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21 April 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

Coronavirus: Schools will get ‘proper notice’ before they reopen, says Williamson

Schools will get “proper notice” before they reopen so they are “able to prepare” for the return of pupils, the education secretary has said. Gavin Williamson, leading Downing Street’s daily coronavirus press briefing today, insisted that ministers would not think about reopening schools to all pupils until the government’s five tests for beating the pandemic […]

Coronavirus: DfE to provide free laptops for disadvantaged year 10s

The government will provide free laptops and tablets for disadvantaged year 10s and other vulnerable pupils to help them learn at home during the coronavirus lockdown. From Wednesday, schools will be able to submit business cases via a Department for Education online portal for devices for individual eligible pupils. The aim is to prevent those […]

Coronavirus: Thousands of pupils with ‘no recourse to public funds’ to get free school meals

Children usually denied free school meals because of their parents’ immigration status have been granted temporary eligibility during the coronavirus outbreak. This is a welcome, albeit temporary, roll-back from another of the government’s hostile environment policies Legal experts estimate that thousands more children will now be able to receive free meals or vouchers following a […]

DfE appoints Nick Timothy as non-executive director

Nick Timothy, a former New Schools Network director who served as chief of staff to prime minister Theresa May, has been appointed as a non-executive director of the Department for Education. Announcing the appointment, a DfE spokesperson said Timothy would bring “a range of experience that will support our work as we continue to develop […]

Margaret Greenwood appointed shadow schools minister

Former secondary school English teacher Margaret Greenwood has been appointed as shadow schools minister in Sir Keir Starmer’s first frontbench reshuffle. The MP for Wirral West, who served as shadow work and pensions secretary under Jeremy Corbyn, replaces Mike Kane, who has moved to become a shadow transport minister. It follows the appointment on Monday […]

Patrick Roach takes over at NASUWT with a plea to ministers

Government must intervene to stop “unacceptable management practices” in schools that are damaging teacher wellbeing during the coronavirus pandemic, the new leader of the NASUWT union has said. Dr Patrick Roach took charge today of the 300,000-member union after a decade as its deputy general secretary, and immediately demanded action from the government, which he […]

Coronavirus: Put academy conversions on hold, says councils’ body

Academy conversions should be put on hold so that councils can focus on supporting schools to stay open, according to the body representing local authorities. The Local Government Association believes council time spent on dealing with conversions of maintained schools into academies is “undermining council efforts to coordinate sufficient school places for vulnerable children and […]

Coronavirus: Reopen schools before summer if possible, say leadership unions

Unions representing school leaders across England are lobbying the government to reopen schools for a “limited period” before the summer holidays if scientific advice says it is safe to do so. Once the scientific advice is that schools can return safely, they should do so, even if it’s for a very limited period before the […]