John Dickens | Schools Week

School staff don’t need protective equipment, new government guidance states

School staff do not require personal protective equipment, new government guidance has stated. The guidance also warns cleaning items such as soap “may be rationed” as the supply chain dries up, and rules out any future coronavirus testing for all teachers. A document on ‘implementing social distancing in education settings’, updated this morning, states “scientific […]

Coronavirus: Schools can only claim back if extra spend ‘threatens financial stability’

Schools will only be able to claim back for extra cash spent on covering coronavirus-issues if they are unable to meet the additional costs from their existing resources. New government guidance today has also confirmed that the level of funding paid back to schools to cover such costs will be capped at £75,000 for the […]

Free school meal vouchers WILL now be available over Easter

The government has today made a U-turn on its refusal to pay for free school meal vouchers over Easter – saying they will now be available to “support household income”. Former education secretary Michael Gove, speaking at today’s coronavirus briefing, also said the government is “conscious more must be done”, particularly over holidays, to help […]

Chief regulator offers ‘reassurance’ over this summer’s GCSE and A-level grades

Ofqual’s chief regulator Sally Collier has “reassured” GCSE and A-level students that the grades they get this summer will look “exactly the same as in previous years”. She has also made clear that they will have “equal status” with universities, colleges and employers. Here is her letter in full: I understand how unsettling the […]

Coronavirus: Schools need ‘priority access’ to testing and protective equipment

Teachers should get “priority access” to protective equipment, MPs have demanded, as staff are still waiting for further guidance on how to stay safe in school. The education committee has also urged education secretary Gavin Williamson to prioritise teachers and school staff for COVID-19 testing “as it comes available”. It comes as the government is […]

Williamson: ‘I’m asking schools to go to exceptional lengths in coronavirus fight’

Education secretary Gavin Williamson has written to schools today to thank them for the “incredible resilience and flexibility they have shown in the face of unprecedented challenges”. He added that schools are “central to this country’s fight against coronavirus”. The letter comes amid criticism from school leaders that the government isn’t doing enough to keep […]

Coronavirus: FSM vouchers to provide ‘£3 per meal’, as caterers criticised for ‘shameful’ hampers

Pupils are set to get weekly supermarket vouchers totalling £15 to replace their free school meal entitlements under a new national scheme, Schools Week understands. But heads have been told the scheme won’t be rolled out until next week. The voucher payments work out at £3 per day – an increase of 70p on the […]

Ofqual admits teacher assessment not possible for all vocational qualifications

Ofqual is “urgently” working out how to calculate grades for students studying vocational and technical qualifications this year, but the “complex landscape” means there is not a “one size fits all” solution. Last week the government announced that the upcoming summer exams series has been scrapped amid the coronavirus outbreak. On Friday it was revealed […]

Coronavirus: No change for schools as country enters lockdown

Schools will continue to open for vulnerable and key workers’ children, the government has confirmed, after the U.K. was put into lockdown. Prime minister Boris Johnson this evening announced police will be ordered to enforce a strict coronavirus lockdown – including a ban on gatherings of more than two people, all non-essential shops to close […]