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25 April 2026

Author: James Carr

Top grammar school rated ‘inadequate’ over sexism ‘hostile environment’

A “pervading culture” of sexism and racism at a leading grammar school created a “hostile environment” leaving pupils feeling “unsafe”, an unpublished Ofsted report has found. Colchester Royal Grammar School has been downgraded from ‘outstanding’ to ‘inadequate’ following a no notice inspection by the watchdog in May. The unpublished report, seen by Schools Week, found […]

Covid: Pupils have lost a third of learning time since pandemic began

Pupils in England have lost nearly a third of their learning time since the Covid-19 pandemic started, but fared slightly better than those elsewhere in the UK. The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the University of Exeter has today released its analysis of learning loss variation across the Home Nations. It […]

Ofsted: ‘Confused’ schools want clearer guidance on LGBT teaching

Schools want clearer guidance to help them teach about “sensitive and difficult subjects” like sexual orientation and gender reassignment, amid “confusion” about their obligations, Ofsted has warned. The schools watchdog today released research commentary on teaching about sex, sexual orientation and gender reassignment. Ofsted said there was “a significant lack of research” into how schools […]

DfE told to reveal its working out on £90m pupil premium funding ‘stealth cut’

The government must publish a full breakdown of its pupil premium “stealth cut” analysis as the current explanation only reveals part of the story, a think tank has warned. Last week the Department for Education finally admitted schools would miss out on about £90 million in pupil premium funding. The admission comes after ministers discreetly changed […]

Long read: Heads call for clarity as Williamson gets ready to pop school Covid bubbles

Education leaders are demanding “clarity about the road ahead” after the government all but confirmed it will scrap Covid restrictions in schools. It comes as new attendance statistics obtained by Schools Week suggest Covid-related absences almost doubled in secondary schools this week. Meanwhile school leaders have written to prime minister Boris Johnson over the “cynical” […]

DfE tells schools to prepare for return of on-site Covid testing in September

Schools have been told to prepare for the return of on-site Covid testing from the start of the autumn term, with test kits and PPE to be sent out. In a letter sent to education leaders, seen by Schools Week, schools minister Nick Gibb states the government wants schools to “be prepared for all scenarios, […]

Spielman: It’s not unfair deprived schools get lower grades

Ofsted’s chief inspector has denied it is “unfair” that deprived schools are more likely to receive lower grades than those in more affluent areas. Amanda Spielman appeared at the Festival of Education yesterday and was quizzed over the controversial issue. She had previously stated the problem was offset as poorer schools often out-performed their richer […]

School staff in Devon get £10 each as Covid thank you gesture

A council with a £50 million deficit has given its schools around £65,000 to spend on staff as a “token of appreciation” for their hard work and resilience during the pandemic. Devon County Council (DCC) has awarded its schools £10 per employee to spend “in whatever way they think best to thank teaching and support […]