Education Secretary's Union Pleasing Policies Under Fire from Ex-Ofsted Head

Key Points:

• Amanda Spielman, former head of Ofsted, criticizes education secretary Bridget Phillipson for prioritizing teaching unions over effective educational reforms.

• Spielman warns that the upcoming Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill may undermine the autonomy of academy schools, changing how they manage staff pay and educational content.

• She argues that such changes threaten to reverse previously effective reforms, potentially harming education quality.

• The Department for Education defends the bill as a landmark reform designed to maintain high teaching standards and school innovation.

• Spielman expresses concern about the influence of unions over policy changes, suggesting that inspections will become less effective in identifying school weaknesses.

• The government has clarified its intentions regarding academy pay structures, emphasizing that while a framework will be established, it allows for higher payments if desired.

• Despite some positive feedback on parts of the bill concerning safeguarding, many of the proposed measures are contentious, particularly among academy leaders.

• Philipson describes the bill as a significant stride in children’s safeguarding, while Spielman suggests that the current trajectory of education reforms is concerning and could be detrimental to the accountability and quality of education.