The views of experts, parents, teachers and leaders will be pivotal to the expert-led Review of Curriculum and Assessment announced on 19 July, and a call for evidence will be launched in September. The review will also take written evidence from key stakeholders and undertake a national roadshow, meeting and taking input from staff on the frontline.

The department recognises the pressure that staff in schools and colleges have been under and is enormously grateful to them for their efforts, resilience and service in educating children and young people.

In recognition of this pressure, the review will seek evolution not revolution. It will be aware of the trade-offs required to deliver high and rising standards alongside greater breadth, and in particular to any recommendations that would impact on workload. The review will seek to identify and focus on the most significant and pressing issues facing curriculum and assessment, without destabilising the system.

Schools are best placed to decide on the development need of their staff and the leadership structure that best suits their pupils. That is why the department has given all trusts and schools the authority to make their own recruitment decisions, including for headteachers and senior leaders, using their own policies and procedures in line with Employment Law, Equality Action 2010 and Safer Recruitment Guidance to recruit appropriate individuals. More information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/616e92fd8fa8f529777ffc40/Staff_Advice_Handbook_Update_-_October_2021.pdf

Experience at various levels of teaching is an important factor for successful leadership of schools and, as such, almost all senior leaders and headteachers have been awarded qualified teacher status (QTS) and have experience as a class teacher before progressing to senior roles within schools.

For existing teachers and senior leaders, including veterans that have changed career and are working in schools, there is a range of specialist and leadership National Profession Qualifications available to provide training and support at all levels. These provide support to a range of professionals from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice to those who aspire to be members of school leadership teams and those leading multiple schools across trusts. Interested applicants can learn more about the qualifications and eligibility for scholarship funding by visiting the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-professional-qualification-npq-courses.

The Department wants teaching to be an inclusive profession where teachers from all backgrounds are supported throughout their career, from the moment they enter the profession, through their continued development as teachers and as they progress into leadership.

Recruitment campaigns for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) are targeted at students, recent graduates and potential career changers regardless of their identity or background.

Apply for Teacher Training, the new application service for ITT in England, was rolled out nationally in 2021. It has been designed to be user friendly and has been extensively tested with a diverse range of potential applicants to ensure it helps remove barriers to great teachers applying for ITT courses.

The Department’s world class teacher development programmes, such as National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), are designed to support all teachers through to executive headship, and are designed to reach as many people as possible, regardless of their background. Since autumn 2021, eligible teachers and headteachers have been able to access scholarships to undertake fully funded NPQs and 51,518 qualifications have been started so far.

Flexible working supports equality of opportunity in the workforce and can help women to stay in the workforce and progress. The Department is taking action to promote flexible working in schools. This includes publishing resources and guidance on GOV.UK and funding a programme of support, including webinars with a focus on how flexible working can support diversity and inclusion.

Governors have an important role to play in promoting diversity, equality and inclusion when appointing headteachers. Guidance states that school governance boards are expected to have an understanding of, and an adherence to, the Equality Act 2010, promoting equality and diversity throughout the organisation including in relation to its own operation. They should understand the full diversity of the cultural context of the school and community they serve and are reminded of this in the department’s Governance Handbook: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-handbook, and in the current guidance on recruiting a headteacher: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recruiting-a-headteacher.

The Early Headship Coaching Offer (EHCO) provides unassessed face to face support for new head teachers in their first five years of headship who have, or are, undertaking the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH).

The EHCO was rebranded in 2022 from the Additional Support Offer. The eligibility criteria increased from those in the first two years of a headship role to the first five years. This was done to not only increase take up of the programme, but to express more clearly the support the programme involved.

As of February 2023, 289 participants have undertaken the EHCO. To improve take up even further, the Department launched a review of the EHCO in January 2023. The first phase involved investigating the eligibility criteria of the offer in order to expand the pool of participants and increase those that can be supported. The Department conducted user research with participants of the EHCO and the NPQH, as well as Lead Providers who deliver both. Interviews with participants have highlighted that they value the practical support and guidance in the programme to undertake this new role and support them throughout. Lead Providers have expressed positive feedback from their participants and are continuing to work to increase the awareness of the programme.. Barriers to take up include low awareness and perceived time commitment, especially by those anticipating completing the NPQH and the EHCO simultaneously.

The second phase will include a wider review of the content of the EHCO to address barriers to take up, including those mentioned above. The phase will focus on the level of coaching and/or mentoring available, the recruitment and management of mentors and coaches, the time commitment of the programme, and on different delivery models and communications.

The Department is creating a world-class teacher development system by transforming the training and support teachers and headteachers receive at every stage of their career.

Each career stage is underpinned by evidenced-based frameworks that set out what teachers will learn and know after completing the programme. The frameworks build on and complement one another and have been independently reviewed by the Education Endowment Foundation to ensure they draw on the best available evidence of high-quality teaching and school leadership.

