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11 May 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

DfE finally reveals Christmas contact-tracing rules

Schools will be asked to remain “on call” for the first six days of the Christmas holidays to help with contact tracing, but it will be up to them to decide the hours they’ll be contactable. The Department for Education has confirmed arrangements for the end of term after schools minister Nick Gibb said today […]

Schools can take inset day on Dec 18 so contact tracing stops by Christmas Eve

Schools will be allowed to designate December 18 as an inset day to enable staff involved in track and trace to have a “proper break” from Christmas Eve, the schools minister has said. Nick Gibb told the Parliamentary education committee this morning that the Department for Education wanted there to be a “clear six days” […]

TIMSS 2019: Year 9 science performance drops, but England still doing well overall

The performance of year 9 pupils in science has “dropped considerably”, an international study has found. According to the latest trends in international mathematics and science study, performance in year 9 science dropped to a score “significantly lower” than in any iteration of the study going back to 1995. The reasons for this change are […]

Susan Acland-Hood made permanent boss at DfE

The Department for Education’s current acting boss will step up to the role on a permanent basis, it has been announced. Susan Acland-Hood will become the DfE’s full permanent secretary with immediate effect, having covered the role since September. Acland-Hood took over from Jonathan Slater, who stepped down on September 1 amid the fallout of […]

Ofsted to resume ITE inspections from April

Full graded inspections of initial teacher education will recommence in April, Ofsted has confirmed. Like its other inspections, Ofsted’s activity in ITE was suspended earlier this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. But the inspectorate has issued a note today confirming the inspections will resume in April. It follows an announcement that full […]

Government ‘misled’ school leaders over National Tutoring Programme cash

The government has been accused of misleading school leaders, pupils and parents after finally admitting that the £350 million for the National Tutoring Programme (NTP)  is for two years, not one. An investigation by Schools Week earlier this year showed that £140 million of the promised £350 million for the NTP to run across this […]

Deprived schools will struggle to meet Covid costs, finds NFER report

One in four schools may not be able to meet Covid-related costs despite increased funding from government, and deprived schools will be among the hardest-hit, a new report has found. Analysis by the National Foundation for Educational Research found that existing inflationary pressures, such as teacher pay rises, mean the £2.6 billion increase in school […]

Schools will have to complete EYFS profile in 2021, DfE confirms

Schools will still have to complete the early years foundation stage profile for pupils turning five this academic year, the government has confirmed. The early years foundation stage profile process, which is how pupils’ development and learning is assessed in reception, did not go ahead earlier this year following the cancellation of all primary assessment. […]