Welcome to The Daily School Leaders Briefing for Wednesday, April 30th, 2025. Today's essential update for UK school leaders covers the Department for Education's revised Initial Teacher Training (ITT) targets for 2025-26 and crucial evidence presented to Parliament regarding SEND provision and health service involvement.

Key Briefings Inside:

1. DfE Reduces Teacher Training Recruitment Targets for 2025-26: We detail the newly announced ITT recruitment targets, showing an overall 19.3% reduction from the current year. Understand the reasons cited by the DfE for lower primary (-18.6%) and secondary (-19.6%) targets, including falling pupil numbers, improved teacher retention forecasts (potentially linked to recent pay rises), and slower secondary cohort growth. Explore the mixed picture across secondary subjects, with targets increasing in some areas (e.g., History, Drama) but decreasing significantly in many others (e.g., MFL, Sciences, Maths). Hear NFER's analysis suggesting an improving recruitment outlook alongside NAHT's caution about cutting targets. Analyse the implications for school workforce planning and the delivery of the government's 6,500 new teacher pledge.

   Keywords: DfE ITT targets 2025-26, Initial Teacher Training recruitment UK, primary teacher targets, secondary teacher targets, teacher retention rates, NFER teacher supply analysis, NAHT ITT targets response, teacher subject shortages.

   
   

2. Experts Demand Increased Health Sector Accountability for SEND Provision: Delve into key evidence presented to the Parliamentary Education Select Committee concerning SEND support. Learn about the strong calls for the health sector, specifically NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), to take "increased accountability" alongside Local Authorities for SEND provision. Understand the arguments for statutory joint commissioning and enabling therapies like Speech and Language (SALT) to operate more flexibly across different levels of need. Hear warnings that significant ICB budget cuts are hindering collaboration and will impact SEND support, and that national NHS priorities are "crowding out" local partnership focus. Explore the specific pressures highlighted on Educational Psychologist (EP) and SALT services, including reduced early intervention capacity and "inordinately large" caseloads impacting access and staff retention. Analyse the implications for schools seeking timely and effective support for pupils with SEND.

   Keywords: SEND provision accountability UK, health sector SEND role, Integrated Care Boards ICB cuts, joint commissioning education health, NHS SEND impact, Educational Psychologist EP shortages funding, Speech and Language Therapy SALT caseloads, Education Select Committee SEND hearing.

Audience: This briefing provides crucial information for Headteachers, Senior Leadership Teams (SLT), SENCOs, MAT Leaders, School Business Leaders (SBLs), Governors, and ITT providers across the UK.