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21 April 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

Public accounts committee SEND inquiry report: Six things the DfE should do

The parliamentary public accounts committee has published a damning report on the support for children with special educational needs and disabilities. The report warns many pupils with SEND are not getting the support they need, and calls for swift action from government to right this injustice. Here are the committee’s six recommendations for the Department […]

Government social mobility tzar Dame Martina Milburn resigns

The chair of the government’s Social Mobility Commission has resigned after just two years in the job. Dame Martina Milburn was appointed in May 2018, but now says she needs to focus her attention on her day job as chief executive of the Prince’s Trust. She is the second chair of the commission to resign […]

83% of heads say inability to implement social distancing would prevent pupils’ return

More than four in five headteachers believe the inability to implement “appropriate” social distancing measures in schools would prevent them from opening to more pupils. A survey of members of the National Association of Head Teachers reveals 83 per cent believe the difficulties associated with social distancing in schools could stand in the way of […]

Coronavirus: ‘Very real risk’ of spike if schools open too early, say teaching unions

The leaders of England’s two largest teaching unions have come together with others from across the UK and Ireland to urge “significant caution” over plans to reopen schools. Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the National Education Union, and Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, are among […]

Coronavirus: 6 key findings from the Sutton Trust’s research on university applications

More than two in five A-level pupils believe the assessment system in place this year will adversely affect their grades, while almost half believe the Covid-19 crisis will hit their chances of getting into their first-choice university. Social mobility charity The Sutton Trust polled pupils studying for their A-levels this year, and found many were […]

Coronavirus: Government must say why it wants to reopen schools, say heads

The government must explain why it wants to reopen schools in order to build “confidence and agreement” in its plans, headteachers have said. Leadership union ASCL has published a summary of its members’ responses to questions posed by the Department for Education about the reopening of schools. The document reveals the government is considering plans […]

Coronavirus: David Ross Education Trust furloughs dozens of staff

Dozens of staff at one of England’s largest academy trusts are to be furloughed on full pay, Schools Week has learned. The David Ross Education Trust, founded by millionaire Tory donor and Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross, claims it is only furloughing staff “whose roles are funded by the external income that we rely upon to fund […]

Coronavirus: £85m free laptops scheme falls short

School leaders have lambasted the government’s free laptops scheme after some were allocated a fraction of the number they were expecting. Some academy trusts have been given an initial allocation of less than a fifth of what they need – and leaders say conflicting messages from the government have left them fending off demands from […]