coronavirus | Schools Week

Re-engage vulnerable teens to prevent ‘lost generation’, says children’s commissioner

Schools must work with councils and the police to prevent the creation of a “lost generation” of teenagers, the children’s commissioner has said, after a report found 1 in 25 young people are at risk of “falling through the gaps”. Anne Longfield said public bodies should focus resources on re-engaging teenagers most at risk of […]

SEND rules back to normal from September (but prepare for local relaxations)

The government will end nationwide relaxations over providing support for SEND pupils for September – but it will still consider easing requirements at local level. July marks the third month since the government began relaxing the duty of councils to provide support for SEND pupils during the coronavirus outbreak, to which they face a legal […]

Ofsted: New ‘school visits’ will allow ‘appropriate challenge without passing judgment’

Ofsted has said its new school “visits” will allow inspectors to provide “appropriate challenge” to school leaders without “passing judgement”. It was confirmed last week that proper Ofsted inspections will not start again until January next year at the earliest. But Ofsted will start to “visit” schools after the summer holidays to “reassure parents, ministers […]

DfE extends breakfast clubs pilot over summer – but there’s no extra money

The government’s national school breakfast programme is to be extended over the summer, but there’s no extra funding available. The Department for Education announced today that the 1,800 schools taking part in the programme will be helped to continue offering breakfasts over the summer break. Charities Family Action and Magic Breakfast, which co-ordinate the national […]

Leicester’s Covid-19 response thwarted by poor data

Leicester council’s education director has said they have still do not have a breakdown by age of the children who have been infected with covid-19. The admission comes despite the city becoming the first local lockdown earlier this week amid rising case numbers, and highlights again how regional responses to outbreaks are being hindered by […]

Questions over league tables, but no Ofsted until January

Schools are none-the-wiser about whether league tables will return next year as the government attempts a return to “business as usual” – but proper Ofsted inspections won’t resume until January. Although the government’s guidance on school reopening in September confirmed the suspension of league tables for the 2019-20 academic year, it did not do so […]

Heads must issue absence fines so poor don’t ‘suffer’, claims Williamson

Pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds will suffer if the government does not enforce mandatory attendance in schools, the education secretary has claimed. Responding to a question from Schools Week at the Downing Street press briefing on Thursday, Gavin Williamson said if the government did not have an expectation of “every child to be in […]

DfE confirms September back-to-school plans

Limits on attendance will be lifted from September, and schools will be expected to deliver their “full curriculum”, the government has confirmed. Routine Ofsted visits will also not resume until 2021 under plans for the full reopening of schools set out by Gavin Williamson today. The Department for Education has also provided new guidance for […]

DfE looks to 2012 Olympics for inspiration on school transport plans

The government has told schools to look to the 2012 Olympics for inspiration on how to transport children to school from September. New Department for Education guidance on the reopening of schools claims London’s hosting of the event showed it was possible to make a “very real difference” to travel patterns. The capital introduced “games […]