEO at NAE.

The new position is Barber’s third major appointment of the year. In January 2022 he became chancellor of the University of Exeter, and in April he was announced as the new chairman of Somerset County Cricket Club.

His most recent book – Accomplishment: How to achieve ambitious and challenging things – was published by Penguin last year.

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Tom Richardson ceo, LiteracyPlanet said: “The past year has brought plenty of challenges for educators, but it’s the resilience and tenacity shown across the industry that is truly inspirational, and we want to acknowledge that!”

“Schools and classrooms are transforming every year with new technology, online platforms, blended learning, multi-sensory techniques and personalised education – all adding to the mix for teachers. We want to reward these leaders who are embracing new trends and tools to improve how they teach across all subjects.”

“We host the awards to say thank you and to celebrate our incredible educators that are achieving great things for their students and schools,” said Richardson.

Teaching staff, students, and parents from any primary or secondary school worldwide can nominate their favourite educator across one of four unique categories in 2022, to recognise the many different facets of the classroom support system.

Award categories include:

• Champion teachers: a motivator delivers fun, engaging, and inspirational lessons either in the classroom or online. These teachers are there for their students no matter what.
• Creative educators: a behind-the-scenes genius who helps orchestrate the show—whatever that may be! This award is for the most creative educator, whether they’re a curriculum leader, a teacher’s aide, or band master.
• Unsung educational heroes – the quiet achiever who always works with passion, care, and empathy. Never one for attention, this person is the one who genuinely deserves recognition for their tireless and appreciated efforts.
• Phenomenal leaders – school principals, deputies, assistant principals, and other senior leaders who have gone above and beyond. They have led the school by example, implementing measures to ensure the continuity of and excellence in education.

Nominations are open now until 13 November. It’s free to enter and winners will be announced by the end of November.

Nominate here: Educator Wall of Fame 2022

You might also be interested in:Vision of the future: new art exhibition to bring together the voices of the children across the world 

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It aims to highlight areas of disadvantage, inform policymaking, and help to improve education and life outcomes for young people today and in the future.

While digital spaces present essential opportunities for young people to learn, connect, work, seek support and socialise, not everyone has an equal chance. This year’s Index discovered a current crisis that is widening the gap between those who can access digital resources and those who can’t.

Cost of living crisis

Two years on from the start of the pandemic, one in four young people still do not have access to a laptop (26%). The key reason among those who do not have a laptop is cost (27%). This is more the case for secondary students (26%) than primary students (19%) and becomes ever-more pressing with the looming cost of living crisis.

Training and skills

A fifth (20%) of young people do not feel they have basic training on digital skills relevant to everyone, let alone the opportunity to explore advanced skills for careers like coding. But more than half (57%) of young people want a job that uses advanced digital skills.

Young people do not feel that they have received good training in school to help them to use digital technology (20%).

Marginalised young people are particularly likely to feel that school training was not enough, this includes LGBTQ+ young people (31%), and those with certain disabilities such as mobility (30%) and mental health challenges (30%). This also applies to those who are not currently in education or employment (34%).

Online access and safety

The findings also revealed the need to balance the benefit of accessing services or connecting with others online, while mitigating the negative impact and risks of spending too much time online. While more than half of young people (53%) say online life has a positive impact on their relationships with friends, more than one in three young people (37%) agree that going online has a negative impact on people like them.

This rises to over two in five among LGBTQ+ young people (44%), and almost half (47%) of young people with a mental health condition. Young people are feeling the impact of social media on people they can relate to, and it is affecting how they feel about themselves.

Social media platforms

The social media platforms where young users are most likely to have seen distressing content are Reddit (70%), Twitter (70%), TikTok (66%), and Tumblr (63%), ranging from violence, to trolling or abuse, and/or sexual content. Additionally, many young people are accessing these platforms at an age lower than is imposed by the social media company.  For example, a third of primary school children are accessing TikTok, despite the platform requiring users to be 13.

Comment

Further, new pressures are changing the types of support people need, from money advice to mental health support.

Paul Fletcher, ceo, Nominet, said: “It’s never been more important for young people to feel connected, included and secure when they’re online. Completing this research over a number of years allows us to compare young people’s digital skills, their use of online services, and their mental health and overall wellbeing over time.

