July 2026
A very warm welcome as the sun beats down on our schools during another heat wave. In this edition of Chisnell Chatter, I reflect on recent DfE releases on the Enrichment Framework, EEF advice on supporting disadvantaged pupils, the importance of reviewing the impact of CPD and updates to KCSIE. All summarised for you and your teams.
Stay cool in the heat!
DFE release the new Enrichment Framework for Schools
The new Department for Education Enrichment Framework sends a clear message: enrichment is no longer an optional extra – it’s a strategic priority. From September 2026, while the framework remains non-statutory, Ofsted will consider how schools have had regard to it when evaluating personal development and wellbeing.
The framework challenges leaders to move beyond “clubs and trips” and instead build an enrichment offer that is purposeful, inclusive and woven into the fabric of school improvement. It is built around eight benchmarks, including strategic leadership, accessibility, partnerships, continuous improvement and measuring impact. Schools are encouraged to provide opportunities across five key areas: arts and culture, sport and physical activity, nature and the outdoors, civic engagement, and wider life and future skills.
The biggest leadership shift is that enrichment should be:
- Strategic, not incidental – aligned with your vision, curriculum and school improvement priorities.
- Inclusive, not exclusive – with barriers to participation identified and removed, especially for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
- Evidence-informed – leaders should monitor participation, evaluate impact and continuously refine their offer.
- Everybody’s business – developed with pupils, parents, staff and community partners, rather than owned by one enthusiastic member of staff.
For school leaders, the question is no longer “What clubs do we run?” but “How does our enrichment offer improve belonging, attendance, wellbeing, character and life chances?”
Schools that treat enrichment as a strategic driver of inclusion, engagement and personal development, not an add-on, will be best placed to meet both the spirit of the framework and the evolving expectations of inspection.
Here is a link to the core documents
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026
As we move swiftly towards the summer break; releases from the DfE demand that we once again revise our approach to safeguarding. While this provides work for our leadership teams in preparing the autumn. updates for our staff, let’s make this as simple for our staff to digest as possible. To this end, I came across a super little graphic outlining the key changes to KCSIE 2026 here from RenewEd:
I will be revising my school safeguarding review to align to these updates from September 2026. If you are interested in me undertaking a comprehensive review of your safeguarding procedures and how this aligns to the updated Ofsted inspection framework, contact me. Here is the link to KCSIE 2026.
Pre-teaching vocabulary – more than a fancy word list! A perspective from Kate Jones
In a recent article, Kate Jones reminds us that pre-teaching vocabulary isn’t about handing pupils a glossary and hoping for the best. (If only learning worked like downloading an app!)
The key message? Vocabulary isn’t learned in a moment; it’s built over time. Pre-teaching should remove barriers to learning without reducing the level of challenge, particularly for pupils with SEND, EAL and, in truth, every learner.
Her practical advice is refreshingly simple:
- Be selective – prioritise the Tier 2 and Tier 3 words that really matter.
- Go beyond definitions – pupils need examples, context and opportunities to apply new vocabulary, not just memorise dictionary entries.
- Practise pronunciation – if pupils can’t confidently say a word, they’re far less likely to use it.
- Revisit relentlessly – vocabulary needs retrieval, discussion and repeated application if it’s going to stick.
The article is a timely reminder that teaching vocabulary isn’t an event, it’s a process. A single definition at the start of the lesson is a bit like going to the gym once in January and expecting six-pack abs by July (Oh I so wish that was possible)!
For school leaders, it’s worth asking:
Is vocabulary development a feature of individual lessons, or is it a coherent strategy woven through curriculum design, teaching and assessment?
When we deliberately build pupils’ vocabulary, we’re not just teaching words; we’re expanding understanding, confidence and access to the curriculum.
The impact of professional development
I have the privilege of lecturing on the NPQ courses. In the teacher development course, we encourage our participants to think about how they define and measure the impact of their professional development? Too often we provide training in our schools and send our staff off into teacherland,, then forget to check in on the impact on them, their students and achievement.
Kate Hall recently posted a super article on this where she posed the question of impact on our professional development.
She states that we need to ask ourselves, “What has changed because of it?”
Using Rosenshein’s Principles, the school evaluates the impact of their professional development, focusing on whether new learning has been transferred into long-term memory and, most importantly, into day-to-day practice.
Sustained changes are considered in three key areas:
Classroom Practice
* Clear explanations and modelling
* Effective guided practice
* Checks for understanding
* Feedback that moves learning forward
* Retrieval practice
* Scaffolding through small steps
Leadership Effectiveness
* Clear expectations
* Coaching and developmental feedback
* Consistent implementation
* Ongoing monitoring and evaluation
* A culture of continuous improvement
Pupil Outcomes
* Stronger knowledge retention
* Greater independence
* Better progress over time
* Closing attainment gaps
Professional development is therefore seen not as event, but rather a process of introducing new knowledge, strengthening it through deliberate practice and retrieval, embedding it into long-term memory, and evaluating whether it changes what happens every day in classrooms.
The real measure of professional learning is not what staff know immediately after a training session. It’s what they still know, still do, and the difference it makes for children months later.
Refining your Pupil Premium – context is key
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) provide helpful guidance to school leaders on the formulation and enactment of the Pupil Premium strategy. As inclusion has come under deep scrutiny in the current Ofsted framework, a cursory glance at our pupil Premium strategy will not cut the mustard of inspection scrutiny. The key message regarding your Pupil Premium strategy is:
Stop thinking spending. Start thinking strategy.
The latest guidance from the Department for Education and the Education Endowment Foundation is clear: Pupil Premium isn’t a budget to allocate; it’s a strategy to transform outcomes. The question isn’t “How are we spending the money?” but “How are we closing the disadvantage gap?”
The EEF’s message can be distilled into five key principles:
- Diagnose before you prescribe. Understand the specific barriers facing your disadvantaged pupils using robust evidence, not assumptions.
- Prioritise great teaching. The biggest return on investment comes from developing consistently high-quality teaching for every pupil, every day.
- Target support intelligently. Use interventions where they add value—not as a substitute for excellent classroom practice.
- Remove wider barriers. Attendance, behaviour, wellbeing and family engagement all influence achievement and should form part of your strategy.
- Implement, monitor and refine. The best strategies are living documents, continuously evaluated and adapted rather than filed away until the next funding cycle.
A useful reminder: Pupil Premium isn’t about buying more things; it’s about doing the right things better. Buying another intervention because it comes in a glossy box is a bit like buying expensive running shoes and expecting them to complete the marathon for you!
For trust and school leaders, the challenge is simple:
Can every member of staff explain how their daily practice contributes to improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils?
When Pupil Premium becomes everyone’s responsibility, rather than the sole domain of one leader or governor, it stops being a funding stream and becomes a powerful driver of school improvement, equity and excellence.
If you would like any coaching in the review of your strategy and the impact of this on your disadvantaged students, you know what to do.
If you would like me to work with you then do get in touch. We can have a coffee and a chat. The graphic below shares some of the ways that school and trust leaders have used me in the past year. As always, happy to engage in bespoke work that suits your needs.
My work is gained by word of mouth so my final humble plea is that if you have valued my work then please share this with colleagues.
Irresistible Learning 