About this episode

This episode discusses Ofsted's new inspector recruiting strategy and other significant education updates.

The Education Brief: Wednesday 18 March 2026 - Top stories include: The English hubs programme will be expanded into secondary schools from September. United Learning could become England’s first 100-school multi-academy trust. New research suggests the former “gifted and talented” programme may have widened inequality. Ofsted is piloting recruiting groups of school leaders as part-time inspectors paid by their own institutions. HEP Updates: Secondary Maths Leadership Programme: https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/calendar/secondary-maths-leadership-programme-with-emma-mccrea-session-2-of-3/ Book your ticket to the Haringey Racial Equity Conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/haringey-racial-equity-conference-2026-tickets-1982524828129?aff=oddtdtcreator Find and book more CPD sessions at https://hepbookinghub.co.uk/ Watching - https://www.lse.ac.uk/lse-player/smashing-the-class-ceiling-lse-festival Listening - https://substack.com/home/post/p-190277619 Reading - https://www.tes.com/en-gb/for-schools/content/tes-wellbeing-report AI Tool - https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12650343-use-claude-for-excel ⁠Music by Slo Pony⁠

Topics covered

• Ofsted
• education policy
• school leadership
• inequality in education
• multi-academy trusts
• CPD sessions

Keywords

• Ofsted
• United Learning
• education inequality
• school leaders
• multi-academy trust
• Haringey Racial Equity Conference
• CPD sessions

More episodes of HEP Talks

• The Education Brief: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act Now Law · May 6, 2026 · 13 min
• The Education Brief: No More Ice Cream! · April 22, 2026 · 13 min
• The Education Brief: The Easter Catch-Up · April 15, 2026 · 14 min
• The Education Brief: KS2 SATs Are Coming, Along with Media Literacy · March 25, 2026 · 11 min
• The Education Brief: SEND Priorities, Teacher Wellbeing, and IDSR Updates · March 11, 2026 · 12 min
• The Education Brief: HEP on the Schools White Paper · March 4, 2026 · 25 min

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