“Society depends on young people learning to thrive in our increasingly digital world. Growing the diversity of the UK’s digital talent pool and increasing digital skills for all young people is vital not just for improving social mobility and the economy, but for building the kind of society we need, today and tomorrow.”

Read the full report here for more information and explore the full data through our interactive tool.

You might also be interested in: No time to delay for online safety

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The Surrey school, part of the Inspired Learning Group, hopes that its most recent efforts will continue to help the children of Msalura to learn and best prepare themselves for life in Salima, one of the poorest areas in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Kishwar Ali, headteacher at Essendene Lodge, explained, “Over the last 11 years we have supported Msalura in a multitude of ways including engaging all our school community in the process. Our annual cake sale fundraiser is just part of this ongoing support.”

Daniel Okeyo, school councillor said, “It’s good to do things like this to provide opportunities for children in Malawi who may not even have pens and pencils. The cake sale money will be used for the benefit of all pupils in Msalura.”

Msalura Primary School is a large urban primary school in Salima, Malawi, which provides education to over 1,500 pupils daily. Class sizes are often more than 70 pupils. Teaching facilities and resources are basic and for years, the school could not provide more than the most essential sanitation.

‘Despite being in an extremely poor area, the school performs exceptionally well. The partnership is mutually beneficial. We learn as much from them as they do from us.’_ Kishwar Ali, headteacher Essendene Lodge

Projects that Essendene has championed over the years include donating sports and computing equipment, supporting staff visits and making contributions to the ‘gifted girls fund’ which helps girls to continue into secondary education and progress onwards towards university.

In 2018, a gala dinner organised by Essendene Lodge’s parents raised over £5,000, enabling the school to dig a well and install a water pump, giving the school its own fresh water supply, which transformed the lives of children and staff.

In recent years the school has also supported the ‘days for girls’ project with parents putting together basic sanitary packs, helping provide girls with the resources they need to manage their periods, stay in school, and continue their education.

In June, following an appeal, the school was able to send by shipping container five large boxes of toys and learning materials donated by parents and pupils for use by children with special needs which is a new department at Msalura.

Kishwar last visited the school in 2017 and is currently planning her next visit to Msalura in May 2023, during which she plans to re-establish the partnership and meet the school’s new headteacher to discuss joint teaching and learning activities including facilitating live classroom links.

Kishwar said: “Despite being in an extremely poor area, the school performs exceptionally well. The partnership is mutually beneficial. We learn as much from them as they do from us.”

The current fundraising focus for the school remains on the ‘gifted girls fund’, ‘days for girls’ and continuing to improve the infrastructure, particularly the sanitation, at Msalura.

Kishwar said, “I could not be prouder of our amazing children, staff and parents who always go above and beyond to support our partnership with Msalura. Over the course of this year, the staff, the PTA, parents and all the children at Essendene will be looking for new and innovative ways to help support Msalura’s continued development as a beacon of hope and progression in Salima.”

In 2020, Essendene Lodge won an ISA Award for Outstanding International Involvement thanks to its ongoing partnership with Msalura.

You might also be interested in: Vision of the future: new art exhibition to bring together voices from all over the globe 

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This will enable Jina to train and play against some of the most talented netball players in the country.

It comes after Badminton School’s appearance on CBBC’s new TV series ‘Our Boarding School’, which featured Jina during an episode where her skills on the court were noticed by a talent scout.

Jina said: “I am very proud of myself for getting into the Nova Academy because it has always been a dream and I am glad I achieved it at the age of 12. Playing with older players makes me nervous sometimes but they are nice and caring. They are also extremely good which aspires me to train harder.”

Miss Elsley, Assistant Director of Sport at Badminton, said: ‘I am so incredibly proud of Jina and what she has achieved. Not many people get the opportunity to experience playing at topflight level, so this next year will give Jina an insight into what it truly takes to play at elite level and whether it is something she wishes to pursue longer term. Jina has worked so hard, overcome so much adversity and shown so much courage to achieve what she has.”

You might also be interested in: The link between exercise and mental health

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Digital exams allow students to be assessed in a manner better suited to the workplace and the 21st century, Olli-Pekka Heinonen told the IB’s global conference in the Hague earlier this month.

