Newly-appointed headteachers will be offered retention payments of up to \u00a315,000 to work in certain areas under a planned pilot, the government has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has also said <\/a>the government will “ensure all schools join high-quality trusts”, and allow councils to set up their own chains. It is not known whether schools will be forced to join trusts, or just encouraged to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It comes after Schools Week<\/em> revealed government was working on white paper proposals to encourage all schools to join a group.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The upcoming schools white paper will also set out plans to emulate New Labour\u2019s London Challenge with new initiatives in coastal areas and the north east of England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schools will face minimum expectations governing engagement with parents, and the white paper will also set an ambition to halve the disadvantage gap and a target to cut attendance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Government will also explore a new progress measure to \u201cbetter capture the progress and achievements of children who start secondary school significantly behind their peers\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Department for Education<\/a> has released some of the policies that will form part of its flagship plan for schools, due to be published on Monday. The repeated micro-announcements and leaking of information about the document has been widely criticised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a press release sent this weekend, the white paper will \u201cchart a path to halving the gap between outcomes for poorer children and their peers, alongside generational reform to the SEND system\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DfE will also pilot new retention incentives of up to \u00a315,000 for newly appointed headteachers to \u201cwork for sustained periods in parts of the country that need them most\u201d. No further details have been revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n