Policy
Our developing policy work has several strands designed to inform and influence, whether that be keeping our Partner Schools aware of policy research and analyses, or giving North East schools a stronger voice to better represent them to policymakers.
Our policy focus is guided by our 10 key recommendations contained in our Manifesto for North East Education, published in response to the 2019 general election.
Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has seen unprecedented changes to education, but our recommendations remain relevant, as perennial issues have been highlighted by the lockdown disruption. Several policy areas have presented particular challenges, and in light of the coronavirus we have four key policy focuses: Evidence-based and joined-up policy making; exam reform; the negative narrative; Ofsted.
Please click on the above tabs to find out more about our different areas of policy work.
See our recent policy work:
Stakeholder briefing - Special Schools and Alternative Provision Roundtable - Autumn Half Term 1 2022/23
Press release - Key Stage 2 attainment 22/23
Press release - Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
Press release - GCSE Results 2023
Press release - A Level, T Level, and BTec Results 2023
Stakeholder briefing - State of the Region Summer 2023
Stakeholder briefing - Roundtable with the North East Child Poverty Commission and IPPR North
Letter - Condition of school buildings
Stakeholder briefing - Roundtable with Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery
Stakeholder briefing - Special Schools and Alternative Provision Roundtable – Summer Half Term 2 2022/23
Press release - North-South divide in condition of school buildings
Press release - Pupil Attendance June 2023
Press release - SATs 2023
Stakeholder briefing - Special Schools and Alternative Provision Roundtable –Summer Half Term 1 2022/23
Stakeholder briefing - Trust CEO Roundtable – Summer Half Term 1 2022/23
Evidence submission - Teacher recruitment, training, and retention
Press release - School visits by education ministers
Press release - Schools North East Ofsted Survey March 2023
Stakeholder briefing - Roundtable with the Northern Powerhouse Partnership on Devolution
Stakeholder briefing - Special Schools and Alternative Provision Roundtable –Spring Half Term 2 2022/23
Stakeholder briefing - Ofsted Survey March 2023
Stakeholder briefing - Roundtable with Sedgefield MP Paul Howell
Press release - Centre for Social Justice report on absence
Stakeholder briefing - State of the Region Spring 2023
Press release - Sutton Trust report on tutoring
Stakeholder briefing - Roundtable with Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah
Evidence submission - Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils
Stakeholder briefing - Trust CEO Roundtable – Spring Half Term 1 2022/23
Stakeholder briefing - Special Schools and Alternative Provision Roundtable –Spring Half Term 1 2022/23
Stakeholder briefing - Voice of the Pupil
Press release - Voice of the Pupil
Press release - Return to school January 2023
Press release - Pupils in England studying maths to 18
Stakeholder briefing - Multi Academy Trust CEO Roundtable - Autumn 2
Stakeholder briefing - Special Schools and Alternative Provision Roundtable - Autumn 2
Stakeholder briefing - Roundtable with North West Durham MP Richard Holden
Press release - Reinspection of outstanding schools
Stakeholder briefing - State of the Region Autumn 2022
Stakeholder briefing - Roundtable with Newcastle North MP Catherine McKinnell
Stakeholder briefing - Academisation survey September 2022
Stakeholder briefing - Multi Academy Trust CEO Roundtable – Autumn 1
Stakeholder briefing - Roundtable with Darlington MP Peter Gibson
Stakeholder briefing - Special Schools and Alternative Provision Roundtable – Autumn 1
Stakeholder briefing - Academisation survey September 2022
Press release - Key Stage 2 attainment 21/22
Press release - GCSE Results 2022
Press release - A Level, T Level, and BTec Results 2022
Letter - North-South education divide
Stakeholder briefing - State of the Region June 2022
Press release - Free School Meals data 2021/22
Stakeholder briefing - Roundtable with Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Stakeholder briefing - Multi Academy Trust CEO Roundtable 09/06/22
Stakeholder briefing - Special Schools and Alternative Provision Roundtable 07/06/22
Stakeholder briefing - Schools White Paper roundtable
Stakeholder briefing - Special Schools and Alternative Provision Roundtable 10/05/22
