Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

STA plans autumn phonics check for year 2s who missed June test

Schools will be asked to administer a phonics screening check for year 2 pupils in the autumn, after the June test was missed because of coronavirus. The Standards and Testing Agency announced in its most recent update for schools that it is proposing an autumn check to avoid all year 2 pupils having to take […]

Nine things we learned from Ofsted’s 2019-20 annual report and accounts

The education watchdog Ofsted has published its corporate annual report and accounts, which give an update on the inspectorate’s performance as an organisation. The document is not to be confused with its official annual report, which is a report to parliament on its inspection activity, and is normally released in the winter. Here are nine […]

Proportion of schools open more widely falls as end of term nears

The proportion of schools open more widely to pupils in selected year groups has begun to fall as the end of term nears. New attendance data published by the Department for Education estimates that around 91 per cent of schools and colleges were open in some capacity on July 9, down from 93 per cent […]

Almost all pupils were set work during partial closures, but half of year 11s and 13s missed out

Almost all pupils were given some remote learning tasks by their teachers during partial school closures, but year 11 and 13 pupils were far less likely to receive work to do at home, according to new research. Analysis of a survey of 40,000 UK households by the National Foundation for Educational Research found 90 per […]

Councils scramble for places as school-building falls behind

Covid-19 has left pressured councils scrambling to complete building projects on time, a Schools Week investigation has found. The pandemic halted construction in most sectors, leaving some councils resorting to contingency plans and others with projects going to the wire. Analysis by Schools Week of local authority school place scorecard data, published by the Department […]

MATs to take charge in ‘left-behind’ areas

The government will shift its focus to expanding “good” multi-academy trusts over the next 12 months to raise standards in left-behind areas. The Department for Education has advertised for two senior officers, one to lead its multi-academy trust capacity and school improvement unit, the second to head its mainstream free schools policy unit. MATs are […]

DfE spends £££s spinning Covid response

The government has spent tens of thousands of pounds in an attempt to present its response to the impact of coronavirus on education in a positive light. The Department for Education diverted an external PR agency promoting teaching vacancies to highlight its efforts to boost remote learning. It reallocated about 10 per cent of a […]

Dame Christine Ryan appointed chair of Ofsted

The former chief inspector of the Independent Schools Inspectorate has been appointed as chair of Ofsted. Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, announced today that Dame Christine Ryan will replace Professor Julius Weinberg in the role from August 1. Ryan was chief inspector and chief executive of the ISI, which is responsible for inspecting over 1,000 […]

Autumn 2020 exam dates confirmed

Dates for the autumn exam series have been confirmed by the Joint Council for Qualifications. The organisation, which represents exam boards AQA, OCR, Edexcel and WJEC, said today that AS and A-level exams will take place between October 5 and October 23, and GCSEs will go ahead between November 2 and November 23. The autumn […]