Freddie Whittaker

  • DfE introduces intelligence gathering to monitor exclusions 'in real time'

    The government is switching to monitoring changes in the use of exclusions and other disciplinary measures “in real time”, a minister has said, amid concerns of an exclusions “spike”. Children’s minister Vicky Ford said the Department for Education was “introducing intelligence gathering and monitoring processes” to gather information on the use of exclusions as schools…

    0.01 Sep. 29th, 2020 | News

  • 'Cancel culture', gender stereotypes and 'extreme political stances': What new DfE guidance says about RSE

    New guidance on the teaching of relationships and sex education has been published by the Department for Education. The advice is meant to compliment statutory guidance on the subjects published by the government in July. Schools are supposed to start teaching the subjects this year, but were told they didn’t need to start in September…

    11.18 Sep. 28th, 2020 | News

  • RSCs will ignore trusts' 2020 results data and 'pseudo Progress 8' scores

    Regional schools commissioners will ignore academy trusts’ own data on their 2020 results and “pseudo Progress 8” scores provided by third parties when making decisions this year. RSCs oversee the academies sector, and are responsible for deciding if schools need to move between trusts. They are also involved in decisions on new free schools and…

    11.08 Sep. 28th, 2020 | News

  • Shadow education secretary apologises after calling Covid-19 a ‘good crisis’

    Shadow education secretary Kate Green has apologised after calling the Covid-19 pandemic a “good crisis” which Labour should not let “go to waste”. Green’s remarks, made at the Labour Party’s virtual party conference, ‘Connected’, last week, sparked a furious backlash and were used by Boris Johnson at prime minister’s questions to attack party leader Sir…

    9.01 Sep. 28th, 2020 | News

  • Ministers ‘knew all along’ free school meal vouchers would cover Easter

    Ministers have been accused of knowing “all along” they would extend the national voucher scheme into the Easter holidays. But Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, did not announce the decision to continue providing the vouchers to families eligible for free school meals until April 4, the day after most schools broke up for the…

    15.00 Sep. 25th, 2020 | News

  • Spielman: Not 'realistic' to expect schools to provide 'full' online teaching

    It is not “sensible or realistic” to expect schools to provide a “full on-screen taught programme” for all absent pupils, Amanda Spielman has said. The chief inspector of schools told academy trust leaders this morning that interim visits due to start next week will look at how schools are “responding intelligently and doing what is…

    14.11 Sep. 24th, 2020 | News

  • Partial closures 'will continue until we have a vaccine', says national schools commissioner

    Schools having to fully and partially close and then reopen will “become a way of life” until a coronavirus vaccine is found, the national schools commissioner has said. Opening, reopening, closing, partially closing will continue until we have a vaccine, become a way of life Dominic Herrington issued the warning during an online conference for academy…

    12.48 Sep. 24th, 2020 | News

  • Pay scales for teachers and leaders in England from September 2020

    The new teacher and school leadership pay rates for 2020-21 have been confirmed by the Department for Education. In July, the DfE announced salaries for new teachers would rise by 5.5 per cent this year year, with the upper and lower boundaries of the pay ranges for all other teachers to rise by 2.75 per…

    17.29 Sep. 23rd, 2020 | News

  • Letter used by PM as evidence of school 'safety' warned of need for 'prompt availability of testing'

    A statement by the UK’s chief medical officers referenced by Boris Johnson as evidence that schools are safe warned that the “prompt availability of testing” was “key” to the safe return of pupils to schools. The prime minister told MPs on Wednesday that advice from government medical officers showed there was “an exceptionally small risk…

    15.40 Sep. 23rd, 2020 | News

  • Government doing 'level best' to get school pupils tested, claims Johnson

    The prime minister dodged questions about a lack of Covid testing available for school pupils in the House of Commons, claiming the government is doing its “level best” to test every child with symptoms. Boris Johnson was grilled on problems with access to testing for school pupils by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Statistics released…

    13.16 Sep. 23rd, 2020 | News

  • Schools to stay open as Johnson announces tougher lockdown restrictions

    Schools, colleges and universities “will stay open”, despite a ramping up of lockdown restrictions in England, Boris Johnson has said. Announcing a plethora of tougher measures including an enforced 10pm closing time for pubs and a plea for workers to once again work from home if they can, Johnson said the country had reached a…

    12.54 Sep. 22nd, 2020 | News