The Guardian is reporting that secondary schools struggling to recruit sufficient staff spent a staggering £56m on advertising for vacant posts last year, a 61% increase since 2010 according to the Labour party. At a time when there is a growing crisis in teacher recruitment and retention some schools revealed they were spending £80,000 a year on advertising and the proportion of schools that then have to readvertise when they fail to recruit first time round has also more than doubled over the past five years.  

The finding are based on information provided by a sample of more than 120 secondary schools, who in 2014-2015 on average spent just under £17,000 on advertising – up from £10,000 four years ago. Lucy Powell, who served as shadow education secretary until she resigned from the shadow cabinet alongside a number of senior colleagues last month, will reveal the figures in a speech to educational professionals at a Teach First conference in Leeds on Tuesday. She said: “The teacher shortage crisis is one of the biggest issues facing our schools yet the Tories are fixated now on increasing the number of grammar schools.”

The Manchester Central MP’s comments follow a television interview last week in which the new education secretary, Justine Greening, said she was “open minded” about allowing new grammar schools to open in England. Calling on the new education secretary to “ditch this terrible idea”, Powell said: “Justine Greening must turn the page on the Tories’ education policy and focus on what improves standards, excellent teachers, in the classroom with the right skills and support to deliver for children. “Our children and schools are paying a significant price for the Tories’ teacher shortage crisis. Ministers have spent the last six years constantly doing down the teaching profession, causing record numbers of staff to quit, and botching recruitment, missing their targets for four years in a row.

“Justine Greening now has an opportunity to hit the reset button and turbocharge plans to recruit and retain enough teachers.” However, head teachers fear that with Brexit to deal with, the teacher recruitment crisis will be a low priority for the new prime minister, Theresa May. John Tomsett, the head teacher of Huntington school in York, said in a blog this week that he knew of a school with a science department of 17 teachers, but only two have science degrees. “The school is in one of the most deprived wards in the country. More than most, its students need the very best teachers.” He continued: “If we do not make teaching a much more attractive profession we are in danger of seeing the school system in England implode. If May really does care about the ordinary working-class family then sorting out the teacher recruitment crisis should be a priority.

The thing is, it has to be a priority for us, for school leaders across the country, not for her, because with Brexit to deal with, education has already fallen off Theresa May’s priority list. We are on our own.” Responding to Labour’s claims, a government spokesman said: “The number of teachers in our schools is at an all-time high – 15,000 more since 2010 - but we recognise there are challenges. That’s why we are investing millions of pounds to attract the best and the brightest into the profession, helping schools to advertise vacancies more easily and expanding Teach First to get more top graduates teaching in some of the most challenging parts of the country.” The government has previously outlined plans to create a web tool to enable schools to advertise vacancies for free, with the creation of a national teaching vacancy website to help reduce the burden on schools.  

As teachers across the UK start to enjoy their summer break which is normally about 6 weeks long, half will lose a fortnight or more to school work, according to an exclusive YouGov poll for TES.

The survey revealed 44% of teachers will spend a minimum of 10 days on school-related work – the equivalent of two working weeks, a third of their summer holiday. And it’s the new teachers who suffer the most, giving up at least 3 weeks, half of their summer holiday. Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the NUT teaching union, said: “I think [teachers’ summer workload] is increasing year-on-year as the accountability is cranking up. It has never been as many hours as now.” He said the heavy workload for new teachers over the summer was “such a poor introduction to the profession”, adding: “It’s no wonder that there are so many that leave the profession so early.”

The YouGov poll of a representative sample of 836 teachers in England and Wales found that women expected to work longer hours this summer than their male counterparts. Of the female teachers, 46% said that they would work for two weeks or more, compared with 39% of men. Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, added: “Given that we know there are serious issues about teachers’ health, particularly their mental health, the fact that there’s now this intensity during what should be the break to refresh and renew is extremely worrying.”

