Secondary school leaders have warned the Government of a "funding crisis" as rising costs, staff pay increases and inflation have left them struggling to pay for building repairs, mental health services and expeditions. The warnings come ahead of the Autumn Statement on 17 November. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

Unison, GMB and Unite have accepted a pay offer which will see school support staff, including teaching assistants, and other council workers receive a pay rise of up to 10.5 per cent. By Amy Walker, Schools Week.

Research by University College London's (UCL) Institute of Education has revealed that work-related anxiety amongst headteachers 'more than doubled' at the peak of the pandemic. Experts have called on the Government to provide better support for headteachers to “shore up sustainable leadership” in light of the findings. By Amy Walker, Schools Week.

The quality of school leadership is the most important element in determining staff happiness, a study by ImpactEd has suggested. The research, which involved polling almost 900 school staff and over 45,000 pupils, found that factors such as the ability to manage disruptive behaviour and workload had a 'weaker correlation' with overall staff satisfaction. By Callum Mason, Tes.

Research published by The Sutton Trust has found that “pervasive accent bias” still acts as a barrier to social mobility. Received Pronunciation continues to be held in high regard, according to the findings. By Gabriella Swerling, The Telegraph.

A leading article in The Times warns that "prejudice against accents from certain parts of the country is irrational and harmful".

Writing in Schools Week, David Blunkett, chair of Labour's Council of Skills Advisors, considers the proposals raised in the skills paper published last week. Mr Blunkett has called for a debate on how the education system should be transformed, "so that we equip young people to take on the challenges of the world of work, but also to be well-rounded and socially engaged citizens".

Clinicians and health experts have joined together to call for a major expansion of free school meals to combat the growing risk of malnutrition, obesity and other health conditions affecting children in low-income families hit by the cost of living crisis. By Patrick Butler and Rowena Mason, The Guardian.

Ed Fairfield, vice chair of Naace: The Education Technology Association and a vice chair of governors overseeing school ICT provision and staff wellbeing, explains why not updating technology at school could be more expensive in the long run, despite increasing cost pressures and budget constraints. Tes.

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