Bursaries to help non-white teachers become heads and a specific teacher training path for those without required qualifications could be considered in an attempt to boost diversity in the workforce, according to a new report from the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER). The research found approximately 60 per cent of schools in England had all-white teaching staff in 2021-22, with 86 per cent having an all-white senior leadership team. By Lucas Cumiskey, Schools Week. 

Writing in Schools Week, minister of state for schools Damian Hinds explains how reforms to the Early Career Framework (ECF), which are being announced today, will seek to address problems that have been identified by school staff. Mr Hinds says: "The quality of teaching matters more than anything else in a school to improve pupil outcomes, and it matters even more for disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs. That is why [...] the Department for Education prioritised reforming the training and support that all teachers receive."

Tes reports that the combined framework, which has been broadly welcomed by experts from the education sector, will outline how teachers should be trained in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support, oracy and mental health. By Matilda Martin.

Schools Week provides a summary of the government's new policies following the teacher training review. By Lucas Cumiskey.

A secondary school in Norwich has said it plans to deploy a sniffer dog and install detectors in its toilets to deter pupils from vaping. A spokesperson at City of Norwich School said a "passive deterrence dog" will be taken around the school one day in February as part of a range of measures to combat the "negative impact of vapes and other prohibited substances". By Chelsie Henshaw, The Telegraph. 

In an article for Independent Schools Magazine, senior deputy headteacher at Ashfold School Dr Anthony MacPherson shares some of the findings from his doctoral study on the contribution of chapel to senior independent schools in the UK. Reflecting on his study, Dr Macpherson says: "What struck me most... was how the value and contribution of chapel seems to transcend personal faith (or lack of it). Chapel seems to offer a uniquely rich and formative opportunity to bring the community together." 

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