James Carr | Schools Week

Struggling pupils did ‘little, if any’ reading during lockdown, and 5 more Ofsted findings

Secondary school pupils who struggle to read were provided with “little, if any” reading work when learning from home during the spring term, Ofsted has found. The watchdog published a blog today detailing the findings from its spring monitoring inspections. For the most part, inspections were conducted remotely and covered schools currently graded inadequate or […]

Ofsted’s Covid inspection changes – everything you need to know

The impact of Covid-19 cannot be the ‘sole factor’ behind an ‘inadequate’ Ofsted judgment, the inspectorate has said today. The clarification comes amid a host of changes to the watchdog’s school inspection handbook during Covid. It comes ahead of new ‘lighter-touch ‘ inspections this summer and a full return to graded inspection next year. Here’s […]

£15 billion extra needed for Covid lost learning recovery, EPI says

The government would need to invest an additional £15 billion in order to fulfil Boris Johnson’s pledge to make up pupils’ lost learning during the Covid pandemic, a new report has claimed. Prime minister Johnson previously stated that establishing a long-term catch-up plan is “the biggest priority” and no child would be “left behind”. But […]

Speed read: Think tank calls for new ‘baccalaureate’ to replace A-levels

A three-year ‘baccalaureate’ should be introduced to replace A-levels, BTECs, T-Levels and apprenticeships, a think tank has said. A new report from EDSK, released today, claims the dominance of A-levels has had a detrimental impact on the prestige of other options, while limiting the breadth of curriculum. It is the second instalment in a two-part […]

Revealed: First 22 lead schools for DfE’s £10m ‘behaviour hubs’ project

The government has revealed the first 22 schools which will head up its £10 million behaviour hubs initiative. Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, has also pledged to consult on “how we can help heads remove phones from the school day”. The behaviour hubs project, led by government behaviour tsar Tom Bennett, aims to support 500 […]

DfE continues to recommend face coverings in secondary classrooms after Easter

Face coverings will continue to be recommended in secondary school classrooms until May 17 at the earliest, the Department for Education has confirmed. The DfE had said it would review its current position during the Easter holidays, but has confirmed in updated guidance today that its recommendation will initially remain in place when pupils return. […]

Another testing U-turn: School tests WILL need PCR confirmation

Rapid Covid tests taken in schools will now need a follow-up lab test to confirm their result from tomorrow, the Department for Education (DfE) has said. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) revealed yesterday it would be reintroducing requirements to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for those who test positive using […]

Ofsted hopes subject reviews will help schools prioritise catch-up content

Ofsted will publish a series of ‘state of the nation’ research reviews and subject reports to set out the “most helpful ways of securing progression” for schools as they plan which content to prioritise to help pupils catch up. As schools face the challenge of catching up, they will need to think carefully about what […]

Hackers hit Harris in latest ‘highly sophisticated’ cyber attack

One of the country’s largest academy trusts has become the latest victim of a targeted ransomware cyber attack – with laptops used by pupils and email systems disabled. Harris Federation, which runs 49 schools, detected the attack on Saturday, and has been working through the weekend to resolve the issues. A Schools Week investigation last […]