The former Finnish minister of education added that it will “future proof” the qualification, as well as allowing those outside mainstream education, or who have to learn remotely, to be able to access it.

No timeline has been set for the switch, with schools initially expected to be offered a choice of online or paper-based exams.

“The paper assessments will be there for the interim period, but I also see that there is a time when we will move to a digital environment,” Heinonen told The Times.

“It’s not like, once we have the digital assessment ready, the next day we will abandon paper, [but] there will be a moment when there’s a shift.”

From the archive: U-turn over International Baccalaureate results

The proposal has been welcomed by Malvern College, one of 203 British schools to offer the qualification.

“The moves being taken by the IB are very encouraging,” said the boarding school’s head, Keith Metcalfe. “The way we assess our children has not fundamentally changed for decades, but the working environment which we are preparing them for has. Exams need to move with the times.

“All children and young people have different needs when it comes to schooling and that is no different at exam time. It is our responsibility as educators to focus on each individual child and find the best way for them to express their abilities. Increasingly, this is through the use of technology.

“By incorporating technology into schooling we are preparing pupils for, and to some extent assessing them on, the skills they are likely to need in the future.”

Pic: Head of Malvern College, Keith Metcalfe

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Well over three-quarters (80%) of young people believe that their academic progress has suffered because of the pandemic, while half report a fall in motivation to study and learn.

The largest study of its kind into the impacts of the pandemic on students’ life chances, the Covid social mobility and opportunities (Cosmo) study was jointly led by University College London (UCL) and the Sutton Trust.

One notable aspect of the report is the extent to which pupils at state schools feel harder hit by the pandemic than peers in the independent sector.

Thirty-seven percent of young people in the state sector say they have fallen behind their classmates, more than double the figure for independent school students (15%).

While a little over a quarter (27%) of pupils in the independent sector believe they have not been able to catch up with learning, at state schools the proportion is almost half (46%).

Despite extra tutoring being a core element of the government’s catch-up strategy, independent school students (52%) are more likely to have been offered this than those at comprehensive schools (41%), and are likelier to have participated in additional online classes.

Researchers note that support offered for catch-up across all school years in England is three times lower per person than funding provided for the US rescue plan for schools.

Almost half of the young people surveyed have accessed no catch-up learning at all and a large majority have not had extra tutoring. The most available option – extra online classes – was offered to just half of the study’s participants and taken up by less than a third.

The education recovery plan must be much more ambitious, or we will blight the life chances of a whole generation – Sir Peter Lampl, Sutton Trust

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council – part of UK Research and Innovation’s response to coronavirus – the study is drawn from a representative sample of more than 13,000 young people across England who were in year 11 in 2021.

The majority of the cohort have just started year 13 and are due to take A-levels next year, with others undertaking other qualifications, training and work.

“Cosmo is providing vital new evidence on the effects of the pandemic on the lives of young people, with strong signs that it has severely widened existing inequalities – this has not been fully addressed by our policy response,” said Dr Jake Anders, an associate professor at UCL and the study’s principal investigator.

“These short-term effects are just the start. We aim to continue following the lives of this cohort over the coming years. Whether or not we think of the pandemic as over, its effects will continue to cast a long shadow, and Cosmo will help us to understand this in the years to come.”

Read more: Pupils significantly more likely to show signs of depression post-pandemic

Some of the longer-term effects are already beginning to take shape. Of those who had previously made plans for the future, almost two thirds (64%) of survey respondents say their education plans have changed because of the pandemic and 60% have changed their future career plans.

Girls, young people from disadvantaged family backgrounds, and those attending state comprehensive schools were the most likely to have reconsidered their options. Young people who had ‘long Covid’ or ill health, who were asked to shield or who experienced economic hardships, were also much more likely to have changed their plans.

Examples shared by the Sutton Trust’s Cosmo youth panel (as opposed to the main Cosmo study) include struggling to enter careers in sectors where work experience was unavailable during lockdowns, and reconsidering career aspirations to protect long-term mental health.

“These findings show that far more needs to be done for young people. While all young people have been affected by the pandemic, there is clear evidence that students from less well-off households have been impacted most,” said Sir Peter Lampl, founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust.

“The government’s education recovery plan must be much more ambitious, or we will blight the life chances of a whole generation.”

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