Not long to go until the end of another school year for pupils and teachers across the UK. Before some our younger ones wave goodbye to Primary school, TES surveyed 2,500 youngsters to find out what they believe every child should have done at school before the age of 11.

Some of the answers are hilarious and reminds us why primary pupils are a joy to teach. Their sense of imagination and humour is second to none and it’s very reassuring to see that children today behave much as children have always done.

The top 100 included falling off your chair whilst swinging on it, kicking the ball over a wall, freak out when the alarm bell rings and calling a male teacher ‘miss’. The list also contains lessons to help improve one’s self such as learning to look after yourself, be caring and helping younger pupils at school. It’s also great to see some of the more traditional things are still on there like telling a joke, giggling during a sexual health lesson, throwing a custard pie at a teacher and laughing hysterically when someone farts.

TES editor Ann Mroz said that adult worries over youngsters' "disappearing childhoods" and "lost innocence" seem overdone. "We may think they are tested, tutored and drilled as never before but they seem remarkably resilient." "They love being naughty, playing pranks and getting up to mischief much as we did at their age." "And despite the ubiquity of mobile phones and tablets, they still like to splash around in puddles and construct daisy chains." She added: "I wonder if a lot of the anxiety over childhood today has more to do with adult projections and expectations than children's own concerns."  

The list in full:

1. Call a teacher mum or dad
2. Make good friends
3. Tell the teacher to "chill out"
4. Get covered in paint/mud/chalk
5. Laugh hysterically when someone farts
6. Take part in a school production
7. Have a water fight
8. Go swimming
9. Be made to sit next to your enemy
10. Forget your homework
11. Have a nickname
12. Do something silly and realise a teacher is standing behind you
13. Laugh so much that drink comes out through your nose
14. Throw a paper plane
15. Fall out with a friend
16. Take part in a sports tournament
17. Draw a face on a rubber
18. Go on a school trip
19. Get a certificate
20. Get told off
21. Experience other schools
22. Learn how to get on with everyone
23. Invent something
24. Make a fool out of yourself/embarrass yourself more than once
25. Work with children from older year groups
26. Grow some flowers or vegetables
27. Fall off your chair when you swing on it
28. Learn to feel confident in front of your class
29. Be a leader of a group
30. Feel like you can trust someone
31. Raise money for charity
32. Have a party in school
33. Run a stall at a fair
34. Teach part of a lesson to your class
35. Make a best friend
36. Take part in outdoor learning
37. Forget you have homework until the day before it’s due
38. Deal with a difficult situation
39. Watch a film in class
40. Have a pyjama day
41. Take part in a class assembly
42. Tell a joke
43. Ride a bike and take cycling proficiency
44. Pretend to be the teacher
45. Have a huff and get in a mood
46. Be in the local newspaper
47. Kick the ball over a wall
48. Fail so that you can improve on your mistakes
49. Feel happy and safe
50. Eat school chips
51. Have a class pet
52. Go to an after-school club
53. Play "Heads Down Thumbs Up"
54. Find out that you are good at something
55. Find out about different cultures
56. Be caring
57. Discover your favourite author
58. Take part in a special event
59. Attend a school disco
60. Create an exploding volcano
61. Be part of a team
62. Be inspired by a teacher
63. Have a play day
64. Make a card for a special person
65. Fall asleep in a lesson
66. Call a male teacher "Miss"
67. Run round a corridor corner only to smash into a teacher
68. Lose an item of clothing that does not have your name stitched into it
69. Hatch chicks in an incubator
70. Get to see inside the headteacher’s office
71. Read a book on the grass on a sunny day
72. Be kind to someone who needs a friend
73. Run around in the rain
74. Play conkers
75. Make a daisy chain
76. Listen to a ghost story
77. Visit Santa in his grotto
78. Go pond dipping
79. Dress up for World Book Day
80. Try different types of food
81. Learn to skip
82. Learn basic first aid and how to dial 999
83. Film and edit a movie
84. Have a pen pal
85. Graze your knee in the playground
86. Eat your lunch in the rain on a school trip
87. Freak out when the fire alarm goes, secretly hoping it’s actually the real thing
88. Help younger pupils at school
89. Make up a dance routine in the playground
90. Have your parents come to visit the school
91. Get to spin on the teacher's chair
92. Be sick in the classroom
93. Laugh during sexual health lessons
94. Have a wasp in the classroom
95. Come into school with a new haircut
96. Forget to write your name on your work
97. Be sad to leave
98. Learn to look after yourself
99. Throw a custard pie at a teacher
100. Giggle

