The half-term in review (Jan-Feb ‘24)

We’re often asked what our members - over 13,500 school leaders - search for on The Key. With over 600,000 reads of our guidance every month, you could say that we’re a barometer for what’s really going on in the sector. 

This half term, there are three stand-out themes: Ofsted (no surprises there), attendance, and online safety.

Ofsted

Our guidance about Ofsted inspection ranges from explainers about inspection criteria to logistical checklists and guidance to help school staff prepare for meetings with inspectors. These articles attracted more eyeballs than any other theme in the first half of this term.

Over 9000 schools used our ‘need to know’ summarising updates to the school inspection handbook to help them get up to speed on changes to inspection procedures. Ofsted updated its school inspection handbook in the weeks following the publication of the coroner’s report into the death of Ruth Perry. 

The changes make it clear that Ofsted is doing more to prioritise staff wellbeing during inspections, which is a welcome step. But the popularity of our ‘need to know’, and the wider suite of Ofsted support, is a stark reminder of the significant role inspection plays in shaping the day-to-day for school leaders and the pressure that a looming inspection causes.

Attendance

The DfE is on a drive to tackle the “attendance crisis” within our schools. School leaders know that the solution to attendance challenges isn’t a compliance-led, data-focused approach - it requires engaging with pupils, families and communities with real empathy.

Our guidance on attendance supported over 3000 school leaders last month. The most popular article was about understanding a pupil’s barriers to attendance, a resource shaped by lived experience and co-authored by the fantastic team at Square Pegs.

Online safety

The new Online Safety Act, and the accompanying debates about childrens’ online safety in parliamentary committees, means this ever-pressing topic has been even more so in recent months. 

School leaders and staff who champion online safety know that you need a truly “whole school” approach to addressing safeguarding risks. Over the first half of this term, almost 5000 schools have used the parent factsheets, assembly packs, staff training resources and assessments in our online safety hub to ensure staff, pupils and parents have the guidance they need to stay safe online.

I hope you’ve found it interesting to see the big themes relating to what school leaders have been working on since the new year - I look forward to seeing what the second half of the Spring term brings.