coronavirus | Schools Week

Child infection rate rise began when schools reopened, but direct link ‘unproven’, says SAGE

Increases in infection levels among children and young adults began around the same time schools reopened, but a direct link between the two is “unproven and difficult to establish”, government scientists have said. A report endorsed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, published today, found that although infection levels among young people started to […]

Rapid Covid tests a ‘game-changer’ for schools

Headteachers piloting rapid Covid-19 antigen tests under the government’s Operation Moonshot have described them as a “game-changer” to keep pupils in the classroom and help squash outbreaks. Sedgehill Academy in south east London, Poole Grammar School and South Wiltshire Grammar School in Salisbury have now done two rounds of testing using lateral flow tests, which […]

Private suppliers tout ‘rapid’ Covid tests to schools for £450 a box

Headteachers are being urged to check the legality of Covid tests from private suppliers after new “rapid” antigen tests started being offered on the open market, with one school quoted £450 for a box of 20. The Department of Health and Social Care said all tests bought from private companies must have a CE mark […]

SEND pupils told schools ‘can’t accommodate them’, claims Spielman

Schools have been telling parents they can’t accommodate pupils with special educational needs and disabilities during the coronavirus pandemic, Amanda Spielman has claimed. The chief inspector of schools told the National Children and Adult Services Conference this morning that children had been “left without access to therapy and education for months”. They’ve been told that […]

Schools wait for £50m in Covid costs

The government is yet to pay out a third of the cash requested to deal with the costs associated with keeping schools safe during the coronavirus pandemic, despite already settling 95 per cent of claims. Almost £50 million claimed by schools has still not been paid out of the exceptional costs fund. The criteria for […]

Face coverings mandatory in communal areas of all secondary schools

The wearing of face coverings will become mandatory in communal areas of all secondary schools from Monday. Following the announcement of the government’s decision to hold another month-long lockdown from this Thursday, the Department for Education has published updated guidance for schools. Until now, face coverings in communal areas have only been mandatory in some […]

Fewer than 1 in 5 teachers support calls for full school lockdowns

Fewer than one in five teachers want schools to close, but over two in five think rotas should be enacted, a new poll has found. A survey of over 8,000 school staff by Teacher Tapp found that just 17 per cent wanted schools to close to all except the children of keyworkers and vulnerable pupils […]

Schools to remain open during second national lockdown, PM confirms

Schools in England will remain open during the month-long national lockdown due to begin on Thursday, Boris Johnson has confirmed. The second national lockdown announced by the prime minister today will see pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops shut and socialising between households banned indoors in all parts of England from 12.01am on Thursday. But schools, […]

What new Datalab analysis tells us about Covid and school attendance

Pupils in the some of the poorest areas of the country are missing out on schooling the most, according to new analysis. FFT Education Datalab’s work follows research by the Education Policy Institute this week which prompted concerns that pupils in some parts of the country are more likely to be left behind. Here, we […]