Suffolk Association of Secondary School Leaders

Summer Updates

3^rd July 2026

Key themes

• Leader wellbeing and workload
• Pay update / STRB
• Are there any Green Shoots?
• Education Rights Act update
• Schools’ White Paper update
• Ofsted update
• MAT and Trust update
• Disadvantaged and SEND Students
• Pensions
• ASCL Events and Specialist support
• Feedback & Questions

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A tsunami of change …

• Renewed Ofsted framework (September)
• The Employment Rights Act (December)
• The Schools White Paper (February)
• The Post-16 Skills White Paper (October)
• The Curriculum and Assessment Review (November)

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Troubled Waters…

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• Financial Constraint
• Accountability
• Recruitment and Retention difficulties
• Staff working conditions and wellbeing
• Vexatious parents
• Violent and disruptive students

Lifting the fog?

Seeing Education Reform as a series of manageable waves?

A Sisyphean Struggle…

Does leading a school sometimes

feel like this?

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The ‘absurd hero?’

(Camus 1953).

For most leaders, the fact that the job is tough is what makes it so rewarding. This creates a paradox: it seems that leaders can be thriving and sinking at the same time, or, perhaps more accurately, thriving one day or one week, but sinking the next." Greany et al. (2026)

Pay

Conditions

ASCL Member Support – Sept 2025-May 2026

In Rank Order:

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1. Working conditions / workload / wellbeing
2. Job Security & Redundancy
3. Ofsted
4. Pensions
5. Governor issues
6. Flexible Working and returning to work
7. Pay
8. Parental accusations
9. Bullying and harassment
10. Grievances

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Workload and wellbeing…

But the opposite is true for Senior Leaders

Teacher & School Leader Pay Update

• Teacher and School Leader Pay has risen slightly faster than average earnings over the last 3 years
• But this is still 14% below the 2010 average salary to cost-of-living ratio
• The Government’s offer this week (6.5% over 2 years) is an improvement but is likely to just keep pace with inflation.
• There will be a 1% funding gap for schools to find
• However, there is a potential agreement to reduce employer contributions to teacher pensions from April 2027 (11% less!!)
• Fiscal Drag remains a hidden stealth tax

STRB 2026-27 Update

• Part-time TLRs can be made full-time for a part-timer
• UPR – a move from a 10 year to 8-year progression
• UPR1 assessment against teacher standards
• Withholding pay only if subject to formal capability

STRB 36^th remit issued on 24 July

Part 1 – by Feb/March

Part 2 – by April

It’s difficult to change the weather…

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But can you change the climate?

Are there any Green Shoots?

• Latest Recruitment Data
• Moving away from Performance-Related Pay 🡪 Appraisal
• Using the ERA and White Paper to your advantage
• Flexible working Opportunities

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Latest Recruitment Data

• NFER (March 2026)
• Significant in ITT numbers 2025-26 – Primary targets met – Secondary 11% below target but best since 2018
• Government’s commitment to an extra 6500 teachers remains a mystery
• Significant improvements in English & Maths
• Some Specialist Subjects still weak (Drama / Business Studies / RE)
• Some evidence of in retention rates but this is still higher in challenging areas
• Demographically, numbers of pupils in Primary School dropping (eg. London Primary School Closures)

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Recruitment Update:

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• Progress towards the 6,500 teacher target – 4,654 more teachers above 2023/24 baseline in the parts of the system DfE is targeting.
• Retention has improved markedly over the last decade. All else equal, this will feed into even lower ITT targets next year.
• Unfilled vacancies are falling, which could be a sign of progress feeding through (but...).
• New trainee entrants fell, even though ITT enrolments had increased, suggesting that schools applying a cautious approach to recruitment may be the dominant factor.
• The extent of specialist teaching in secondary schools fell, which is the opposite of what one would expect if the teacher supply challenge was being tackled effectively.
• Secondary class sizes have continued to rise, despite healthier teacher supply.�

Flexible Working Policy

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All schools must have a FW policy in place by 2027

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Employees can put in up to 2 requests per year

Moving away from a Performance-Related Pay Culture

• We have been delighted to see so many employers move away from Performance-Related-Pay this year.
• The STPCD 2024 gave Schools and Academies the freedom to do so.
• This has supported the embedding of supportive and developmental Appraisal Policies,
• Schools we have been working with have reported a significant improvement in staff wellbeing and staff retention.
• There is, of course, the cynical view that moving away from performance objectives and quantifiable objectives will lead to a lack of accountability, a lowering of standards and a stalling of school improvement momentum.
• Education research has not found this to be the case,
• Raising standards by setting arbitrary ‘make-or-break’ targets simply does not work

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Member Data – Autumn Term 2025

Case Studies

Tell us…

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Employment Rights Act 2025

Have a quick chat to the person(s) sitting next to you. Do you have any queries or reflections?

