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11 May 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

Rapid Covid tests a ‘game-changer’ for schools

Headteachers piloting rapid Covid-19 antigen tests under the government’s Operation Moonshot have described them as a “game-changer” to keep pupils in the classroom and help squash outbreaks. Sedgehill Academy in south east London, Poole Grammar School and South Wiltshire Grammar School in Salisbury have now done two rounds of testing using lateral flow tests, which […]

DfE warning over early GCSE entries as research shows some pupils do worse

Early entry to GCSEs “does not always benefit pupils”, the Department for Education has warned, as new research showed pupils in some subjects do worse if they take them in year 10. A new “ad hoc” research paper published by the DfE today shows that pupils who take English literature and religious studies a year […]

Restricting exams to core subjects ‘under consideration’, suggests Spielman

Ofqual is considering whether to only have exams in core subjects next year, with centre-assessment grades used for the remainder, Amanda Spielman has suggested. The Ofsted chief inspector, who is chairing Ofqual’s new “recovery committee” formed to oversee the fallout from this year’s exams fiasco, said holding exams only in core subjects was “the kind […]

Private suppliers tout ‘rapid’ Covid tests to schools for £450 a box

Headteachers are being urged to check the legality of Covid tests from private suppliers after new “rapid” antigen tests started being offered on the open market, with one school quoted £450 for a box of 20. The Department of Health and Social Care said all tests bought from private companies must have a CE mark […]

Settling Durand dispute could hit ‘services for vulnerable children’

A London council has told of the “keenly felt human cost” of having to meet a seven-figure compensation demand over a school site row, saying services for “vulnerable children and adults” will take the hit. Lambeth could be forced to pay out millions for leisure and accommodation facilities on the site of the former Durand […]

SEND pupils told schools ‘can’t accommodate them’, claims Spielman

Schools have been telling parents they can’t accommodate pupils with special educational needs and disabilities during the coronavirus pandemic, Amanda Spielman has claimed. The chief inspector of schools told the National Children and Adult Services Conference this morning that children had been “left without access to therapy and education for months”. They’ve been told that […]

GCSEs 2021: Teachers CAN use one-off tests for MFL speaking

Teachers will not be prevented from using “one-off assessment opportunities” to test pupils spoken language in GCSE modern foreign language subjects next year, Ofqual has said. The exams regulator has published its decisions following a consultations on changes to the way MFL GCSEs are to be assessed next year. It is part of a suite […]

Face coverings mandatory in communal areas of all secondary schools

The wearing of face coverings will become mandatory in communal areas of all secondary schools from Monday. Following the announcement of the government’s decision to hold another month-long lockdown from this Thursday, the Department for Education has published updated guidance for schools. Until now, face coverings in communal areas have only been mandatory in some […]