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21 April 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

Staff safety questions remain as PM urges parents to send children back to school

Schools must have “very clear Covid-secure measures” for all staff, England’s largest education union has warned, as the prime minister appealed directly to parents to send their children back to school next month. The National Education Union has also called on the government to employ more teachers and secure extra teaching spaces “to allow education […]

PHE school Covid outbreaks analysis: 8 things we learned

There were 30 outbreaks of Covid-19 in schools and other educational settings in June 2020, a new study by Public Health England has found. The research, published yesterday, is based on “enhanced national surveillance” amid the wider reopening of schools from June 1. However, PHE has warned there are “important limitations” to its findings, given […]

Ofsted director seconded to help government plan for reopening of schools

A senior Ofsted director has been seconded to a government team planning for the return of pupils to schools. Sean Harford, the watchdog’s national director of education, moved temporarily to the Cabinet Office this week to work on the government’s response to the pandemic. He will be there until the end of the year. Schools […]

Government will pay exam appeal fees, says Williamson

The government will cover fees for failed appeals against exam grades following a huge backlash over A-level results. The Department for Education, in a press release published today, said that state-funded schools and colleges will be able to claim back unsuccessful appeals at the same time as claiming back fees for autumn exams. Successful appeals […]

Legal action threat over A-level results fiasco

The government may face legal action on behalf of pupils affected by this year’s A-levels debacle. At least two legal challenges are in the early stages of being mounted, following upset across England in response to grades issued yesterday. It comes after the Equalities and Human Rights Commission warned it may intervene following a day […]

A-level results 2020: Psychology

Here are the trends in psychology A-level for 2020. The proportion of A*, A, B and C grades issued all rose, but only slightly. There were small decreases in the proportion of Ds, Es and Us.  

A-level results 2020: Sociology

Here are the trends in sociology A-level for 2020. The proportion of A*s issued in this subject actually fell by 0.1 percentage points, but there were slight rises in A and B grades.

A-level results 2020: Maths

Here are the trends in maths A-level for 2020. The data shows only slight increases in the proportion of A* and A-grades, with a small decrease in B grades and a small increase in C grades.