Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

National Food Strategy: The recommendations for schools

A government-commissioned report has recommended a raft of measures for schools to improve pupil nutrition and food education. The national food strategy, commissioned in 2019 and led by school food plan co-author Henry Dimbleby, has published its second report today. In it, the strategy recommends schools be “required” to work with accreditation schemes on the […]

Great professional development for all teachers? It’s more affordable than you think

How much would it cost to give teachers a formal entitlement to continuing professional development? Not as much as you might think, writes James Zuccollo. Professional development for teachers is a surprisingly controversial topic. It is widely believed by policy wonks and researchers to have enormous potential, yet many teachers consider it a distraction. How […]

Exam boards ask schools for staff contacts available ‘throughout the summer’

Exam boards have asked schools to identify staff who will be available “throughout the summer”, fuelling fears leaders won’t get a proper break during the holiday. If the exams officer…will not be available throughout the summer, we’d be grateful if you could provide details for additional contacts In a recent email to schools, OCR, which […]

Level 3 qualifications review: Reprieve for some BTECs

BTECs will survive the government’s bonfire of level 3 qualifications if they can demonstrate there is a “real need” for them, it has been announced. The Department for Education has today confirmed a new streamlined system for students finishing their GCSEs will be phased in between 2023 and 2025. This will involve stripping public funding […]

REAch2 Academy Trust boss Sir Steve Lancashire to stand down in 2022

Sir Steve Lancashire, the founder and chief executive of the REAch2 Academy Trust, is to step down next year. The trust’s board announced today that Lancashire, who has run the 60-school chain since its foundation in 2012, will step down as CEO from September next year. REAch2 is the largest primary academy trust in the […]

More than 1 in 10 pupils absent as isolation rises again

More than one in ten pupils were absent from school last week because of Covid, after the number of pupils self-isolating rose again. According to the Department for Education’s attendance survey data, around 839,100 children, or 11.2 per cent of the total pupil population, were absent from state schools for Covid-related reasons on July 8. […]

Exams 2022: What you need to know about plans for GCSEs and A-levels

The government has published its long-awaiting consultation on changes to GCSE and A-level exams in 2022. Many of the proposals put forward are similar to those proposed for exams in 2021 before they were cancelled. Here’s what you need to know. 1. Choice of topics for some GCSEs As was proposed for 2021 exams […]

DfE and Ofqual launch exams 2022 consultation

The government has set out draft plans for GCSEs and A-level exams next year, including a choice of topics for some GCSE subjects and advance information about the focus of exams in others. But schools will have to wait until the autumn to hear the government’s final decisions on adaptations, and their decision relating to […]

Kyle: Labour won’t ‘meddle’ with successful schools

A Labour government will not “meddle” in successful schools or launch a “revolution” in school improvement mechanisms, says the new shadow schools minister. But the schools community faces a long wait to see a “fully formed” set of education policies from the party. We want a virtuous circle, and where that exists, we will not […]