The Department of Education has confirmed Amanda Spielman has been approved by the Privy Council to become Ofsted’s next chief inspector. She will replace Sir Michael Wilshaw who is due to step down in December.

Doubts were raised over whether the new predecessor Nicky Morgan’s choice for the top job at the inspectorate. Ms Morgan had gone to great lengths to ensure her preferred candidate was appointed as Her Majesty’s chief inspector after the Commons Education Select Committee opposed the decision. But following a pre-appointment hearing on June 29, the House of Commons Education Committee report raised “significant concerns,” criticising Ms Spielman’s lack of “passion for the role” and the fact she has not worked as a teacher before, spending much of her career in corporate finance. But Ms Morgan snubbed the committee’s decision and recommended her approval to former prime minister David Cameron and the rest of the Privy Council. However, reports from TES suggest she was told that her candidacy has been formally approved. A source said: “The Privy Council met on the Tuesday of the prime minister resigning and approved it. It's not public yet, but Amanda Spielman has her approval letter.”

This afternoon Ms Greening welcomed the decision, saying: "I’m confident Amanda Spielman is the right person to lead Ofsted and I look forward to working with her."
"Ofsted’s role is vital in challenging schools, childcare providers and social services to ensure every child reaches their full potential.” Ms Spielman said: “I am delighted to be confirmed as the next Chief Inspector of Ofsted. "I have seen first-hand the impact a great education can have and I want this to be the norm for every child, with childcare providers laying the foundations for that experience while social care services deliver for the most vulnerable young people."

“I’d also like to pay tribute to Sir Michael Wilshaw for his efforts in holding those sectors to account and I look forward to building on that work.” David Hoare, chair of Ofsted, said: “Amanda Spielman will make an excellent chief inspector." "She has a demonstrable passion for education and a great deal of experience in running complex organisations."
"She will bring her strategic skills to all of Ofsted’s work including early years, social care, schools and further education. I am delighted that her appointment is now officially confirmed." Ms Morgan reiterated that Ms Spielman was the best candidate, adding she was “surprised and disappointed” by the committee’s report. She said members’ views on the desirable qualities and skills wanted from the next chief inspector were “different in very significant areas from the advertised person specification (which the committee received before the role was advertised).”

A DfE spokesperson said a full statement on Ms Spielman’s appointment would be issued “in due course."  

You normally hear of mothers returning to work after having a baby being forced into accepting lower paid and less skilled jobs in order to meet the demand of their new lifestyle. But new reports from TES show that qualified teachers are choosing to take huge pay cuts and work as teaching assistants rather than contend with the vast workload expected of them.

The ongoing workload crisis, budget cuts and recruitment crisis leaves teachers exhausted and with no life. Some student teachers working in support or cover supervisor roles have also been turned off teaching by the idea of spending every evening and weekend with piles of marking or planning. Last year a staggering 40% of NQTs did not continue in the teaching profession after 12 months and almost 11,000 qualified teachers did not even enter the profession. One school reported a teaching assistant (TA) post attracting dozens of applicants, with about half coming from qualified teachers or candidates who had undertaken a teacher training course. Stressed teachers being reduced to tears are not getting the help they need to overcome challenged in the classroom, which contributes to their overall wellbeing. Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL teaching union, blamed the workload pressures on a "policy tsunami".