Schools’ White �Paper

The CAR: evolutionary recommendations

Timeframe for curriculum and assessment reform

A new enrichment entitlement

Suspensions framework

• A new national framework on suspensions
• Greater use of on-site internal suspensions in cases of non-violent behaviour
• ‘Clearer expectations’ on what internal suspensions should look like

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For further advice & support on Curriculum & Assessment

Tom.Middlehurst@ascl.org.uk

All schools (up to 31/05/2026)

Inspection – all previously ‘good’

Ofsted – what the first 6 months have told us…

The future of MATs, SATs and Maintained Schools

• 69% of Secondary Schools are in MATs in England
• Schools’ White Paper states that all schools will eventually be part of a Trust
• What are the trends?

Ofsted inspections for Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs)are expected to begin in the 2027-28 academic year. These inspections will assess central trust leadership, governance, and school improvement capacity rather than just individual school performance. The focus will be on how effectively trusts drive education quality, support staff, and use resources.

The future of MATs, SATs and Maintained Schools

For further advice & support with Trusts & MATs: Kathryn.morgan@ascl.org.uk

Disadvantaged Student – Update

In 2022, 28% of pupils at the end of KS2 were considered disadvantaged.

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In 2025, 32% of pupils at the end of KS2,(current Year 7) were considered disadvantaged.

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The gap has not closed…

For further advice and support on Disadvantaged Students:

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Tiffnie.Harris@ascl.org.uk

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Culture

School improvement

SEND – A Shift in priority and purpose:

SEND – As of June 2026

5 Key Principles in White Paper:

• Early Intervention: Implementing support as soon as needs are identified to prevent escalation, with a strong focus on early years education and inclusive practices.
• Local Provision: Ensuring children can learn in a school close to home, within their community, supported by local resources and specialist schools for the most complex needs.
• Fair and Resourced Schools: Equipping every mainstream school with the resources and training to meet common and predictable needs, so parents do not have to battle for support.
• Effective and Evidence-based Practices: Grounding all reforms and support strategies in robust evidence to ensure they lead to positive long-term outcomes for children.
• Shared Responsibility and Co-creation: Mandating collaboration among education, health, and social care services, and working in partnership with families, teachers, and experts to design and deliver a cohesive system. 

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• 1 in 5 children now have SEND
• 5.3% EHCP
• 14.6% on SEND Register
• This number is increasing with higher % feeding through from Reception

Enhanced resource provision & SEN units to Inclusion bases

Inclusion room

SEN Unit

Resource

Provision

Regional provision?

Don’t rush into this!

Leaders will see a rebalancing of funding toward core mainstream budgets. A new £1.6 billion Inclusive Mainstream Fund will provide upfront resources for three years starting in 2026.

Key SEND proposals

For further advice & support: Margaret Mulholland margaret.Mulholland@ascl.org.uk

Pensions

Teachers’ Pension Scheme Valuation - The latest scheme valuation is currently underway, and all signs point to a much needed reduction in the Employer Contribution rate (11% reduction from April 2027). This will have no bearing on individual pensions

Minimum Pension Age - Members might be aware that the minimum pension age (the earliest age that you can access pension benefits from) is due to increase in 2028 from age 55 to age 57 – however, it has been confirmed that members of the TPS who joined prior to 4th November 2021 will continue to be able to access their pension benefits from age 55.

Transitional Remedy (McCloud) - The rollout of the Transitional Remedy or ‘McCloud’ for younger teachers a has been severely delayed

Administration moving from Capita to Tata Consultancy Services - Capita lost the contract to administer the TPS and this service will be taken over by Tata Consultancy Services

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For further advice & support: Melanie.Moffatt@ascl.org.uk

Become more involved with ASCL

ASCL Council

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Elections for East of England Representative

Commitment of 6 days per year 3x2 day residentials

Opportunity to get involved in National Policy

National networking

ASCL Local Representative

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Suitable for any member of SLT

In effect to become a Union Rep for ASCL dealing with local pay and conditions for a school, MAT or LA

Full training provided

Carl.parker@ascl.org.uk

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School Business Leader Roadshow 24^th June in Birmingham

Leadership Essentials Conferences

These one-day conferences give members an opportunity to hear from Specialists and key note speakers on a range of educational issues:

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London 25^th November

Venue tbc

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Tell us…

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Member feedback on key issues from your local area?

In summary

• These are challenging times
• School leadership is still a brilliant job
• But try to remember your own oxygen mask
• It will help you create a kinder and more supportive culture for others.
• If ASCL can be of help in any way, please let us know

Chris Ingate chris.ingate@ascl.org.uk