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12 May 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

Primary art and D&T ‘missing’ from Oak’s initial 2020-21 lesson plans

Lessons in primary art, secondary relationships, sex and health education and design and technology do not feature in the Oak National Academy’s initial lesson plans for 2020-21. The online platform is due to publish plans for thousands of lessons today, but admitted it is still “missing some bits”, and that schools will have to wait until […]

SEND rules back to normal from September (but prepare for local relaxations)

The government will end nationwide relaxations over providing support for SEND pupils for September – but it will still consider easing requirements at local level. July marks the third month since the government began relaxing the duty of councils to provide support for SEND pupils during the coronavirus outbreak, to which they face a legal […]

DfE extends breakfast clubs pilot over summer – but there’s no extra money

The government’s national school breakfast programme is to be extended over the summer, but there’s no extra funding available. The Department for Education announced today that the 1,800 schools taking part in the programme will be helped to continue offering breakfasts over the summer break. Charities Family Action and Magic Breakfast, which co-ordinate the national […]

Questions over league tables, but no Ofsted until January

Schools are none-the-wiser about whether league tables will return next year as the government attempts a return to “business as usual” – but proper Ofsted inspections won’t resume until January. Although the government’s guidance on school reopening in September confirmed the suspension of league tables for the 2019-20 academic year, it did not do so […]

Heads must issue absence fines so poor don’t ‘suffer’, claims Williamson

Pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds will suffer if the government does not enforce mandatory attendance in schools, the education secretary has claimed. Responding to a question from Schools Week at the Downing Street press briefing on Thursday, Gavin Williamson said if the government did not have an expectation of “every child to be in […]

DfE confirms September back-to-school plans

Limits on attendance will be lifted from September, and schools will be expected to deliver their “full curriculum”, the government has confirmed. Routine Ofsted visits will also not resume until 2021 under plans for the full reopening of schools set out by Gavin Williamson today. The Department for Education has also provided new guidance for […]

Heads’ faith in A-levels slumps

Headteachers’ faith in AS and A-levels slumped after last year’s exam series, a new survey shows. Ofqual has published its latest perceptions survey, which is based on YouGov polling of various stakeholders, including 292 school leaders, last autumn. Although the survey shows little change in attitudes among school leaders towards GCSEs, faith in AS and […]

Revealed: The DfE’s reformed early learning goals for reception pupils from 2021

The government has confirmed changes to the early learning goals, which are used to assess pupils at the end of reception. Here are the final ELGs, as set out in the Department for Education’s response to its consultation on the changes. The reforms become statutory from September 2021.   Communication and Language 1. Listening, Attention […]