Stakeholder briefing- MAT CEO Roundtable 10/05/22
Stakeholder briefing - Roundtable with Blaydon MP Liz Twist 29/04/22
Press release - North East schools far from ‘back to normal’ as we approach the February half-term 2022
Letter - Letter to the Secretary of State on Free School Meals 07/02/22
Stakeholder briefing - Schools North East board meeting 02/02/22
Press release - Easing of Restrictions January 2022
Stakeholder briefing - Easing of Covid restrictions January 2022 survey
Stakeholder briefing - MAT CEO Roundtable 11/01/22
Press release - Covid-related absences in schools December 2021
Stakeholder briefing - Recruitment and supply Roundtable 16/12/21
Stakeholder briefing - Regional SEND/AP policy network 06/12/21
Press release - Times school performance tables
Letter - Letter to the Secretary of State on staff workload and wellbeing 12/11/21
Stakeholder briefing - State of the Region survey November 2021
Press release - Abuse of teachers in posts on TikTok
Stakeholder briefing - Ofsted concerns Autumn term 2021
Stakeholder briefing -MAT CEO Roundtable 19/10/21
Press release - Plans for schools at Labour Party Conference 2021
Stakeholder briefing - MAT CEO Roundtable 14/09/21
Stakeholder briefing - Special Schools and Alternative Provision Roundtable 14/09/21
Letter - Letter to the Secretary of State on pupil premium funding 22/06/21
Letter - Letter to the Secretary of State on pupil premium funding 25/03/21
Press release - Statement on the March 2021 budget
Press release - Statement on education recovery package
Press release - Statement on school return announcement 22/02/21
Press release - Statement on the alternative arrangements for exams in 2021
Letter - Letter to the Secretary of State on phased reopening of schools
Press release - Schools North East's roadmap to reopening
Letter - Letter to Secretary of State about staff wellbeing, 18/11/2020
Letter - Letter to Secretary of State about exams and testing in 2020/21, 9/10/2021
Letter - Letter to Secretary of State about failures in the Test and Trace System, 18/09/2020
Press release - Schools North East response to acceptance of CAGs, 17/08/2020
Press release - Schools North East calls on Government to honour Centre Assessment Grades for GCSEs 17/08/20
Press release - Schools North East calls on Government to take action on A levels, 14/08/20
Manifesto for North East Education
In response to the 2019 general election, Schools North East put together a manifesto containing the key recommendations for all political parties and policymakers, from North East schools.
This was the first step in our developing policy focus, and we will be developing our recommendations through a series of policy roundtables.
You can read our manifesto at the following link
Stakeholder Briefings
We regularly conduct surveys and roundtables on the key issues and challenges our schools are facing in order to ensure that the voices of North East school leaders are heard as widely as possible. Our Stakeholder Briefings are designed to share this feedback with influential figures within the education sector, to help them understand the detail of what our schools are facing.
Bitesize Briefings
To help support North East schools, we send out Bitesize Briefings about recently published research and analyses on education policy to our Partner Schools.
These briefings contain the key findings of a given report, as well as setting out the implications for the North East.
Healthy MindED Commission
The Schools North East Healthy MindED Commission works towards supporting schools to understand and mitigate the factors affecting young people’s mental health, and through doing so enable better resilience.
The aims of the Commission are:
· To improve the mental health of children and young people by recognising its impact on them; and by enabling school communities and associated services to identify, manage and mitigate the factors that underlie poor mental health
· To equip schools to empower children and young people to understand mental health, and through increasing their resilience to grow and develop their potential
Voice of the Pupil
One the main strands of the Healthy MindED Commission was the Voice of the Pupil project.
The project developed a framework for engaging children and young people in discussion about mental health.
Staff from across schools in the region were trained and supported to carry out focus group discussions with students. The findings of this project are set to be published later this year.
Read the full academic report on the Voice of the Pupil.