Education News: Tighter Phone Rules and Ofsted's First Report Cards

Two changes are reshaping daily life in English schools this term: a firmer line on mobile phones backed by Ofsted, and a new style of Ofsted report that parents are starting to see for the first time. Here is what is happening and what it means for families.

The rules on phones in school are hardening

Mobile phones are moving up the agenda this term. The government's guidance expects every state school in England to operate a policy that keeps phones out of the school day, and Ofsted has confirmed it will look at how schools manage phones as part of its reformed inspections. In practice, schools that have run informal bans now have firmer national backing to enforce them. Source: GOV.UK guidance.

Ofsted publishes its first new-look report cards

Ofsted has published the first report cards under its reformed inspection framework, covering 22 schools that volunteered for early visits, 13 primaries and nine secondaries. The cards replace the old single-word headline judgement with a fuller, colour-graded picture across several areas, which the watchdog says is meant to give parents a clearer read on a school's strengths and weaknesses. Source: Schools Week.

It is statutory assessment season

June is also the busiest stretch of the primary testing calendar. The Year 1 phonics screening check runs in the week from Monday 8 June, and the multiplication tables check for Year 4 sits across the fortnight from Monday 1 June, following the key stage 2 SATs taken in May. Source: GOV.UK.

What it means for parents

If your child's school is tightening its phone policy this term, national guidance and Ofsted scrutiny are why. And when you next read an Ofsted report, expect more detail and less of a single grade to hang a decision on. For the wider context, see our guides on how catchment areas work and grammar school admissions.