Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

Covid-19: Ofsted rebukes school that did not contact pupils ‘frequently enough’

Ofsted has accused one of the largest special schools in the country of failing to contact its pupils often enough during partial closures – leaving children “at risk of harm”. The watchdog said safeguarding arrangements at Severndale Specialist Academy in Shrewsbury were “not effective” after an emergency inspection in July. The “no formal designation” inspection […]

1 in 10 pupils has not returned to school, Boris Johnson admits

More than 1 in 10 pupils have not returned to school yet, the prime minister has revealed. Boris Johnson told today’s Downing Street press briefing that “something like 89 per cent of pupils are back in school”, indicating that around 11 per cent are not. Most schools across England have now fully reopened to schools, […]

Widen eligibility criteria for NLGs and pay them, says government advisory group

The government should widen the eligibility criteria for national leaders of governance to include clerks and other non-chairs, and should pay them for their time, an advisory group has said. The Department for Education has today published the recommendations of its NLG advisory group, which was formed earlier this year to discuss reforms to the […]

DfE seeks retired educational psychologists to support returning pupils

The government wants retired educational psychologists to return to work to help support children returning to school. The Department for Education is inviting former educational psychologists who “may be interested in temporarily returning to the profession”, and those still practicing who have additional capacity for temporary support to express interest. It follows warnings from psychologists […]

Schools given days to confirm autumn A-level resit venues

Schools requiring alternative venues for autumn A-level resits have less than two weeks to secure them and inform exam boards, the government has confirmed. In updated guidance issued this week, the Department for Education told schools and colleges to notify the Joint Council for Qualification’s centre inspection service by September 18 if they intend to […]

Williamson claims reopening is ‘very much’ under control despite spate of Covid closures

Gavin Williamson has claimed the reopening of schools is under control, despite a spate of closures prompted by Covid-19 cases. The education secretary told MPs today he was “very” confident that the situation was under control, and insisted schools that follow government guidance will “create an inherently safer environment for all to operate”. It follows […]

Autumn phonics check 2020: What schools need to know

The government has confirmed details of this year’s autumn phonics screening check, following the cancellation of the test in June. The Standards and Testing Agency announced in July that schools would be asked to administer a previous version of the check in the autumn term to year 2 pupils, who would normally have sat the […]

Pupils three months behind as new term starts, study claims

Pupils are on average three months behind on their learning as a result of partial school closures, with deprived pupils and those from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds more likely to be affected, a new study has warned. Rather than being a quick-fix, school catch-up schemes will need to be sustained if they are […]

New local lockdowns guidance: What schools need to know

Ministers have finally published guidance for schools on how to plan for potential local lockdowns, just days before many schools welcome their pupils back. The guidance sets out what schools must do in response to different “tiers” of local lockdown. Here’s what schools need to know. 1. There are four ‘tiers’ of action Tier […]