Schools Week Reporter | Schools Week

Festival of Education goes virtual for 2021

This year’s Festival of Education will take place online and will be free to watch. It was hoped that the June event, which was cancelled last year because of the pandemic, would go ahead on its usual site at Wellington College in Berkshire. But plans have been adapted following government guidance. The virtual festival will […]

The 2021 summer exams plan: everything you need to know

Exams regulator Ofqual has this afternoon published its proposals for replacing exams this year. In short: the regulator is proposing grades for this year will be determined by teachers and, following “quality reassurance”, results will be issued by exam boards, who will “remain accountable for the results”. Exam boards will record the grades on certificates […]

Ministers asked to ‘guarantee’ SEND rules won’t be relaxed again

Ministers have been asked to “guarantee” laws won’t be relaxed again that “downgrade” support for SEND pupils, as special schools are granted flexibility over provision during the latest lockdown. The Department for Education confirmed to Schools Week that special and alternative provision schools will be closed to all but vulnerable pupils and the children of […]

Exams ‘fairest way’ to assess pupils, and replacing them ‘not straightforward’, warns new Ofqual chief

Ofqual’s new interim chief has said replacing exams is “not straightforward”, in a sobering statement this morning warning the sector of potentially more disruption and suggesting a plan is yet to be fully worked out. Simon Lebus, former Cambridge Assessment group chief executive, urged students to continue to engage “as fully as you can” in education […]

Special schools demand clarity on vulnerability criteria amid closure warning

Special schools could be at risk of closing completely if government guidance on vulnerable children is not updated urgently, sector leaders are warning. The Department for Education has confirmed to Schools Week that special and alternative provision schools will be closed to all but vulnerable and key worker children. However, any child with an education […]

Ofqual will ‘consult rapidly’ on replacing exams, with ‘a number of options’ on the table

Ofqual will “consult rapidly” on alternative arrangements for exams after it was announced last night they would not go ahead this summer “as normal”, with “a number of options” said to be on the table. It comes amid confusion over whether all GCSEs and A-levels will be cancelled. Former education secretary Michael Gove claimed that would be […]

NTP admits catch-up sessions ‘may be postponed’ as only half of providers can deliver home tuition

The National Tutoring Programme has admitted that some sessions may have to be postponed as only half of providers are able to deliver tuition online at home. The NTP has told Schools Week today that 14 out its 33 tuition partners (see list below) are approved to deliver remote tutoring from pupil’s homes in “accepted […]

London boroughs challenge government decision to keep primaries open

London boroughs are challenging the government’s decision to keep their primaries open despite having higher infections than areas told to close. The government announced yesterday that primary schools in Covid-19 hotspots would only re-open on-site provision for vulnerable and key worker children for the next two weeks. All other children will get remote learning. A […]

Glenys Stacey to chair Ofqual’s new ‘2021 committee’ to oversee next summer’s exams

Outgoing exams chief Dame Glenys Stacey is to chair a new Ofqual committee with oversight of next year’s exams. In an exit interview with Schools Week, the interim chief regulator revealed she would “retain a stake” in the policy area as chair of the “2021 committee”, a new subcommittee of Ofqual’s board. By staying on […]