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12 May 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

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 […]

‘There’s still challenges’ – Williamson grilled over FSM voucher scheme

The government still faces “some challenges” over its national free school meals voucher system, the education secretary has admitted, despite the scheme now entering its fourth week of operation. Gavin Williamson appeared in front of the Parliamentary education committee today. Here’s what we learned.   1. ‘Big challenges’ of FSM voucher scheme MPs grilled Williamson […]

Coronavirus: Majority of free laptops won’t be delivered until June

The first batch of free laptops and tablets for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils won’t arrive until the end of May – with the majority being delivered in June. Education secretary Gavin Williamson told the Parliamentary education committee this morning that the Department for Education would write to councils and academy trusts this week to give […]

Coronavirus: Social distancing in schools ‘very difficult’, says government medical adviser

Social distancing of young pupils in schools “would be very difficult”, the government’s deputy chief medical officer has said. Professor Jonathan Van-Tam told today’s Downing Street press briefing that discussions about schools reopening formed part of “detailed daily deliberating and study” about how, and crucially when the government might relax social distancing measures across the […]

Coronavirus: Williamson expects ‘phased’ return to schools

The education secretary has said he expects schools to reopen “in a phased manner”. Giving evidence to the Parliamentary education committee this morning, Gavin Williamson said the government was giving “a lot of consideration” to how the return of pupils to schools will be managed. Schools have been closed to all but the most vulnerable […]

Coronavirus: Oak National Academy delivers 2m lessons in first week

The government-backed Oak National Academy delivered two million lessons in its first week of operation. Schools Week revealed earlier this month that more than 40 teachers across England had recorded lessons to be shared free via a new curriculum hub to help pupils with home learning. The project launched last Monday with government backing and […]