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22 April 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

DfE sets up Coronavirus helpline as education secretary advises schools to stay open

Ministers have launched a helpline for school staff and leaders to help manage the spread of Coronavirus. The Department for Education says the helpline, which will be open from 8am to 6pm on weekdays from now on, “complements the advice being provided by Public Health England and the regular updates we have been sending to […]

DfE edits job ad that warned applicants wouldn’t be paid for 2 months

The Department for Education has amended a job advert which warned applicants for ministerial private office roles they would have to wait up to two months for their first paycheck. An advertisement for six “interesting and rewarding roles” in DfE ministers’ offices was published last week. The roles included private secretaries to schools minister Nick […]

Ofqual warning over social media exam leaks

Headteachers should remind their pupils not to be “distracted” by claims of exam paper leaks on social media, the chief regulator of Ofqual has said. In her letter to heads ahead of the summer exam series, Sally Collier warned that “sharing exam papers or questions, real or fake, could result in disqualification” and told leaders […]

DfE eyes universal infant free school meals in cuts drive

The government’s universal infant free school meals programme is one of a number being considered for the axe in this year’s spending review, Schools Week has learned. Universal infant free school meals prioritise support based on age rather than need Multiple sources familiar with the process said the policy, which costs the government more than […]

A third of EAL pupils ‘fluent’ in English, new analysis shows

More than a third of school pupils whose first language isn’t English are fluent in the language, new government analysis shows. The Department for Education has published analysis of data from its shortlived collection on the language proficiency of pupils with English as an additional language (EAL), which ran as part of the school census […]

Couple convicted of operating illegal setting banned from running schools

A couple who were the first people convicted of running an illegal education setting have been banned from running schools. Maryam Bernhardt and Nacerdine Talbi were convicted of running the Al-Istiqamah Learning Centre in Southall (pictured) illegally in 2018 after a landmark case that was the first of its kind in England. They were investigated […]

Social segregation is a problem in schools, say half of heads

Half of secondary school teachers believe social segregation is a problem in the state school system, but a large proportion of schools aren’t taking the make-up of their communities into account in their admissions policies, a new poll shows. The Sutton Trust polled 1,506 teachers and leaders via the NFER’s teacher voice omnibus in November […]

EPI study reveals postcode lottery of support staff spending

Pupils face a postcode lottery when it comes to spending on school support staff, with some schools spending up to 64 per cent more than others on teaching assistants. Analysis by the Education Policy Institute found that although the number of teaching assistants employed by state-funded schools in England has more than trebled since the […]

Who’s who? Your guide to the new ministerial line-up at the DfE

The remits of the new ministerial team at the Department for Education have been confirmed following Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit reshuffle. For schools, the new line-up mostly represents business as usual. Gavin Williamson remains as education secretary, and Nick Gibb, the schools minister, is still in the role having survived his latest of many reshuffles. Here […]