Freddie Whittaker | Schools Week

AP settings to get £7m post-16 transition funding, but only for one year

Alternative provision settings will given up to £750 for each year 11 pupil to aid their transition into post-16 work or training. But there are calls for the funding, totalling £7 million to cover 11,300 pupils this year, to become an annual addition to AP budgets, amid fears that excluded pupils lose support once they […]

Williamson backs national online tutoring pilot

The government has backed a national online tutoring pilot that will see hundreds of disadvantaged pupils receive free tuition from university undergraduates, but it will reach fewer youngsters than originally hoped. Schools Week revealed last month that four education charities were in talks with ministers about plans to test whether one-on-one tutoring could help narrow […]

Coronavirus: Unions report academy trust to health and safety watchdog over ‘unsafe’ return of pupils

One of England’s largest academy trusts has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive over allegations it put employees and pupils at “serious and imminent risk” by allowing more pupils to return too early. The David Ross Education Trust (DRET) has also been accused of failing to inform staff at one of its schools […]

Coronavirus: 50% oppose back-to-school plans as trust in government slumps

The government’s plan for the wider reopening of schools from today is opposed by half of Britons, a new survey shows. It comes as headteachers estimate between 40 to 70 per cent of eligible pupils have returned to school today, while education secretary Gavin Williamson told schools there is “no reason” why they shouldn’t take […]

Speed read: DfE publishes guidance for secondary schools on June 15 reopening plan

The Department for Education has published guidance for secondary schools about the return of pupils next month. It comes after the prime minister, Boris Johnson, confirmed the government was pushing back the date it expects secondaries to start to provide face-to-face support for year 10 and 12 pupils, from June 1 to June 15. Here’s […]

Coronavirus: ‘Significant gap’ in advice for schools to protect BAME staff

A network representing black, Asian and minority ethnic education staff has published its own guidance to help schools prepare for the impact of coronavirus on ethnic minority groups. BAMEed said it had identified a “significant gap” in guidance provided by the government and other bodies in terms of advice on how schools should act to […]

Coronavirus: Reopening on June 1 ‘may not be possible for all schools’ admits Johnson

Reopening schools to pupils in reception, year 1 and year 6 “may not be possible for all schools”, Boris Johnson has admitted. The prime minister also announced that the government does not expect secondary schools to start providing face-to-face support for year 10 and 12 pupils until June 15, two weeks later than ministers initially […]

Coronavirus: 8 things we learned from SAGE’s advice to ministers on schools

The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has finally published the advice it provided to ministers over plans to reopen schools. Here are eight things we learned from reading them. 1. We’re still in the dark about the impact on children The dossier of evidence includes a report on the role of children […]

Coronavirus: Scientists told ministers a rota system could help curb transmission in schools

The government told schools not to use rota systems for the return of pupils despite scientific advice that it was “likely to be the most effective strategy” for bringing them back, official documents show. Advice to the government, published today by the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), shows that advisers reported on April […]