"[Teachers] want to stay in the classroom and work with students, but they simply cannot deal with the workload any longer," Dr Bousted said. “The fact that graduates who have decided to teach are prepared to be paid a fraction of the wage they earn as teachers, shows the level of overwork. "If you want to solve the teacher recruitment and retention crisis, you have to deal with this.

To be fair, I think [the government] understands that. "But on another level, we have a government that went pell-mell into curriculum change, qualification change and has a policy tsunami that increases workload and then says: ‘What are we going to do about it?’ Until they deal with that conundrum, we are in trouble."

Sue Wilcock, a former supply teacher who now works as a higher-level teaching assistant at a primary in Wigan, explained her decision to take the more junior classroom role: "There is a lot less pressure. I plan lessons, I support teachers, I do interventions, but I start work at 8.30am and finish at 3.50pm. At weekends, I have a life. When a teaching job came up, I didn’t think it was worth the cost to my family life, so I didn’t apply. I wouldn’t go back to a teaching post now." Dr Bousted said that while teachers are some of the very hardest workers around, it is completely unfair of anyone to expect them to dedicate every single moment of their waking life to their work.

A proper work-life balance is vital to the wellbeing of everyone.

Yes 6 times tables tests for Year 6 pupils will not be introduced next year as originally planned, TES reports. Pupils are expected to know all tables up to 12 x 12 under the national curriculum, and the tests, proposed as part of the Year 6 Sats tests, were due to begin in 2017. The announcement follows as Justine Greening took over the post of education secretary from Nicky Morgan.

The Department for Education has written to schools saying there will be “no statutory requirement” on schools to administer the multiplication tables check in the 2016 to 2017 academic year. It has not made any statement about the following year. The DfE has also reconfirmed that the proposed Year 7 resits will not begin next year. The resits are expected to be consulted upon next term and begin in the 2017/2018 academic year.

The future of primary assessment will be one of the most crucial issues for Ms Greening after the rocky introduction of new tests this year. A DfE spokesperson said: “As part of our routine communications with schools we reiterated previous communications that the planned multiplication check and Year 7 resits will not be introduced as a statutory requirement in the next academic year.”

Theresa May has appointed Justine Greening as the Education Secretary and minister for women and equalities as part her cabinet reshuffle. Nicky Morgan who has faced heavy criticism in recent weeks was sacked from both posts earlier this morning. She was “Disappointed not to be continuing as Education Secretary & Min for Women & Equalities - two wonderful roles it's been a privilege to hold." After her replacement was replaced, she added: "Congrats to my successor JustineGreening - she's committed to excellence in education, equalities and did great work for women at DIFID." The new has carved up the cabinet bringing in a host of new faces onto the frontbench, particularly bringing more females onto the frontline.  

The new Education Secretary will be taking on a bigger role which now includes the higher education and further education budgets. To bring every aspect of education under one roof has been a long-desire of former education secretary Michael Gove. The Association of School and College Leaders said that the new education secretary would face the "stark reality" of schools facing "real-terms funding cuts and a teacher recruitment crisis". "We urgently need greater investment in the education system," said Malcolm Trobe, leader of the head teachers' union. He also called for no delay in implementing a national funding formula for schools, announced by the previous Education Secretary. Kevin Courtney, leader of the National Union of Teachers, said Ms Greening would have to tackle problems with teacher recruitment, excessive working hours and lack of school funding. "Testing and assessment is in complete disarray," said Mr Courtney. Russell Hobby, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, called for the end of the "chaos and confusion" of this year's controversial primary school Sats tests. He told Ms Greening that the "government has not won the argument on academies" and that good and outstanding schools should be allowed to remain part of their local authority if they chose.  

