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12 April 2026

Author: Samantha Booth

Pay freeze means experienced teachers have seen pay cut by 8% since 2007 – IFS

The government’s decision to freeze pay for most teachers means experienced staff will earn 8 per cent less in real terms next year than they did in 2007 before the financial crisis, the Institute of Fiscal Studies has warned. Ministers confirmed this week that only teachers earning less than £24,000 outside London or below slightly […]

Gibb: ‘There is a case’ for a model history curriculum

Schools minister Nick Gibb has said “there is a case” for a model history curriculum like the one recently produced for music, amid mounting pressure to teach more black history in schools. The Department for Education has so far rejected calls for compulsory lessons on the subject, which intensified in the wake of the killing […]

£10m maths and English catch-up scheme announced

The Department for Education has announced a £10 million maths and English catch-up scheme. The department says specialist training and materials will be provided to support “focused sessions” to boost numeracy and literacy. Schools with high proportions of children from disadvantaged backgrounds will be prioritised from the Autumn term. The £10 million is part of […]

Flagship National Tutoring Programme likely to miss its schools target

The government’s flagship tutoring programme is likely to miss its target of reaching 6,000 schools – revealing the scale of the challenge to ramp up the scheme next year. Figures obtained by Schools Week show just a quarter of state schools have used the National Tutoring Programme (NTP). The figure dips to one in five […]

Where is £3.1bn catch-up cash coming from, MPs ask DfE

MPs have demanded ministers provide answers regarding the £3.1 billion in catch-up funding after the government’s own sums appeared not to add up. It is unclear whether all of the money provided has been additional monies, or if some has been derived from DfE savings elsewhere The education select committee has written to Gavin Williamson […]

Education MPs endorse Saxton as new Ofqual boss

The education select committee has endorsed the appointment of Dr Jo Saxton as chief regulator of Ofqual. Saxton, a former academy trust boss and policy adviser to Gavin Williamson, was quizzed by the committee on Tuesday. The MPs’ report states the five-year role has a salary of up to £135,000. Five people applied for the […]

‘Policy not politics’: New Ofqual boss attempts to play down independence fears

Dr Jo Saxton has said she would “absolutely speak out” as Ofqual boss if she felt any government decisions were going to “undermine the interests” of students after being quizzed over her independence by MPs today. Education secretary Gavin Williamson named Saxton, his policy adviser and a former academy trust boss, as his preferred candidate […]

Reveal 2022 exams plan by September at the latest, government told

Pressure is growing on the government to publish its 2022 exams plan as new analysis by Labour found year 10 pupils have missed on average one in four days of school this year. Last month, education secretary Gavin Williamson told MPs they were looking at a “similar set of measures” for 2022 as those proposed […]