coronavirus | Schools Week

Williamson orders Greenwich council to withdraw early closure request

A London council which urged schools in its area to move to online learning this week has been ordered to withdraw its instructions by the education secretary, in the first use of emergency coronavirus powers granted earlier this year. Gavin Williamson has issued a “temporary continuity direction” under the emergency Coronavirus Act 2020 ordering the […]

Government ‘will consider’ using legal powers to keep Greenwich schools open

A minister has said the government “will consider” using its powers under emergency Coronavirus legislation to keep Greenwich schools open, after the London borough asked leaders to move to remote education for the rest of the week. In a letter to Greenwich headteachers, seen by Schools Week, Gibb said he was “deeply disappointed and concerned” by […]

What does the latest attendance data tell us about the scale of the Covid problem?

The government must make better data available and provide more catch-up funding to stop pupils falling further behind, writes Natalie Perera. The question over how we support recovery of the education system post-Covid looms large for policy-makers, researchers and those on the front line. The reality is that we are all trying to find solutions […]

Schools want ed tech demonstrator scheme to keep going

Schools are joining together to ensure that the “legacy” of the rerouted EdTech Demonstrators scheme stretches beyond the pandemic. The government programme was announced as part of the Department for Education’s edtech strategy in 2019 to help teachers utilise technology to reduce workload, support professional development and improve pupils’ results. However, the DfE shifted the […]

Snow days melt into the mists of time

Most people can remember listening to the radio or checking their school’s website to see if snow had shut its gates. But with the strides in remote learning during the pandemic, could disrupted learning because of the fluffy white stuff be a distant memory? Dan Bunker, an educational technologist for primary at United Learning, said […]

Williamson told education committee to keep exam meeting details secret

A Parliamentary committee was asked to keep details of meetings about this summer’s exams fiasco secret in return for “summaries” of key documents, it has emerged. In September, the education select committee requested all correspondence and minutes of meetings held between the Department for Education and Ofqual about the summer exams. It also asked for […]

Logistics fears as announcement on further mass-testing in schools ‘imminent’

A government announcement on the further rollout of mass Coronavirus testing in schools across England is “imminent”, Schools Week has learned. Organisations representing school staff have raised logistics concerns after it emerged that the government is preparing to announce a scaling up of its testing of staff, pupils and families in the new year. It […]

Reduction in self-isolation period for Covid-19 contacts: What it means for schools

The number of days that close contacts of confirmed coronavirus cases need to self-isolate for has been reduced from 14 to 10 – including for school pupils and staff. In a joint statement from the four nations’ chief medical officers on Friday, they said after reviewing the evidence they are “confident that we can reduce […]

School PE kit policy is saving time and space

A pandemic policy for children to arrive and stay in their sports kit on the days they have PE is helping to save time and create much-needed space, according to headteachers. Dr Victoria Carr, the head of Woodlands Primary School in Ellesmere Port, now has five extra spaces for one-to-one or group learning from former […]