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20 April 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

Green: Extended school day could be used to teach more ‘life skills’

An extended school day could be used to fit more “life skills” into the curriculum, the shadow education secretary has suggested. Kate Green told the Festival of Education this morning that “proper time” was needed in the curriculum for skills like managing money, understanding our political system and cooking. Green announced earlier this year that […]

Independence questions as Williamson ally put forward for Ofqual job

Gavin Williamson has put forward his own policy adviser to be the next chief regulator of Ofqual, prompting warnings over the body’s supposed independence. The Department for Education announced last week that Dr Jo Saxton, who founded and ran the Turner Schools academy trust before moving to her current job, was the education secretary’s preferred […]

Don’t cancel sports days on our account, DfE tells schools

School sports days can still go ahead with parents in attendance, the Department for Education has insisted, following reports that some settings have called off the events. The DfE said today it was aware of cancellations citing Covid guidance, but said this “needn’t be the case in most circumstances”. School leaders were advised earlier this […]

Bumper year as 102 winners scoop silver Pearson Teaching Awards for 2021

Inspirational teachers, leaders, support staff and schools from across the country have been honoured today for their outstanding commitment to changing the lives of their students. A total of 102 winners have scooped silver awards in the annual Pearson National Teaching Awards. The names have been announced to coincide with national Thank a Teacher day. […]

Williamson dodges calls to publish winter Covid schools plan

Gavin Williamson has confirmed he has a plan for responding to a potential winter wave of Covid or a flu outbreak, but dodged calls to publish it in advance. I’m desperately hoping never to have to touch it The education secretary also insisted the government’s understanding of how to run schools safely while providing “high-quality” […]

Attendance: School Covid contact absences quadruple in a week

The number of pupils absent because of a potential contact with Covid-19 in school has quadrupled in just one week, new government attendance data shows. Attendance survey data published by the Department for Education shows 171,600 pupils missed school on June 17 because of potential contact with the virus in school, up from 40,200 on […]

Williamson wants to rush through university admissions reform ‘without legislation’

The government wants to rush through its plans for a post-qualifications admissions (PQA) system for universities “without legislation”, the education secretary has said. Gavin Williamson told the House of Commons today that “we really want to bring PQA forward as rapidly as possible”, and said he would like to do it “without legislation and in […]

Covid ‘outbreak management plans’: What DfE wants schools to do

The Department for Education has published an updated Covid-19 contingency framework for schools, setting out what measures may be needed in response to local outbreaks. Here’s what you need to know.   1. Have an ‘outbreak management plan’ (and DfE hands power back to councils) The guidance states schools should have “outbreak management plans”, outlining […]