Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

Gibb and Ofqual to face education committee hearing over exams

Schools minister Nick Gibb and the leadership of exams regulator Ofqual will face questions from MPs at an education committee hearing on this summer’s results and plans for 2022. The committee has announced today that Gibb will appear alongside Ofqual’s interim chief regulator Simon Lebus and interim chair Ian Bauckham. It comes as Lebus, who […]

Williamson looking at law change to put defibrillators in ‘all schools’

The government is looking at changing the law to ensure “all schools” have defibrillators, Gavin Williamson has said, following a meeting with campaigners. The education secretary told the House of Commons today it was “incredibly” moving to meet with Mark King, whose 12-year-old son Oliver died during a school swimming lesson in 2011. He said […]

GCSE results 2021: Top grades rise to 30%, while disadvantaged gap widens

Three in ten GCSE results handed out this year were top grades, with the number of pupils scoring a flush of 9 grades having quadrupled since 2019. But Ofqual found there was a “slight widening” of the “longstanding” results gap between students on free school meals and their better-off peers. Today’s increase in top grades […]

‘Permanently rebase’ exam grades to 2020 levels, says former DfE adviser

Exam grades should be “permanently rebased” to 2020 levels despite fears about “baking in” grade inflation, a report by a former government education adviser has recommended. The Institute for Government’s Covid tests: school exams in 2022 and beyond report, written by former Michael Gove aide Sam Freedman, also called for a “full review” of secondary assessment. […]

DfE set to pay majority of £10k medical school move incentives

The Department for Education is set to stump up most of the cash for a scheme which will pay would-be medicine and dentistry students £10,000 to take up an alternative place if their chosen medical school is over-subscribed. It is understood the government expects to shoulder £6,500 of the cost of each payout under a […]

A-level results 2021: Top grades rise to 44% in record-breaking year

The proportion of top A-level grades handed out this year has increased to more than 44 per cent following the cancellation of exams and switch to teacher assessed grades. The record-breaking results saw 37 per cent of all A-level students in England get three As or better – more than double the 17.9 per cent […]

Ofqual chief criticised over ’embarrassing’ claim teacher grades ‘more accurate’ than exams

The head of England’s exams regulator has been criticised over his “embarrassing” claim that teacher-assessment grades were “likely to give a much more accurate” reflection of students’ capabilities than exams. We can feel satisfied it’s likely to give a much more accurate and substantial reflection of what their students are capable of achieving One former […]

Trust rapped over CEO’s ‘wholly irregular’ £38k car payments

An academy trust breached funding rules after handing its chief executive “significant” extra benefits without board approval – including a £38,000 car allowance, despite “no evidence a car had been leased”, and a £3,000-a-year healthcare package. The Education and Skills Funding Agency published an investigation report into the Learning Link Multi Academy Trust on Friday. […]

Williamson’s ‘irrational’ refusal to revoke academy order quashed by High Court

The education secretary’s refusal to revoke an academy order for a primary school in the West Midlands has been ruled “irrational” and quashed by the High Court. Governors of Yew Tree Primary School in Sandwell brought a judicial review of a decision by education secretary Gavin Williamson to refuse to revoke the order imposed on […]