We've summarised the major changes to statutory guidance for the 2024/25 academic year.
Find out more below about what's changed, and likely to change in the coming months, and what you need to do.
There's more uncertainty this year due to the change of national government, so select 'save for later' in the upper right-hand corner if you'd like to get email alerts when we update this article with new information or resources.
New government could mean more changes
We don’t know exactly what the new Labour government will bring in or change, but we do know what it promised in its election manifesto.
There is no time-scale on any of those pledges, and some are just proposals, but some key changes to keep an eye out for are:
- A drive on recruitment and retention, including reviewing bursaries and the early career framework (ECF)
- Ofsted inspection reforms, including replacing single-word Ofsted inspections with report cards and introducing inspections for MATs
- A curriculum review, including improving the quality of maths teaching and protecting time for PE
- Increased focus on inclusion and mental health, including free breakfast clubs in all primary schools and improving SEND expertise in mainstream schools
Find out more in our summary of the Labour manifesto promises around education.
Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) updated for 2024
The DfE has updated KCSIE – the changes come into force on 1 September 2024.
The changes this year were minimal, with the most notable changes including:
- An updated definition of safeguarding and an updated list of early help indicators
- New terminology and guidance around children who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or gender questioning- although please note that this section remains under review
- References to the DfE's data protection guidance
- Clarification around safeguarding responsibilities in alternative provision
- Updated wording on elective home education
Take your next steps
- Read our summary of all the changes you need to be aware of
- Use our overview of KCSIE to help you get to grips with the guidance
- Use our model child protection policy (including safer recruitment) to help you update your own policies and procedures
- Get an overview of filtering and monitoring with our QuickRead
- Use our filtering and monitoring toolkit to make sure your provision is up to scratch
If your subscription includes The Key Safeguarding:
- Get your staff up to speed on safeguarding with our 2024/25 INSET pack
- Invite your governors to take our safeguarding training course, which we'll update for 2024
Ungraded inspections won't receive 'deep dives'
This change comes into force from September 2024.
Inspectors will conduct 'extended learning walks' instead of subject 'deep dives' during inspections for schools with a 'good' or 'outstanding' rating.
Ofsted's inspection handbook was also updated in January 2024
There weren't any new requirements for schools, but there were clarifications on the options available to you during an inspection, including extra support focused on staff wellbeing.
Updated attendance guidance applies from August 2024
Changes include:
- New requirements on keeping and sharing registers, including:
- Keeping registers electronically
- Sharing daily attendance data with the DfE
- A new national framework for issuing penalty notices, including:
- A national threshold of absences to qualify for the use of penalty notices
- Increased fines
- Clearer expectations for a senior attendance champion, including:
- Setting a clear vision for improving and maintaining good attendance
- Having a strong grasp of attendance data
- More detail about supporting pupils with physical or mental ill health
- Read our summary of the changes to the guidance
- Get to grips with the DfE's expectations around attendance in the updated guidance
- Use our absence and attendance resource hub to understand your responsibilities and feel confident in monitoring, managing and improving your attendance
New governance guides published
The Governance Handbook was withdrawn and replaced with governance guides for maintained schools and academy trusts.
There are no significant changes in the guides themselves, but they include statutory policy lists that replace the DfE's previous guidance on statutory policies.
The new lists are less exhaustive than the previous guidance, with some policies being removed or incorporated into other policies
- Read our updated lists of statutory policies and documents for schools and trusts, including a summaries of changes to each one
Mainstream schools: you're expected to deliver a 32.5 hour week from September 2024
This deadline is found in guidance on the school week that was published in 2022, and applies to state-funded mainstream schools only.
You're probably already doing this anyway.
- Read the rules on setting and changing the school day
Mobile phones in schools guidance published
This guidance on mobile phones was published in February 2024 and is non-statutory, but sets out best practice on implementing a policy to ban the use of mobile phones and similar devices during the school day.
It also encourages schools to develop and publish a mobile phone policy.
- Read our advice on managing mobile phone usage in school, which takes the new guidance into account
- Adapt our model mobile phone policy to suit your school, or use our checklist to help you write your own
You should have published a summary of your music development plan by September 2024
This requirement is set out in the government's guidance on school music development plans, alongside a summary template to make it easier.
The requirement for a music development plan is set out in the national plan for music education.
- Read our guidance on developing outstanding music provision and what to do to create a music development plan
NASENCo qualification replaced with NPQ for SENCOs
From September 2024, the national professional qualification (NPQ) for SENCOs will be a requirement for all SENCOs, and replace the current award (NASENCo).
SENCOs must complete the NPQ within 3 years of appointment to the role.
SENCOs who have completed a NASENCo won’t be required to complete the new NPQ.
- Read our summary of the NPQ for SENCOs
Other potential changes on the horizon
STPCD 2024
We anticipate the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions document (STPCD) to be published early in the autumn term as usual, although due to the general election the pay offer has been delayed.
Ofsted changes
Ofsted's Big Listen consultation closed on 31 May 2024, and it will publish the outcome in the autumn. We expect some changes to be made as a result of the consultation.
Click save for later at the top of our Ofsted: latest updates article to stay up to date with all things Ofsted.
Guidance on 'gender questioning children'
The draft, non-statutory guidance on 'gender questioning children' was published in December 2023, and the consultation closed before the general election in July 2024.
We don't know whether the Labour party will bring this guidance back or rewrite it, or scrap the plan altogether.
Update to RSHE guidance
The DfE launched a consultation on a draft update to the statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance in May 2024. The consultation had not closed by the time the general election happened.
We don't know whether this consultation and update will be completed.
