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22 April 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

Summer-borns: 60% of councils ‘more willing’ to accept delayed entries

Councils are increasingly open to allowing summer-born pupils to start school later, but parents still face a postcode lottery in their battle for flexibility, new data shows. Results from a survey of town halls by the Department for Education shows 62 per cent of local authorities say they are “more willing” to let pupils born […]

What does Gavin Williamson’s leaked education plan mean for schools?

A leaked government document offers a glimpse at what the new education secretary wants for schools, but there’s no guarantee he’ll get it, writes Freddie Whittaker. Yesterday, the Guardian published a story based on a leaked document outlining the new government’s proposals for the school system, including plans for a funding boost, a renewed push […]

Can statistics tell us if a school is inclusive?

Provision for SEND pupils is in the news again, but the story isn’t as simple as it seems, warns Karen Wespieser. Recently, a number of newspapers have reported a decline in inclusive mainstream schools. The story seems to have started in Leeds, where the regional press reported how special educational needs children “forced out of […]

Former NSN staffer to be policy adviser to Gavin Williamson

Katharine Howell, a former staffer at the New Schools Network and current aide to the leader of the House of Lords, has been appointed as a special adviser to Gavin Williamson. Government sources have confirmed that Howell will take up the policy SpAd role left vacant by Jon Yates, who served under Williamson’s predecessor Damian […]

Ex-NSN director’s government appointment ‘blocked’ by Downing Street

Luke Tryl, the ex-director of the New Schools Network and a former adviser at the Department for Education, has had his return to government blocked by Downing Street, Schools Week has learned. It was announced last month that Tryl was leaving the free schools charity after just a few months in the role to become […]

New rules on exam readers could become a headache for schools

A change in the rules on reading assistance in exams for pupils with special needs could cause a jump in the number receiving such assistance next year. Can we quantify such a potential rise and what will it mean for schools, asks Barney Angliss. JCQ’s decision to change the rules on what it requires from […]

Six ‘quick wins’ for Gavin Williamson

With an election looming, the new education secretary will need some quick announcements up his sleeve that will actually help schools, says Ollie Lane. The education views of the new secretary of state, Gavin Williamson, are not widely known and many are wondering what his priorities might be. But as a true politician, and part […]

The children’s commissioner is wrong about children in care and school Ofsted grades

Exclusively sending vulnerable children to ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools is narrow-minded, unattainable and not in the best interest of the pupil, argues John Cosgrove. “We want to see children in care placed in good or outstanding schools only,” Anne Longfield, the children’s commissioner for England, writes in the Stability Index report 2019, published earlier this month. […]