This timeline sets out important mandatory information to help headteachers, principals and governors plan ahead, prepare for and implement mandatory legal requirements during this academic year and beyond. We have tried to be as precise as possible but some of the timings are indicative and may change. Important useful information can be found on the timeline of useful information for schools.
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Academies |
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Free Schools (including university technical colleges and Studio Schools) |
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Maintained schools (including maintained special schools) |
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Sixth-form colleges |
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Further education colleges with 16-19 provision |
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Pupil referral units |
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Independent schools (not state funded) |
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All interested parties |
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Non-maintained special schools |
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Summer term 2013 |
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-NEW- April 2013 - Staffing Schools need to revise their pay policies to set out the new pay arrangements that come into force from September 2013, including how they will ensure that teachers’ pay progression is linked to performance. Schools can download the revised School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document and the advice to help them review their school’s approach to teachers’ pay.
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April - July 2013 - Finance All maintained schools to complete their 2012-13 consistent financial reporting (CFR) return and submit by the deadline set by their local authority.
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1 April 2013 - Finance Pupil referral unit (PRU) management committees will be given delegated budgets and control over staffing for the first time.
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-NEW- 1 April 2013 - Pupils New and simplified health and safety guidance for work experience placements becomes available.
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6 April 2013 - Finance All maintained schools and local authorities will be responsible for paying their own certificate of sponsorship fees when they recruit overseas-trained teachers.
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-UPDATED- 13 May - 17 May 2013 - Curriculum and qualifications Key Stage 2 National Curriculum test week. Grammar, punctuation and spelling test will be taken in schools for the first time.
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17 June 2013 - Curriculum and qualifications Phonics screening check week. As well as administering the phonics screening check to pupils in Year 1, schools must administer the check to pupils in Year 2 who did not reach the expected standard in Year 1, or did not take the check in Year 1.
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-NEW- 30 June 2013 - Finance Deadline for academy trusts to submit their March accounts return if they were not required to submit an August accounts return.
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-NEW- 31 July 2013 - Finance Deadline for academies open by 31 March 2013 to supply their budget forecast for the 2013/14 academic year. For academies opening from 1 April 2013, the deadline is six weeks after issue of their final funding letter.
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Autumn term 2013 |
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-NEW- Autumn 2013 - Curriculum and qualifications Subject to outcomes from the consultation, and approval of Parliament, the majority of the existing National Curriculum programmes of study, attainment targets and assessment arrangements will be disapplied and will no longer be compulsory. This would apply to all subjects and year groups except English, mathematics and science for pupils in Years 1, 2, 5 and 6. Disapplication would continue until the new programmes of study come into effect for each subject for each year group.
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-NEW- Autumn term 2013 - Curriculum and qualifications Following the formal consultation on legislation implementing changes to the National Curriculum, the new National Curriculum will be made available for schools ready for first teaching to begin in September 2014.
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-NEW- Start of term, September 2013 - Curriculum and qualifications Revised GCSEs in English literature and history will be taught for the first time, reflecting changes required by the regulator, Ofqual.
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-NEW- Start of term, September 2013 - Curriculum and qualifications New primary school floor standard comes into effect, raising the percentage of pupils required to reach the minimum acceptable standard of level 4 in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2 from 60 per cent to 65 per cent.
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-UPDATED- Start of term, September 2013 – Pupils The duty to secure independent careers guidance will be extended to include Years 8 to 13 pupils in schools and is underpinned by revised statutory guidance. An equivalent requirement will be extended to 16 to 18-years-olds in FE settings through college funding agreements.
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September 2013 - Pupils Subject to regulations being made, and subject to the will of Parliament, legislation will come into effect allowing schools to remove an existing pupil from the admission register if they fail to meet the academic requirement for sixth form.
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-NEW- Start of term, September 2013 - Pupils All young people in England will be required to participate in education or training until the end of the academic year in which they turn 17.
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September 2013 - Pupils Duty to promote the good attendance of 16-year-olds in education and training will become compulsory as part of raising the participation age. All education and training institutions are required to promote the good attendance of 16-year-olds.
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September 2013 - Pupils All education and training institutions must inform their local authority if a 16-year-old drops out of education.
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-UPDATED- September 2013 - Pupils Legislation will come into effect, reducing timescales for the payment of penalty notices issued to parents for school attendance offences from 42 to 28 days.
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September 2013 - Pupils Legislation will come into effect, strengthening the rules on leave of absence and promoting good attendance.
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September 2013 - Curriculum and qualifications All students will be required to continue to study English and maths towards GCSE A*-C, as part of their 16-19 study programmes if they did not achieve grades A*-C at the end of Year 11. 16-19 funding will be student rather than qualification led. From September 2014 funding will also be conditional on students who do not have an A*-C in maths and English continuing to study those subjects.
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-UPDATED- 1 September 2013 - Governance Subject to regulations being made, and subject to the will of Parliament, legislation will come into effect, reducing requirements on governing bodies, such as the election of chairs and delegation of functions
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-UPDATED- From 1 September 2013 - Pupils Schools which use automated biometric recognition systems will be required to obtain parental consent.
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28 September 2013 - Finance Deadline for academies open by 31 August 2013 to supply their budget forecast for the 2013/14 academic year. For academies opening from 1 September is six weeks after issue of their final funding letter.
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-NEW- 31 December 2013 - Finance Deadline for academies that prepared statutory financial statements as at 31 August 2013 to submit their accounts return for the 2012/13 academic year.
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Summer term 2014 |
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From May 2014 - Curriculum and qualifications Pupils will no longer be allowed to use calculators in Key Stage 2 tests.
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