What’s new across The Key from March 2026
Take a look at a selection of the new content that our members gained access to this month:
- Removing barriers to learning and wellbeing: staff briefing
Use our 40-minute briefing to help staff understand your school’s approach to inclusion, focusing on the pupil groups Ofsted will consider during an inspection and how your school defines 'other barriers' to learning and/or wellbeing.
- Restrictive interventions policy: model
Download and adapt our model restrictive interventions policy, which includes reasonable force and seclusion, to help you comply with the latest DfE guidance. - The 9-day fortnight: flexible working that works – new podcast episode
Robyn Ellis joins us to share the thinking behind the 9-day working fortnight at Dixons Academies Trust, what the trust has learnt about making flexible working viable in schools, and how organisational design, coaching and culture can support staff wellbeing, retention and long-term success.
Watch or listen now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Resources you might have missed
A round-up of our new and updated resources from the last month, from across The Key:
Inspections and school improvement
- Staying Ofsted-ready as a trustee - NEW
- Keeping your governance professionals Ofsted-ready - NEW
- Chairs: what to do during an Ofsted inspection - NEW
- School policies: what Ofsted is looking for
- Your guide to Ofsted's monitoring inspections - NEW
SEND and inclusion
- SEND: role of the link governor
- Supporting pupils with medical conditions and allergies: consultation summary - NEW
- Funding for pupils with SEN
Pupils, behaviour and safeguarding
Staffing and recruitment
- Required checks for new school staff and volunteers
- Mandatory training for school staff
- Improve teaching quality with evidence-based CPD - NEW
Curriculum and learning
- Work scrutiny: how-to and template
- How to monitor achievement - NEW
- Whole-school curriculum audit
- Attainment and progress: know the difference
Finance and compliance
- Approving the budget: questions to ask
- Pupil premium: payment dates for 2026-27
- UK GDPR: retention and disposal of records
- Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS): summary and questions to ask
- How academies are funded: 2026-27
- School security procedures: templates and guidance
Governance
- Governors' allowances and expenses policy: model and examples
- Complaints procedures for governing boards
- Ofsted glossary for governors
- The governing board's role in a whole-school approach to behaviour
Policies
- Menopause policy: model, examples and guidance
- How to review your menopause policy and action plan
- How to review your restrictive interventions policy - NEW
- Whistle-blowing policy: model and examples
- Premises management documents - NEW
- Teachers' pay policy: models and examples
- Restrictive interventions, including reasonable force: staff training - NEW
School administration
- School year planners: template
- Termly tasks for headteachers: summer 2026
- Opening a school-based nursery: step-by-step guide
- Subject access requests: guidance and template forms
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