Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

Starmer: ‘Supporting and empowering’ teachers ‘central’ to Labour’s education vision

The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has told a union conference that “supporting and empowering” teachers to “deliver a world-class education” is “central” to Labour’s vision for education. However, the leader of the opposition did not expand on his party’s plans to back teachers. In a short video message to the NASUWT conference, Starmer said […]

Teachers ‘treated with contempt’ during Covid, says NASUWT leader Roach

Teachers have been “treated with contempt” by the government during the Covid-19 pandemic, the leader of NASUWT will say today, as he warns school staff must not take the fall for another exams fiasco. In his speech to the teaching union’s annual conference, general secretary Dr Patrick Roach will say that teachers have been “applauded […]

Improving teacher training ‘central’ to Covid recovery plan, says Williamson

Improving training for teachers throughout their careers will be “central” to the government’s Covid recovery plan, the education secretary has said, but he’s keeping quiet for now on how such improvements will be made. Gavin Williamson told the NASUWT teaching union conference this afternoon that the country needed “to go further, faster, to improve the […]

Pupil premium change: Labour accuses government of £133m ‘stealth cut’

The government’s pupil premium funding change is a “stealth cut to school budgets at a time when children need more support than ever”, the shadow education secretary will warn tomorrow. Kate Green will tell the annual conference of teaching union NASUWT that the decision by ministers to base pupil premium funding on free school meals […]

Williamson plans £1.1m expansion of cadet units in schools

The education secretary Gavin Williamson wants to expand cadet units in schools, allocating £1.1 million in funding to increase the number of pupils taking part. The funding will go directly to schools with existing “combined cadet force” units to employ more school staff instructors to help run them. Williamson, a former defence secretary, has been […]

Sewell report findings ‘an insult’ to those who experience racism, say education unions

The findings of the government’s Sewell commission on race and ethnic disparities are an “insult to all those in Britain who experience racism every day of their lives”, a group of education unions has said. The report from the commission, which was chaired by former teacher Dr Tony Sewell, has been heavily criticised for downplaying […]

Race and ethnic disparities report: The 9 schools recommendations

A government commission on race and ethnic disparities has called for “better targeted” funding, extended school days and endorsed calls for reforms to exclusions. The commission, chaired by Dr Tony Sewell, found Britain has become a “more open society” where children from many ethnic communities “do at least as well or substantially better than white […]

DfE names providers for new school leader NPQs

The Department for Education has named nine organisations that will be lead providers for its reformed national professional qualifications (NPQs). The Ambition Institute, Education Development Trust, Harris Federation, Teach First and UCL Institute of Education are among those picked to deliver the qualifications. Following reforms, there will be six new NPQs on offer from September […]