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20 April 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

Schools closed to most pupils and ‘alternative arrangements’ for exams

Schools in England will be closed to all but the most vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers from tomorrow until February half term at the earliest, and exams won’t go ahead as normal this summer, Boris Johnson has announced. During a televised address to the nation tonight, the prime minister said the tougher […]

Johnson: Parents should ‘absolutely’ send their children to open primary schools

Parents should “absolutely” send their children in to primary schools in areas where they’re open next week, the prime minister has said. However, interviewed on the Andrew Marr show this morning, Boris Johnson repeatedly refused to say whether he would penalise local authorities that urge their schools to stay closed to most pupils in conflict […]

Back-to-school plans in chaos as unions launch legal action

The government’s back-to-school plans are in chaos after leadership unions began legal action and the country’s largest teaching union told its members they don’t have to work in unsafe environments. The government announced on Wednesday that most primary schools will reopen next week, while the start of term for secondaries was pushed back to January […]

DfE to establish new ‘Institute of Teaching’ to train up to 1,000 teachers a year

The government will establish a new Institute of Teaching to train up to 1,000 new teachers each year, with an emphasis on a knowledge-based curriculum and “high standards of pupil behaviour”. The organisation, which will get some of the £22 million allocated for improving teacher quality at the last spending review, will begin offering initial […]

SEND heroes recognised in 2021 New Year’s honours

Professionals who go above and beyond the call of duty to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities have been recognised in the 2021 New Year’s honours list. Those recognised for their services to SEND children represent around one in four of the people with links to the English schools system awarded gongs in […]

January school reopenings: Everything you need to know

The government has announced big changes to its plan for the return of pupils to schools in January. Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, said today that ministers were activating their contingency framework for schools, in response to a new strain of Coronavirus and rising case numbers. Here’s what we learned from the announcement and accompanying […]

Army ‘on standby’ to provide testing support – but most won’t be on-site

Armed forces personnel will be “on standby” to provide “in-person support” with mass testing of pupils next term, but most of the 1,500 people assigned will only provide support and phone advice. The government announced earlier this month that secondary schools will be provided with millions of rapid-response lateral flow tests next month to test […]