This ‘golden thread’ of high-quality support and training begins with Initial Teacher Training based on the new ITT Core Content Framework, progresses through an extended free training entitlement over the first 2 years of a teacher’s career through the Early Career Framework reforms and leads to our suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) which support teachers and headteachers to develop their leadership skills at each stage of their career. This golden thread helps establish strong professional development cultures both within individual schools and across the country, elevating the quality of teaching and leadership and ultimately improving pupil outcomes. In addition, we continue to fund the High Potential Initial Teacher Training and Leadership Development Programme (HPITT), delivered by Teach First which aims to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils by recruiting, placing and training outstanding graduates and experienced professionals in disadvantaged schools.

The suite of NPQs includes four leadership qualifications that support professionals to develop the knowledge, behaviours, and networks they need to be a high-performing teacher at different levels. The Early Headship Coaching offer is also available to professionals in their first five years in headship. This offer is a targeted support package which provides structured unassessed support based on the best available evidence about what makes an effective headteacher.

As part of the Government’s long-term education recovery plan, £184 million of new funding will enable 150,000 education professionals employed at state-funded organisations across the sector to access fully funded training scholarships for NPQs. This support will be available in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years to help more professionals than ever before to access the qualifications.

The Department also announced on 26 May 2022 that the School-Led Development Trust would establish the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT). The NIoT will be an exemplary provider of our teacher development programmes, including NPQs and the National Leaders of Education programmes, ensuring high quality support to struggling and vulnerable schools by raising standards and building their leadership capacity. It will also utilise cutting-edge research and disseminate best practice to further improve the quality of teacher and leadership training nationwide.

The Department is creating a world-class teacher development system by transforming the training and support teachers and headteachers receive at every stage of their career.

Each career stage is underpinned by evidenced-based frameworks that set out what teachers will learn and know after completing the programme. The frameworks build on and complement one another and have been independently reviewed by the Education Endowment Foundation to ensure they draw on the best available evidence of high-quality teaching and school leadership.

This ‘golden thread’ of high-quality support and training begins with Initial Teacher Training based on the new ITT Core Content Framework, progresses through an extended free training entitlement over the first 2 years of a teacher’s career through the Early Career Framework reforms and leads to our suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) which support teachers and headteachers to develop their leadership skills at each stage of their career. This golden thread helps establish strong professional development cultures both within individual schools and across the country, elevating the quality of teaching and leadership and ultimately improving pupil outcomes. In addition, we continue to fund the High Potential Initial Teacher Training and Leadership Development Programme (HPITT), delivered by Teach First which aims to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils by recruiting, placing and training outstanding graduates and experienced professionals in disadvantaged schools.

The suite of NPQs includes four leadership qualifications that support professionals to develop the knowledge, behaviours, and networks they need to be a high-performing teacher at different levels. The Early Headship Coaching offer is also available to professionals in their first five years in headship. This offer is a targeted support package which provides structured unassessed support based on the best available evidence about what makes an effective headteacher.

As part of the Government’s long-term education recovery plan, £184 million of new funding will enable 150,000 education professionals employed at state-funded organisations across the sector to access fully funded training scholarships for NPQs. This support will be available in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years to help more professionals than ever before to access the qualifications.

The Department also announced on 26 May 2022 that the School-Led Development Trust would establish the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT). The NIoT will be an exemplary provider of our teacher development programmes, including NPQs and the National Leaders of Education programmes, ensuring high quality support to struggling and vulnerable schools by raising standards and building their leadership capacity. It will also utilise cutting-edge research and disseminate best practice to further improve the quality of teacher and leadership training nationwide.

In November 2013 there were 57,000 leadership teachers working in state-funded schools that were White-British (92% of all leadership teachers where their ethnicity was known) and a further 5,000 (8%) leadership teachers from all other ethnic groups. Ethnicity data is known for 97% of all leadership teachers.

The information requested is also published in table 5 in the statistical first release ‘School Workforce in England, November 2013’ and is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2013

Leadership and management are integral to the success of a school and, as such, feature regularly in my discussions with Her Majesty’s chief inspector.

What recent discussions he has had with the head of Ofsted on leadership in schools.

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving me an opportunity to do in this House what I have done on other platforms and underline my debt to Baroness Morgan, who has led the Ofsted board in a superlative fashion. However, it is good corporate practice to ensure that the chair of any body—whether the Surrey Heath Conservative association or Ofsted—is refreshed from time to time.

What was it that brought the Secretary of State to the view that it was time to “refresh” the person in charge of Ofsted, Baroness Morgan, and to bring in a fresh perspective? What specifically concerned him about performance on school improvement to lead him to that conclusion?

The number of NLEs and LLEs in the years 2010 to 2013 are as follows:

[holding answer 17 April 2013]: The number of specialist leaders of education designated on 1 January 2013 was 1,955.