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11 May 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

Secondary schools can start testing pupils on-site before March 8, DfE confirms

Secondary schools and colleges will be allowed to start testing pupils on-site before March 8, the Department for Education has confirmed. Increasing numbers of leaders have been calling for clarity on the matter since the announcement earlier this week that secondary school pupils will be tested four times – the first three on-site – when […]

School funding chiefs at education committee: 9 things we learned

Government school funding bosses were quizzed by MPs this morning about catch-up funding, the pupil premium and school spending. The Parliamentary education committee held a hearing with Department for Education director of strategic finance Tony Foot, director for qualifications, curriculum and extra-curricular Graham Archer and Education and Skills Funding Agency director of academies and maintained […]

March 8 school reopening guidance: 13 things we learned

The government has confirmed its school reopening plans, with all settings expected to reopen on March 8. Secondary schools will be given flexibility on how they manage testing in the first week back. The need for face coverings will also be extended to secondary school classrooms. Prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed the plans in Parliament […]

PM sets out March 8 school reopening plans

Boris Johnson has set out the government’s school reopening plans, confirming that all schools will reopen to all pupils on March 8. The prime minister said that “two weeks from today, pupils and students in all schools and further education settings can safely return to face-to-face teaching, supported by twice weekly testing of secondary schools […]

Secondary schools expected to test returning pupils three times on site

Secondary schools will be expected to test returning pupils on site three times when they reopen, the government has said. Ahead of Boris Johnson’s announcement on school reopening this afternoon, the Department for Education has confirmed arrangements for asymptomatic testing of pupils and staff. All schools are expected to reopen to all pupils on March […]

Government to research ‘harms’ caused by Covid-19 to pupils and staff

The Department for Education is to commission research into how Covid-19 has impacted pupils and staff. The “rapid” data and literature review will consider “harms” to mental and physical health, domestic violence and loss of learning. Working on behalf of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), the DfE project is worth up to £85,000 […]

Health minister: ‘All schools’ to reopen on March 8

All schools will reopen to all pupils on March 8, a health minister has said, as Boris Johnson prepares to set out his “roadmap” out of the current lockdown. The prime minister is due to address the House of Commons this afternoon with further details of the government’s plan, with reports that he is planning […]