Schools Week Reporter | Schools Week

Former superhead may be stripped of knighthood

The government’s forfeiture committee is investigating whether to strip a former superhead of his knighthood. It comes after it was revealed that Sir Craig Tunstall is suing Lambeth Council for at least £200,000 over claims that an “excessive workload”, exacerbated by plans to open a new free school, left him depressed. Tunstall, formerly England’s best-paid primary headteacher, […]

Coronavirus: Teachers say a special ‘thank you’ to NHS heroes

Teachers have joined the hundreds of thousands of people volunteering to help the NHS to say “thank you” to “incredible” hospital staff whose care has transformed their own lives. The Royal Voluntary Service last week appealed for 250,000 volunteers to help with the NHS coronavirus response. The target was reached within 24 hours, and at […]

Coronavirus: Be ‘flexible’ on resignations to avoid recruitment blockage, schools told

Schools should be “flexible” over staff resignation dates to ensure there’s not a “deficit of teachers” unable to move this year, with leaders urged to conduct interviews online. Education unions say schools should not be conducting face-to-face interviews amid the coronavirus outbreak, and instead should consider managing applications and interviews virtually. In this difficult period, […]

Coronavirus: Teachers warned against live-streaming lessons

Teachers have been warned against using live-stream technology to run classes from home, but one school running lessons virtually says they feel it keeps children safer. The National Education Union issued guidance this week on distance learning, saying it “cannot be business as usual” while schools are closed, warning online lessons should be kept “to […]

Coronavirus: Schools use labs to make equipment for medics

Schools are making use of their science and design labs to produce protective equipment for medics amid pleas hospitals are running out of supplies to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. One school is using its STEM lab to make oxygen masks for a critical care unit, while others are making face visors for GPs – […]

Former superhead suing for £200k over claims ‘excessive workload’ damaged his health

An ex-headteacher who helped turnaround failing schools is suing for more than £200,000 over claims an “excessive workload”, exacerbated by plans to open a new free school, left him depressed. Sir Craig Tunstall, formerly England’s best paid primary headteacher on £367,000 a year, was dismissed from the council-maintained Gipsy Hill Federation in 2018 for “gross […]

Coronavirus: Legal challenges ‘certain’ over SEND rule changes

New emergency powers that “relax” requirements on councils to provide support for SEND pupils will “most certainly” lead to legal challenges, lawyers have warned. The proposed coronavirus bill states councils won’t be penalised for failing to provide support outlined in pupils’ education, health and care plans (EHCPs) as long as they show “reasonable endeavours” to […]

Coronavirus: Fears lockdown will lead to a widening inequality gap

School leaders are worried about a widening inequality gap as state schools fall behind their private counterparts in using online teaching platforms to educate housebound pupils. A survey by pollsters Teacher Tapp found three-quarters of private school teachers had set work through an online learning platform, compared to 65 per cent of state-funded schools. We […]

Coronavirus: New text messaging service launched to help teacher wellbeing

A free text messaging service is being launched to support the wellbeing of teachers during the coronavirus crisis. The TeachTogether service will send weekly text messages to teachers including supportive quotes from other professionals, advice and links to useful activities during school closures and beyond. It is being launched by The Chartered College of Teaching […]