Who is Justine Greening?
Ms Greening is believed to be the first Education Secretary to have attended a comprehensive school, Oakwood Comprehensive in Rotherham. Unlike her predecessors Nicky Morgan and Michael Gove she did not go to Oxford University. She graduated from the University of Southampton where she studied Economics and has an MBA from the London Business School. Before entering parliament in 2005 as the MP for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields, she worked as an accountant/finance managers for large firms such as Price Water Coopers, GlaxoSmithKline and Centrica. Ms Greening the pro-Remain female MP has served as David Cameron’s International Development Secretary since 2012. Prior to that in 2011 she was appointed to the role of Secretary of State for Transport and before that after the 2010 election she was appointed as the Economic Secretary to the Treasury within the Coalition Government. She has been a major advocate for girls’ education in her role as international development secretary.

Last month, she staged a Girls’ Education Forum in a bid to bring global attention to the issue of girls’ education. Her past work includes leading the UK’s efforts to combat Ebola in Sierra Leone and worked to end female genital mutilation and forced marriages to improve the lives of women and girls. In February 2013 she was assessed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4. Her first job was in Morrisons supermarket. No other education secretary is recorded as having worked there, however Margaret Thatcher’s father was a greengrocer and she was raised in a flat above the shop, which she worked in from a young age. (Yes, Thatcher was once an education secretary).
She is also openly gay, having come out at London's Pride festival last month. She tweeted: "Today's a good day to say I'm in a happy same sex relationship, I campaigned for Stronger In but sometimes you're better off out! #Pride2016."

The post went viral and she received overwhelming support from across the country. Leaving Downing Street after the announcement, Ms Greening reportedly told onlookers it was her “perfect job.”  

Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Nicky Morgan has been sacked. The move comes amid new Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet reshuffle, with a new cabinet in the process of being appointed. Announcing the news on Twitter, Nicky Morgan said she was"disappointed" not to be continuining the role, and that it had been a "privilege to hold".  

The MP for Loughborough has recently come under fire over the recent SATs shambles and had been called to resign and just last week the NUT held a national strike over the ongoing education crisis. She joins former Chancellor George Osborne, Michael Gove and John Wittingdale in being removed from the cabinet. More news to follow as the story unfolds…

Theresa May is soon to become Britain’s new Prime Minister following her only challenger Andrea Leadsom stepping down yesterday. Ms May is the longest-serving home secretary and the most powerful Conservative woman since Margaret Thatcher. She is well-known for her work in the Home Office, but what are her views on Education?

Once she takes over no. 10 her first job will me to appoint a unity cabinet with a good mix of ministers who supported leave and remain. Will she keep people in their current jobs or attempt a clear out that introduces some new faces? What does this mean for Nicky Morgan? She backed Michael Gove’s leadership bid and is currently facing backlash from the NUT to resign following the results of the new SATs test. At this stage it is unclear if Ms Morgan will be moved or kept in place to ensure the implementation of her white paper plans.

The TES reports on six things we know about Ms May’s attitude to education:

1. She is state-educated
Ms May had a varied education in both the private and state sector. The daughter of a vicar, she briefly attended a Catholic private school in Oxford. At 13, she gained a place at Holton Park Girls Grammar school (became Wheatley Park Comprehensive school whilst she was there).

2. She served as shadow secretary of state for education and employment from 1999-2001
Newspaper cuttings from 2001 report her criticising government plans to introduce anger management classes for three-year-olds. "At 3, it should be parents who are responsible for ensuring children are behaving properly. The idea of a three-year-old sitting down with a counsellor to discuss anger management is surely taking things too far even by New Labour's standards.

3. She may support the return of grammars
Ms May gave her blessing to a grammar school “annexe” in her Berkshire constituency of Maidenhead.

4. She backs free schools
Ms May has been a vocal supporter of free schools, particularly the Eton-sponsored Holyport College, a state boarding school in her constituency.

5. She wants police and crime commissioners to run free schools
Ms May told the thinktank Policy Exchange that police and crime commissioners should have a role in setting up alternative provision free schools, “bringing together the two great reforms of the last Parliament – police reform and school reform”. The move would support troubled young children and prevent them falling into a life of crime, she added.

