Education Secretary Gillian Keegan is at a conference of the Association of School and College Leaders in Liverpool
Ofsted’s new chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver is there too, and has given his first speech since stepping into the role
He replaces Amanda Spielman, who stepped down in 2023
The focus has been on two issues - data showing a rise in pupil absences, and how Ofsted carries out inspections
A coroner previously ruled that a critical Ofsted report contributed to the death of head teacher Ruth Perry in January last year
Education secretary says data is key to tackling non-attendance in schools
Thanks for being with us as we brought to you the ASCL conference live from Liverpool.
You can read a recap of the main lines in one our previous post's below, as well as a reflection on how the speeches were received, from our education reporter Vanessa Clarke.
This page was brought to you by Nadia Ragozhina and Jacqueline Howard.
Vanessa Clarke
Education reporter
After speaking to a number of head teachers following this morning’s speeches, it’s clear they expected more.
Gillian Keegan was described by one headteacher who travelled from the Midlands as a “good speaker” but her short speech was “lacking in substance” and not reflecting the main issues facing the sector – particularly the recruitment crisis.
Many school leaders here told me they didn’t hear anything new either from the education secretary’s speech, or from Ofsted’s chief Sir Martyn Oliver, who was speaking for the first time since taking up the role in January.
Delegates here are hoping for change in both the education system and in Ofsted – but some are leaving this morning's session slightly disappointed.
We've just heard speeches form three key figures in the UK's education sector - ASCL President John Camp, new Ofsted Chief Sir Martyn Oliver, and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan.
Here's a quick rundown of what they said:
Gillian Keegan is next asked about recruitment and teacher retention.
She acknowledges that postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) targets are more than 50% down at the moment, but says that it is important to get other routes into the profession right.
Keegan says that the pandemic has had a dislocated impact on the labour market, which is why it is important to make sure it is easier to get into teaching.
The new teaching apprenticeships should help with teacher recruitment and retention, Keegan says, adding that she would also like to hear from people at the conference about it.
She highlights that teaching should attract people who would be "fantastic teachers" but maybe "didn't get a shot at university" and would appreciate a second chance to get into "the most rewarding profession".
The education secretary is now sitting down with Pepe Diiasio, a former ASCL president, for a Q&A.
"How can we be reassured that the challenges that are ahead of us are going to be met under her department?" he asks.
She says she understands budgets, and can be strategic, but it's the people in an organisation that are "the most important thing".
"They are the only thing that really matters - getting good people, retaining good people, continuing professional development," she says.
In her brief address, Gillian Keegan says that since the pandemic there has been a "worrying" rise in children being absent from school, and that it's an issue in many countries around the world.
"What's the point of building a world class education system if children are not in the classroom?" she says.
Right now, Keegan says 89% of schools are currently collecting data on attendance every day.
From September, it will be a requirement of all schools, she adds.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan puts focus on attendance
Vanessa Clarke
Education reporter
Gillian Keegan has now finished her speech and we'll bring you what she said shortly. She's now taking questions.
She was introduced as "one of the longest serving education secretaries" - to the amusement of the full auditorium of school leaders.
There have been 10 secretaries of state for education since the Conservatives took power in 2010.
Keegan, who has been in post since 2022, welcomed delegates to her “home town”.
Image source, Brighter Futures for ChildrenRuth Perry died just over a year ago
We've been listening to Ofsted’s new chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver at the conference today, but here's a reminder that earlier this year he said that Ofsted must become “far more empathetic”.
His words came after a coroner ruled an Ofsted report had “contributed” to a head teacher’s death.
Ruth Perry, who was the head teacher of Caversham Primary School in Reading, took her own life in January 2023, after finding out an Ofsted inspection was downgrading her school from “outstanding” to “inadequate” over safeguarding concerns.
At the time, Perry’s sister Julia Waters said the inspection process seemed to have been designed to "create maximum psychological damage", adding: "It's an inspection system that's based on shame and humiliation which are horrible, corrosive, powerful emotions."
The organisation later apologised for its role in her death, and promised a major review of how it dealt with safeguarding concerns.
Oliver is now turning to the tragic death of Ruth Perry, which sparked a national conversation about the impact of Ofsted inspections on the mental health of head teachers.
He says all lead Ofsted inspectors have completed mental health training, and all inspectors will have completed it by the end of the month.
"It should never happen again and no one should feel as Ruth did," he says.
An initiative called the Big Listen is launching today, he says.
It's a 12 week consultation, seeking views about Ofsted’s work from everyone they work with – children, parents, carers, and professionals in education and social care – to inform the office's future action.
"The Big Listen is how we learn the lessons we need to learn, and how we will improve," he says.
Next up at the conference is Sir Martyn Oliver, the new chief of school inspection office, Ofsted.
He says every single person working in education is working under challenging circumstances, citing the pandemic, cost of living, problems with attendance and behaviour, demand for mental health and disability support and disadvantage gaps as examples.
"I want to reassure you that I get it, and Ofsted gets it," Oliver says.
He says his biggest priorities as head of Ofsted are to look more holistically at the factors affecting education, and to look particularly at more disadvantaged children.
"We know that good education isn't the work of one institution, it's down to all of the influences on a young life," he says.
