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11 May 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

‘Dithering’ ministers urged to reveal 2021 exam plans

Ministers have been told to stop “dithering” and give schools clarity on what will happen with exams next year, following the Scottish government’s decision to cancel some tests and push others back. Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, has promised exams will take place and that full plans – including whether or not they will be […]

Oak National Academy lessons will ‘never be sold’

The Oak National Academy has pledged it will “never sell its lessons” after the government confirmed that its charity owners will retain the intellectual property, despite large public investment in the platform. Launched in April using content voluntarily contributed by teachers and schools, Oak quickly became a household name during the national lockdown, delivering millions […]

Williamson ally Nick Timothy handed DfE board role without competition

The education secretary has been accused of “trying to subvert process to help his political mates” after appointing an ally to a key government role without following usual procedures. Nick Timothy, Theresa May’s former chief of staff, was also made a non-executive director at the Department for Education before officials had received a declaration of […]

Schools take £900m Covid hit, but few get cash help

New figures show that the cost of Covid safety measures for schools across England has soared to almost £400 million. And in a “double whammy” on school budgets, missed income opportunities following the pandemic have now surpassed £500 million. Schools need the government to make good these unanticipated but necessary costs in order to protect […]

DfE broke pupil data protection laws, damning ICO audit reveals

The Department for Education broke data protection laws in the way it handles pupil data, the information watchdog has ruled, following an investigation that revealed widespread failures. The Information Commissioner’s Office has concluded that the DfE failed to meet several articles of the general data protection regulations (GDPR), which govern the management and use of […]

More schools partially closed, but attendance rises

The proportion of schools fully open to all pupils has fallen again, Department for Education analysis shows, but more pupils are attending school. According to new attendance data published today, 92 per cent of state schools were fully open as of last Thursday, down from 93 per cent the previous week. It means 8 per […]

Government to ‘explore’ one-to-one teaching for ‘exceptional’ pupils

The prime minister has said he wants to “take further” the idea of one-to-one teaching, both for pupils in need of catch-up support and those of “exceptional ability”. During his speech to the Conservatives’ virtual conference, Boris Johnson said he wanted to “explore the value of one-to-one teaching”, adding that believed such intensive teaching could […]

Academy orders can be revoked if schools improve to ‘good’, DfE confirms

Failing maintained schools that become ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ before converting into academies can have their academy orders revoked, the Department for Education has officially confirmed. The DfE has today updated its statutory guidance on “schools causing concern” with more detail on the scenarios in which academy orders can be revoked. This appears to be the […]

How schools became the battleground of Cummings’s culture war

Schools have been hurled into the centre of a “culture war” by the publication of unexpected guidance thought to have originated in Downing Street that targets divisive educational issues. This has all the hallmarks of having been thrown in by No 10 in the expectation that there will be a massive row Documents supposedly meant […]