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12 May 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

Coronavirus: Aldi joins national free school meal voucher scheme

The supermarket chain Aldi has joined the government’s national free school meals voucher scheme. Vicky Ford, the children’s minister, said in a written ministerial statement that the brand would be accepting the vouchers provided through the government’s supplier, Edenred. According to the firm, vouchers obtained through the scheme will be redeemable in Aldi stores from […]

Coronavirus: School attendance around 1%, finds DfE analysis

Around 1 per cent of pupils are attending school under the coronavirus lockdown, new data from the Department for Education shows. Data from 12,800 establishments found around 61 per cent remained open as of last Friday, when attendance fell to 0.9 per cent of pupils who normally attend (84,000). Analysis by the DfE shows attendance […]

Coronavirus: Struggling academies offered help from resource management advisers

Academies in financial difficulty as a result of the coronavirus pandemic may be offered help from the government’s cost-cutting advisers. In a letter to academy trust accounting officers, Education and Skills Funding Agency boss Eileen Milner said government “may be able to assist” schools in trouble by matching them with a school resource management adviser. […]

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 […]