NEWS UPDATES

Take a look at what's been happening in the world of education and health and safety since our last issue...

Young People to Lose Benefits If They Reject Work, Minister Says

Young people who refuse a taxpayer-funded job after 18 months of unemployment could lose their benefits, the work and pensions secretary has said.

Pat McFadden told the BBC that 18- to 21-year-olds on Universal Credit would need a “good reason” to turn down one of 55,000 six-month, minimum-wage placements due to start rolling out from spring 2026 in areas with high youth unemployment. The roles, funded from an £820m budget to 2029, will be fully subsidised for 25 hours a week and are expected to span sectors such as construction, health and social care, and hospitality, though employers have yet to be confirmed.

The scheme is part of plans to create 350,000 training and work experience opportunities. Participants will receive intensive support and be directed into pathways including work, apprenticeships, training or work experience. The government expects more than 1,000 young people to start jobs in the first six months.

McFadden said acceptable reasons to refuse a role could include a family emergency, adding the policy aims to prevent young people remaining on benefits when work is available.

Conservatives criticised the plan, with shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately saying it showed Labour had “no plan for growth” and accusing the government of taking with one hand to give with the other.

The move comes as youth unemployment rises, with nearly a million 16- to 24-year-olds not in work, education or training. The government has also announced free apprenticeship training for under-25s at small and medium-sized firms and an independent review into the growing number of young people not working or studying.

A rise in recent graduates training as teachers has helped England meet key recruitment targets in maths and science for the first time this decade. Department for Education figures show an 11% increase in teacher trainees compared with 2024, the strongest growth since 2022.

Despite lower overall targets due to falling pupil numbers, recruitment rose sharply. Primary teacher intake reached 126% of target, up from 90% last year. Secondary recruitment improved to 88%, from 61% in 2024. Stem subjects exceeded targets at 107%, compared with 60% last year: maths trainees rose 16% to 2,588, while physics hit a record 1,086. Modern foreign languages reached 93% of target.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said the figures marked “strong progress” after years of shortages and boosted the government’s pledge to recruit 6,500 extra teachers. However, school leaders warned shortages persist and called for sustained improvements in pay and conditions.

The share of trainees from outside the UK and Europe rose from 6% to 8%, prompting union concerns that planned immigration reforms could hinder future recruitment.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that a projected fall of 800,000 children under 16 across the UK by 2035 will force governments to choose between savings, school closures or maintaining spending to reduce class sizes.

Council Ordered to Pay Family £1,000 Over Education Failings

The council initially refused to carry out an EHC needs assessment in March 2023. The child stopped attending school that month and began medical tuition in June. After Dr Y appealed, the council agreed in July to complete the assessment and issued an EHCP in October, by which time she had paid privately for an occupational therapy assessment.

Brighton and Hove City Council has been ordered to pay a family £1,000 after failing to properly support a child with special educational needs.

The Local Government Ombudsman upheld a complaint from a mother, referred to as Dr Y, over the council’s handling of her son’s education, health and care plan (EHCP) between January and October 2023. The ombudsman found the council failed to arrange occupational therapy, consult specialists and communicate adequately, leaving the child without needed support and forcing the family to pay for private assessments.

Ofsted: Too Many Pupils ‘Out of Step’ With School Expectations

Too many pupils are falling “out of step with the expectations of school life” because of absence, increasing disruption in classrooms and pressure on teachers, Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver has warned.

In the watchdog’s annual report, Oliver said poor attendance and behaviour were “two sides of a coin”, with time spent out of school making pupils more likely to challenge teachers and disrupt learning. He added that behaviour problems are increasingly cited by teachers as a factor driving them out of the profession.

Oliver also said social media and smartphones contribute to low-level disruption by eroding attention spans and promoting disrespectful behaviour. Schools should help pupils manage online risks, he said, but do not need to allow mobile phone access on site, arguing schools should provide “sanctuary” from devices.

Oliver defended the use of sanctions, saying calm classrooms are essential for inclusion. He also described severe absence as an “absolute scandal”, with 166,000 pupils severely absent and children missing education up 19% in a year. Vulnerable pupils, including those with SEND or known to social care, are heavily over-represented.

Under Ofsted’s new framework, Oliver said inspections would better reflect classroom realities and how attendance and behaviour policies affect different groups, with an “exceptional” grade highlighting best practice to share across the system.

Manufacturer Fined £200k After Workplace Injury Leads to Amputation

A wood-burning stove manufacturer has been fined £200,000 after an employee suffered injuries at work that resulted in the amputation of his lower leg, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said on 28 November.