"If you get it right for the most disadvantaged, you get it right for everyone."
Vanessa Clarke
Education reporter
More than 1,000 school leaders are here at the AAC Liverpool waiting to discuss and hear solutions to the main issues facing education.
Ben Baines, Principal of Rushden Academy in Northamptonshire, is here to find out more about what is being done to tackle the recruitment crisis and that calls for reforms to Ofsted are being taken seriously.
For Carolyn Harkness, a school improvement officer and deputy head teacher from Liverpool, the main issue is the "attendance crisis ". She is interested to hear what Gillian Keegan and the other keynote speakers have to say on this.
Now for some new data on school absences.
As we mentioned earlier, a new survey has revealed that nearly a third of teachers (32%) have experienced pupils being absent this academic year because their parents or carers are “in dispute with their school”.
The survey, of 8,411 teachers, and commissioned by the ASCL through the app Teacher Tapp, asked what reasons had been given for students missing school, other than illness.
These were the other key findings:
These categories are, of course, very general – and only offer a snapshot of the reasons that children are missing school.
In his speech, John Camp acknowledges as much, saying that there are “many stories behind those statistics” and that it is a “hugely complex issue”.
Camp now turns to education policy, and is rubbishing Rishi Sunak's Advanced British Standard plan as a "a colossal waste of time and energy".
The ABS, announced in the autumn, is a plan to combine A and T levels into a single qualification for 16-to-19-year-olds.
Camp says it was announced without warning nor consultation, and "there's not enough funding and not enough teachers to deliver it".
"Let’s face it, we all know the Advanced British Standard will never happen," he says, adding that public servants are "wasting time" working on it, rather than addressing "more immediately pressing issues", like recruitment and widening disadvantage.
ASCL President John Camp is speaking now and says that there is a link between the way politicians and the media talk about issues in schools, and the attitudes of families towards school.
Calling it a "death by press release", he says it often seems like some politicians and commentators are "far too quick to take pot-shots at schools" based on "confused perceptions and political agendas, which are generally misplaced".
Camp cites examples such as sex education and trans or gender-questioning pupils "to generate a cheap headline" and banning mobile phones "when we know most schools have banned them already".
To fix this, he says the national conversation should change and schools need to be held in esteem – "everybody in public life must do more to talk up the many good things about schools and colleges, and to talk about teaching as the noble profession it is," he says.
One of the talking points is likely to be new data which shows almost a third of teachers have been told that some pupils are not attending because parents are in "dispute with the school".
The same data shows that another common reason cited for unauthorised absences is taking a term-time holiday - for which almost 400,000 penalty notices were issued in England in 2022-23.
In an effort to crack down on holidays during the school term, the government announced last week that school absence fines for parents in England would rise by £20.
Fines must be considered if a child misses five consecutive days of school without formal permission. Previously, fines started at £60 (£120 if left unpaid for 21 days). Now, they’re going up to £80 (£160 if not paid within 21 days).
The ASCL, or Association of School and College Leaders, is a professional association and trade union for school, college and trust leaders.
The organisation called for an immediate pause of Ofsted inspections following the outcome of the inquest into the death of Ruth Perry last year.
Geoff Barton, who's general secretary, said the pause was needed "to allow time for meaningful action to be taken to address the concerns" raised at the inquest.
The union also threatened strike action last year in a dispute with the government over pay. A 6.5% pay rise for teachers was eventually agreed.
Image source, PA MediaGillian Keegan has been education secretary since 2022, prior to which she served as the mental health minister.
You may remember she came under public scrutiny last year when hundreds of schools across England were confirmed to have been built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).
Many schools were forced to close as a result of the crumbling concrete - amid concerns about roofs collapsing - with pupils sent home or relocated to other establishments elsewhere.
At the height of the crisis, Keegan was caught swearing on mic following an interview - as the pressure built over who knew what when. She later said she was sorry for her "off-the-cuff" remark.
More recently, she shared new guidance intended to stop the use of mobile phones during the school day.
Keegan: 'Does anyone ever say, you've done a good job?'
Sir Martyn Oliver is new in the job, having taken over from Amanda Spielman.
She stepped down after primary school headteacher Ruth Perry took her own life when her school was downgraded from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’ following an Ofsted inspection in 2022.
Oliver is expected to launch the ‘Big Listen’ - a 12-week consultation which will see the inspectorate ask for feedback on its work from parents and carers, as well as professionals in education and social care.
He will also pledge to put the interests of disadvantaged children at the heart of any future reforms and say he will champion the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable children.
Image source, PA MediaOnce the conference gets going, we will hear from several keynote speakers. Let's take a look at who they are:
Nadia Ragozhina
Live reporter
Good morning. We're due to hear from Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and the new Ofsted boss, Sir Martyn Oliver, who will be making his first major speech since becoming chief inspector.
Both will be at the annual conference of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) union today.
One of the issues to be discussed is new data which shows almost a third of teachers (32%) in state-funded schools in England - who were polled over the course of this academic year - have been told pupils were absent because their parents were in "dispute with the school".
Ahead of this morning’s conference, ASCL said its president, John Camp, planned to use the session to call for a "change of tone in the national conversation about education".
BBC colleagues are at the conference in Liverpool and will be reporting on events as they happen. Stay tuned for updates and analysis.