Changes in education 2024/25

Get up to speed on the key changes to government guidance that are likely to affect your school this academic year, and find resources to help you take action.

Updated
on 17 September 2024
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Contents
  1. New government could mean more changes
  2. Academy Trust Handbook 2024 published
  3. 5.5% above-inflation pay award announced for September 2024
  4. Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) updated for 2024
  5. Overhaul of Ofsted inspections
  6. Updated attendance guidance applies from August 2024
  7. New governance guides published
  8. Mainstream schools: you're expected to deliver a 32.5 hour week from September 2024
  9. Mobile phones in schools guidance published
  10. You should have published a summary of your music development plan by September 2024
  11. NASENCo qualification replaced with NPQ for SENCOs
  12. Other potential changes on the horizon

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 introducing inspections for multi-academy trusts 
  • 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.

Academy Trust Handbook 2024 published

The DfE has published the new Academy Trust Handbook (ATH). It comes into force on 1 September.

Changes include:

  • Your trust's register of interests must include appointment information for each individual
  • Trusts don't need approval from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for finance leases on the DfE's list
  • You should take action to meet the DfE's cyber security standards
  • Trusts with incomes over £50 million must use professional internal auditors
  • Your trust must have ESFA approval for electric vehicle (EV) salary sacrifice schemes

Find more detail about the changes, as well as a list of further changes, in our need-to-know.

Take your next steps

Read our updated articles to find out more about the changes to the Academy Trust Handbook: 

Use our article to help you meet the DfE's digital and technology standards.

5.5% above-inflation pay award announced for September 2024

Allowance ranges (teaching and learning responsibility payments and special educational needs allowances) will also increase by 5.5%.

The pay award applies to all maintained schools. Academies can choose to follow it.

This will be funded through a new grant

The core schools budget grant (CSBG) will be paid in the autumn term 2024 to:

  • All maintained schools and academies (including special schools)
  • Pupil referral units
  • Alternative provision academies
  • Non-maintained special schools
  • Independent special schools

New guidance outlines changes to managing pay and progression

The new guidance on managing teachers’ and leaders’ pay is non-statutory advice for all maintained schools and academies. It sets out the changes that are expected in the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) for 2024, which will likely be published in October.

The document is valid from September 2024, replacing the previous guidance 'Implementing your school's approach to pay'. However, it remains under consultation and could be subject to change.

The guidance includes:

  • The removal of the requirement for objectives and the appraisal process to lead to performance-related pay outcomes for teachers and leaders (see pages 6, 8 and 9)
  • More support for flexible working

Take your next steps

Find more detail about the pay award and changes to pay progression in our need-to-know.

Use the DfE's salary calculator service to find out how teacher salaries could change after the September pay award. 

Select ‘save for later’ at the top of our model teachers' pay policy – we’ll update this when the STPCD 2024 is published.

We’ll also update our other articles when the STPCD 2024 is published. To get a notification when they’re ready, go to the article and select ‘save for later’ at the top. That includes:

Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) updated for 2024

The DfE has updated KCSIE – the changes came 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

If your subscription includes The Key Safeguarding: 

Overhaul of Ofsted inspections

The government is releasing a lot of new information about how Ofsted inspections will work for this academic year. To keep up to date, take a look at our article on the latest updates from Ofsted.

Single headline Ofsted grades removed with immediate effect

Instead, for inspections in the 2024/25 academic year, schools will receive 4 grades across the existing sub-categories:

  • Quality of education
  • Behaviour and attitudes
  • Personal development
  • Leadership and management

Starting from September 2025, Ofsted will provide school report cards. According to the DfE, these will:

  • Provide parents and carers with a full and comprehensive assessment of how schools are performing
  • Ensure that inspections are more effective in driving improvement

Read the announcement from the DfE and our article on the latest updates from Ofsted for more information.

Ungraded inspections won't receive 'deep dives' 

This change came 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. 

Please note: it is likely that the handbook will be updated to reflect the changes to Ofsted inspections (detailed above). We'll update this page when that happens. Select 'save for later' in the top right-hand corner of this article to receive an email when the page is updated.

Take your next steps

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
Take your next steps

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

Take your next steps

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.

Take your next steps

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.

Take your next steps

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.

Take your next steps

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. 

Take your next steps

Other potential changes on the horizon

STPCD 2024 is likely to be published in October 2024

The STPCD 2024 is likely to be published in October, backdated to 1 September 2024.

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. 

Article updates

2 September 2024

We updated this article to include the DfE's announcement that single headline Ofsted grades are to be scrapped with immediate effect.

1 August 2024

We updated this article to reflect the Academy Trust Handbook 2024.

30 July 2024

We updated this article to reflect the pay award from 1 September 2024, along with reference to the new:

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