James Carr | Schools Week

Over 500k pupils now self-isolating after surge in cases sees two thirds of secondaries disrupted

The number of pupils at home self-isolating has nearly doubled in a week to over 550,000 – with a surge in cases meaning almost two-thirds of secondary schools have reported pupils being off because of coronavirus. Today’s weekly attendance figures will add to growing tensions about the disruption spreading through schools, with ministers still to […]

Ofqual’s independence questioned as regulator ‘buried its head in the sand’ during exams fiasco

The education select committee has accused Ofqual of “burying its head in the sand” by ignoring repeated warnings in the run-up to this year’s disastrous exams, claiming the regulator instead chose to follow orders from ministers and “hoped for the best”. As well as questioning the independence of the regulator, committee chair Robert Halfon also […]

DfE stats suggest attendance boost following half-term break

School attendance rose to 89.3 per cent following the half-term break, with the number of state-funded secondary schools reporting pupils self-isolating also falling. The Department for Education’s weekly attendance data reported 92 per cent attendance in state primary schools and 87 per cent in secondaries as of Thursday, November 5. This an increase from the […]

Rise in self-harming pupils, exclusions concern and heads ‘firefighting’ – Ofsted’s latest ‘visits’ analysis

Ofsted has released its second deep-dive into the pilot ‘visits’ it has been performing since September, in lieu of normal inspections. The report covers the findings of 380 ‘visits’ carried out between September 29 and October 23. This is what they found: 1. More pupils experiencing eating disorders and self-harming since lockdown Ofsted explained that […]

One in five schools shun May’s mental health scheme

One in five secondary schools did not take part in a flagship government-funded scheme to train staff as mental health first-aiders. In 2017, Theresa May launched an initiative to offer mental health awareness training to every secondary school over the next three years to “make a real difference to children’s lives”. What is most needed […]

ONS data on covid infection in schools: what you need to know

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released its latest Covid-19 infections survey. These are the key findings for the education sector: 1. Among teachers, infection rates are higher in secondary … Teachers in secondary schools and sixth forms are more likely to catch Covid-19 than their primary school counterparts. ONS analysis found between September […]

Schools wait for £50m in Covid costs

The government is yet to pay out a third of the cash requested to deal with the costs associated with keeping schools safe during the coronavirus pandemic, despite already settling 95 per cent of claims. Almost £50 million claimed by schools has still not been paid out of the exceptional costs fund. The criteria for […]

Inspections without grades – Ofsted plots January comeback

Ministers are considering new proposals from Ofsted for inspections to restart again this January, but without grades being issued. Full inspections have been paused since the outbreak of coronavirus back in March but are scheduled to start up again in January. There has been sustained pressure from unions to delay the restart, which has been […]

Attendance plummets as more pupils forced to self-isolate

School attendance has plummeted to 86 per cent due to Covid-related absences, with over half of state-funded secondary schools now reporting pupils self-isolating. The Department for Education’s weekly attendance data has revealed the increasing disruption Covid-19 is wreaking on schools, with around 160,000 more pupils off school last Thursday, compared with the same time the […]