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12 May 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

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 […]

Coronavirus: Heads seek ‘urgent clarification’ over staffing and free meals costs

A headteachers’ union is demanding “urgent clarification” from government over whether schools can claim extra funding to pay term-time only staff to work over the Easter holidays. Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said guidance issued by the Department for Education on exceptional costs associated with coronavirus was “unclear” […]

Coronavirus: Too early to say when schools will reopen, says government science adviser

It is too early to say when schools will reopen, the government’s deputy chief scientific adviser has said. Professor Angela McLean (pictured) told today’s Downing Street press briefing that it would be “completely premature” for her to provide a definitive answer on whether schools would reopen to all pupils before the summer holidays. It follows […]

Coronavirus: Teacher recruitment ‘down 50 to 60 per cent’

Teacher recruitment by English secondary schools is down by between 50 and 60 per cent on last year, new research shows. Recruitment activity would normally peak between March and May, but analysis of job advertisements by SchoolDash found it fell suddenly in mid-March, following the stepping up of social distancing measures including school closures. For […]

Coronavirus: Concerns as school pupils seek supermarket jobs

Pupils who believe they have already passed their GCSEs and A-levels and have been trying to get supermarket and “gig economy” jobs before the end of the school year, a prominent school leader has warned. Martyn Oliver, chief executive of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust, said participation in online learning among year 11s and year […]