Skip to content
11 May 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

Planned changes to teacher misconduct guidance: What you need to know

Stalking, upskirting, revenge porn and controlling or coercive behaviour are to be added to a list of offences for which teachers can be banned from the profession, under proposed changes to teacher misconduct guidance set out by the Department for Education. The government has published a consultation on proposed changes to its guidance on teacher […]

Reduce teachers’ timetabled hours in most disadvantaged schools, says Teach First

The government should fund a £30 million-a-year pilot to reduce teachers’ timetabled hours in some of the most disadvantaged schools, Teach First has said, after more than half of teachers backed the idea. The recommendation is one of several in a manifesto published by the charity, which also wants to see overall school funding increased […]

Johnson defends ‘heroic’ Williamson as reshuffle rumours swirl

Boris Johnson has defended Gavin Williamson for doing a “heroic job” in “difficult circumstances”, amid rumours he could be replaced as education secretary. The prime minister gave his public backing to Williamson, who is one of several cabinet ministers tipped for demotion or the sack in the rumoured upcoming reshuffle. The education secretary has faced […]

DfE raids own coffers for a tenth of £3.1bn catch-up cash

More than a tenth of the government’s £3.1 billion education catch-up funding is coming from existing Department for Education budgets, ministers have admitted. Education secretary Gavin Williamson has provided a full breakdown of how much money will be spent across various education recovery pledges over the coming years, after MPs demanded answers in June. In […]

Teacher training needs reform, but the government’s review isn’t nearly ambitious enough

The government’s initial teacher training review has the potential to improve some aspects of provision, but could prove to be a missed opportunity, warns Jonathan Mountstevens. Experience tells me that initial teacher training needs reform. As a secondary senior leader, I have seen plenty of newly qualified teachers who have imbibed discredited ideas about learning […]

Secondary school admission appeals fall for first time in six years

The number of secondary school admission appeals heard in England has fallen for the first time in at least six years, new figures show. Parents whose children are refused a place at a school they applied for have the right to appeal against the decision. These appeals are heard by independent panels. Data published by the […]

National insurance rise: Government to ‘compensate’ public sector employers

The government plans to “compensate” schools and other public sector employers for national insurance contribution increases under new health and social care reforms. Prime minister Boris Johnson today set out plans to increase national insurance contributions by both employees and employers by 1.25 percentage points from next April. The so-called “health and social care levy”, […]