The incident happened on 15 August 2023 at A J Wells & Sons in Newport, Isle of Wight. The worker was moving a trolley carrying about 30 sheet metal pieces, each weighing more than 20kg, when the load toppled and fell onto his legs.

Experts stressed the role of HR in embedding effective safety practices. Phil Pinnington of the British Safety Council said HR helps ensure staff are trained, accountable and able to raise concerns, so risk assessments shape daily work rather than becoming “dusty” compliance documents.

Ruth Wilkinson of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health added that employers are legally required to assess and manage risks, provide training and supervision, and that HR teams can support health and safety professionals in embedding these processes across organisations.

Schools in England and Wales Urged to Trial a Four-day Working Week

Schools in England and Wales are being urged to trial a four-day working week for teachers as part of efforts to tackle heavy workloads and improve retention.

The 4 Day Week Foundation has written to the education secretary, calling on schools to pilot new timetables to reduce burnout and boost recruitment. Campaign manager James Reeves said teachers were “burning out at unprecedented rates” and argued a four-day week would mean “working smarter”, improving staff wellbeing and outcomes for pupils.

The group said headteachers already have the legal flexibility to explore alternative working arrangements without government approval and should be empowered to run controlled trials.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has previously backed greater flexible working for teachers, provided pupil contact time is not reduced. A Department for Education spokesperson said teacher exit rates were among the lowest since 2010 and that the government supports flexible working, including through a funded programme to expand such options while maintaining a full school week for pupils.

While Ofsted often sees schools with strong behaviour policies judged “good” or better, Oliver said lower-level disruption remains widespread. Department for Education data shows nearly three-quarters of teachers say misbehaviour disrupts lessons. Exclusions and suspensions are at record levels, with disruptive behaviour behind four in 10 exclusions and half of suspensions.

HSE inspectors found the task was not being carried out safely, highlighting failures in risk assessment and control measures. The regulator urged employers to take health and safety duties seriously to prevent similar incidents.

Graduate Surge Boosts Teacher Recruitment in Maths and Sciences

The council later accepted the child missed eight occupational therapy sessions and some education in 2023, offering £600 compensation. The ombudsman ruled this was insufficient, increasing the payment to £1,000: £500 for missed therapy and £500 for lost education.

Councillor Emma Daniel said the council accepted the findings, apologised to the family and would act on the ombudsman’s recommendations.

‘PE Teachers Need More Education On Disabilities And Sport’

A leading British wheelchair tennis player has launched a campaign to make school PE more inclusive for children with disabilities.

Ruby Bishop, 21, from Norwich, said she faced significant barriers in PE lessons despite later becoming the fourth-ranked wheelchair tennis player in Great Britain and representing her country internationally. She is calling for PE teachers to have better training on special educational needs and disabilities (Send) and disabled sports.

Bishop said many disabled pupils are excluded from PE, harming confidence and wellbeing. She wants disabled sports equipment, such as sports wheelchairs, to be standard in schools and for the PE curriculum to adapt to include disability sports like sitting volleyball.

Her campaign has been backed by her MP, Alice Macdonald, who is raising the issue in Parliament.

The government said it is committed to inclusive sport and is investing up to £300,000 a year in the Inclusion 2028 programme to train teachers to deliver high-quality PE for pupils with Send.

‘Predatory’ Headteacher Struck Off After Exposing Himself at School

A former headteacher from Swansea who exposed himself to staff on multiple occasions has been banned from working in schools in Wales for at least 15 years.

James “Jamie” Richards, head of Cadle Primary School from 2011 to 2021, was struck off by the Education Workforce Council (EWC) after a professional standards panel found all allegations against him proven. His behaviour was described as “harassing, abusive and predatory”.

During a four-day hearing, five women told how Richards exposed himself in school, including in his office and while on a school trip, and showed explicit images and videos. The panel heard his actions left staff “shocked”, “frightened” and traumatised, with some too scared to report him.

Richards did not attend the hearing or respond to the allegations, which the panel found to be sexually motivated and a serious abuse of trust. Evidence also showed he failed to return a school laptop used to display explicit images and refused to cooperate with an internal investigation, claiming ill health despite being filmed socialising.

The panel ruled Richards must be removed from the register and cannot apply for reinstatement until at least November 2040. He has 28 days to appeal.

South Wales Police said two complaints were investigated in 2015 and 2021, but no charges were brought due to insufficient evidence and legal time limits.