6. She plans to bring about “serious social reform”
Her speech launching her leadership bid spelled out that she intends to tackle inequality in society, stating that: “If you’re a white, working-class boy, you’re less likely than anybody else to go to university. If you’re at a state school, you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you’re educated privately.”  

Teachers have sparked outrage over the results of the new SATs tests for Year 6 children. The NUT teaching union has called for the education secretary Nicky Morgan to resign after almost half of Year 6 children failed to meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Nationally, 53 per cent of children reached the expected standard in this year’s Sats – compared with 80 per cent of pupils who achieve the expected level 4 in all three last year.

Kevin Courtney, acting general secretary of the NUT, said: "This is extraordinarily demoralising for children who are just about to make the big step up to secondary school. They have been told they haven't reached the expected standard to start secondary school. He concluded to say "A Secretary of State who demands accountability from schools should apply that principle to herself."
“Because of the major failings of a key reform, and because of the effect of those failings on schools and children, the National Union of Teachers strongly feel Ms Morgan should resign from her office.” However, supporters of the tests, which were significantly tougher this year as part of Government efforts to increase rigour in the classroom, told teachers bluntly to stop complaining.

Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, said: “The Department for Education has made the changes to the curriculum and tests to move expectations in England closer to international standards. The teachers should stop whingeing and concentrate on getting our children up to speed.” Almost half of 11-year-olds in England – 47 per cent – failed to meet the required standards in this year’s SATs, up from 20 per cent last year. But the Government said the results could not be compared with previous years because they are the first to be based on a new curriculum introduced two years ago by former education secretary Michael Gove. The exams in reading, writing and maths were overhauled to include questions of a much higher level, with some parents saying their children had been left in tears because they could not finish the papers. Mr Courtney said: ‘It is really important that we reassure parents and children that this is not an accurate judgment of their abilities. This is not their failure – it’s Nicky Morgan’s failure.’

Tests should not be compared
Earlier in the week, Ms Morgan stressed that this year's key stage 2 results should not be compared with other years as this is the first year of the new tests. She added: "I believe this is a good start that vindicates our decision to raise standards and will help ensure those who need extra help get the support they need to lay the foundations for a bright future." But the NUT has today called on Ms Morgan to resign from office following "major failings" around the primary assessment reforms.

In a joint statement, the NAHT headteachers' union and the National Governors’ Association have also urged schools not to draw conclusions from the Sats data as "it provides no intelligence on the rate of improvement of teaching and learning". Both organisations recognise that many will be "feeling demoralised" and the Sats results will be a "challenge" for schools to deal with. Latest reports suggest many headteachers will feel a sense of failure and have no option but to resign. One primary headteacher wrote an emotional letter to parents saying that it “breaks his heart” to give out the Sats results. "Pupils, teachers and parents and all involved in schools should be proud of the work they have put in to implement [the new curriculum and the testing regime] in what has been a very short timescale," they added.

The day the results were published last Tuesday, the NUT held a national strike over working hours, workload pressure and budget cuts. A source close to Ms Morgan said: "Following derisory support for their ‎strike last week this is just another attention seeking tactic from the NUT leadership as their general secretary election draws near. ‎Because the truth is the only people who have labelled children failures following last week's key stage 2 results are the NUT themselves. "In contrast this government introduced a more rigorous new curriculum because we know that our children are capable of reaching the same high standards as their counterparts across the world. That's why we make no apology for raising the bar so that we can be sure children ‎are able to read, write and add up well by the time they finish primary school. That is what parents expect of us and to do anything else would let children down. "Rather than constantly undermining achievements of their members the NUT should be celebrating them and making plain the fantastic achievements of teachers in transforming the life chances of the children in their care." The Department of Education said: “We share the same objective as parents, which is making sure their children get the best start in life.”