Samantha Booth | Schools Week

DfE leans on MATs to boost teacher job vacancies website take-up

The government plans to boost take-up of its free teacher job vacancies website by leaning on the big academy trusts to ditch “expensive” commercial deals. Contracts seen by Schools Week reveal a three-stage plan to create a “behaviour change” and persuade schools and job seekers to use the government-run teaching vacancies website, launched two years […]

School attendance rates fall again as more pupils self-isolate

School attendance rates fell again last week as more pupils were forced to self-isolate due to potential Covid contact in school. Data published by the Department for Education shows 87,600 secondary school pupils were self-isolating due to a potential contact in school last Thursday, up from 58,400 the week before. At primary level, 83,600 pupils […]

School mental health lead training slated to begin this autumn

Training for a designated senior mental health lead in every school by 2025 could begin in the autumn, with the funding handed directly to schools. Government officials were this week pressed to answer why the training was yet to get up and running, more than 18 months since a procurement exercise was launched. The Department […]

Ofqual drops requirement for heads to declare pupils have learned enough to ‘progress’

Ofqual has dropped a proposed requirement for heads to declare that GCSE and A-level students have been taught enough to allow them to progress to the next stage in their education when submitting grades this year. In its response to the assessments consultation last month, Ofqual said heads would have to sign a declaration stating, […]

GCSEs and A-levels 2021: 8 things you need to know from grades guidance

The Joint Council for Qualifications has finally confirmed what schools need to do to award GCSE and A-level grades this summer. Exams have been cancelled due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with teachers deciding students’ grade. For key dates, see our story here. We take a look at what you need to […]

Everyone’s Invited: Rape culture website stops naming schools amid fears they take ‘disproportionate’ blame

The Everyone’s Invited campaign, which urges young sexual abuse survivors to share their stories on its website has stopped publishing the names of schools over fears they are taking a “disproportionate amount of blame”. As a school, we want to be part of this conversation and empower all young people to be able to come […]

GCSEs and A-levels 2021: Exam board grading guidance published

The Joint Council for Qualifications has published its guidance for schools on grading for this summer’s GCSEs and A-levels. It provides information about the creation of the centre policy that needs to be submitted to exam boards, and how to determine grades. It also details the requirements for internal quality assurance procedures and how to […]

MPs demand answers from ministers over ‘Wild West’ grading fears

Ministers have been warned over a “Wild West” grading system this summer with MPs demanding concessions to ensure a “level playing field” for pupils. The education select committee has warned Gavin Williamson his exams replacement plan risks being “too inconsistent”. Robert Halfon, the committee’s chair, said this was down to a lack of standardised assessments […]

Keep records of parent pressure over exam grades, Ofqual tells heads

Headteachers should keep records if their teachers come under pressure from students and parents to boost exam grades because it may amount to malpractice, Ofqual has said. The exams regulator is trying to clamp down on external pressure on teachers to influence the grades they award students this summer, after exams were cancelled due to […]