Catch up on the latest education, teaching and recruitment news below:

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• Teacher Pay Scales 2025–26: What You Need to Know About Your Salary From September

  Wednesday, July 23, 2025

  A 4% pay raise for teachers in England will take effect from September 2025, as confirmed by the Department for Education. This increase impacts classroom teachers across the main and upper pay scales, offering a welcome financial uplift for thousands of educators.

• Strengthening Safeguarding: Key EYFS Updates for 2025

  Tuesday, July 15, 2025

  The Department for Education (DfE) is set to implement significant updates to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) from 1 September 2025, focusing on bolstering safeguarding and welfare standards These changes formalise good practice already in place across many nurseries and early years settings; they aim to ensure consistently safe and high‑quality care for all children.

• New Government Framework Aims to Boost Writing Standards in Primary Schools

  Wednesday, July 9, 2025

  A new government-backed guide for primary schools in England is set to raise standards in writing and provide teachers with clear, evidence-based strategies to support pupils' development. Published by the Department for Education, The Writing Framework offers non-statutory guidance to help teachers improve the way writing is taught in classrooms. While not a compulsory curriculum document, it brings together decades of research and classroom experience to support effective teaching practices from Key Stage 1 through Key Stage 2.

• National Year of Reading 2026 announced to spark a love of books across the UK

  Tuesday, July 8, 2025

  Parents across the UK are being encouraged to swap screen time for story time, as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announces a bold new campaign to spark a national reading revival. Launched on 6 July 2025, the National Year of Reading 2026 will begin in January next year, aiming to reverse a worrying decline in reading for pleasure among children and young people. Just one in three 8–18-year-olds said they enjoy reading in their free time, according to the latest data.

• Support Staff Pay Offer Rejected as GMB Calls 3.2% Rise a ‘Disgrace’

  Tuesday, July 1, 2025

  The GMB union has formally rejected a 3.2% pay rise offer for school support staff, calling it a “disgrace” and a “real-terms pay cut” compared to the 4% rise granted to teachers. Following a ballot of 150,000 members, 77% voted against the Local Government Association’s (LGA) proposed increase. The union said the deal demonstrates “utter contempt” for frontline education and council workers who continue to face increasing workloads with limited resources.

• Introducing Flourish Medical

  Wednesday, June 25, 2025

  Flourish Medical is a specialist healthcare agency that provides high-calibre professionals to NHS trusts, private hospitals, clinics and specialist practices. Their recruitment spans a wide range of healthcare disciplines, including dentistry, nursing and allied health roles – always placing the right candidate in the right setting at the right time. Built on the same strong foundations as Flourish Education, their service is highly personal and responsive, with an emphasis on lasting relationships, not quick fixes. They are proud to use the Flourish name – two agencies, one united ethos.

• DfE launches new support for school and college leaders on AI use

  Wednesday, June 25, 2025

  The Department for Education (DfE) has today unveiled a comprehensive suite of support materials aimed at helping school and college leaders in England integrate artificial intelligence (AI) safely and effectively into educational settings. The launch includes a dedicated leadership package complemented by staff training modules, specially designed to balance opportunity and safeguard student wellbeing.

• Councils granted a two-year reprieve on SEND deficits, but wider reforms still awaited

  Tuesday, June 24, 2025

  England’s local authorities have been granted a crucial two-year extension on the “statutory override” that hides rising deficits in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) spending from their balance sheets. This pause, delayed from its original end date in April 2026 to April 2028, buys vital breathing space for councils but stops short of resolving the long-term financial crisis plaguing high-needs education.

• Celebrating Our Flourish Champions of the Summer Term

  Wednesday, June 18, 2025

  At Flourish Education, we are incredibly proud of the passionate teachers and teaching assistants who bring energy, compassion, and excellence into the classrooms and communities they serve. Every term, we invite schools and academies across the West Midlands and surrounding regions to nominate standout members of our team who have gone above and beyond in their roles.

• SEN in England: Numbers Continue to Climb, Reforms Take Centre Stage

  Thursday, June 12, 2025

  The Department for Education has today published its official statistics on Special Educational Needs (SEN) in England for the 2024/25 academic year, revealing a sustained and substantial rise in pupils requiring support.