coronavirus | Schools Week

Let schools hire NQTs on short-term deals to solve recruitment blockage

Schools should be given extra cash to appoint newly qualified teachers for short-term stints to cover any staff illnesses next year amid fears a downturn in job vacancies could push new entrants away from the profession. A report published by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation found there have been more than 5,000 fewer job adverts in […]

‘Don’t go back’ advice for shielders will be updated next week

School staff who are shielding because they are clinically extremely vulnerable are still being advised not to go to work – but new guidance on whether they should return to the classroom is due next week. The government recently announced a relaxation of its shielding guidance, stating that from August 1, those who cannot work […]

Some assessment could be moved to earlier in 2021, suggests heads’ union

Some assessment in 2021 should be moved to earlier in the year rather than delay exams, a leadership union has said. Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said he had asked the government to consider whether pupils could get some elements of assessment “under the belt” before the […]

Schools to keep copyright of Oak’s online lessons

Schools will own the copyright of lessons produced for Oak National Academy under its £4.3 million government-funded expansion next year. Schools Week revealed on Monday that the online classroom and resource hub would be funded as part of the Department for Education’s plan B should schools have to close again. Creating 10,000 lessons, Oak will […]

All quiet on FSM voucher ‘safety mechanisms’

There is no evidence that the national free school meals voucher scheme has built-in safety mechanisms that stop the cash going on booze and cigarettes, Schools Week has found. Last week, Ben Bradley, a Conservative MP, demanded safeguards be installed to stop parents spending vouchers on items other than food for children. “Parents aren’t necessarily […]

Catholic schools demand government support as transport costs soar

The national body representing Catholic schools is lobbying the government for help with school transport, warning that charges could rise by more than £20 a day. Social distancing rules have forced school buses to reduce capacity, with some only able to carry a fifth of the usual number of pupils. If we suddenly became exclusive […]

Revealed: How whole year-group bubbles could work

Top academy bosses have suggested “bubbles” of full year groups may be the only way to get all secondary pupils back in the classroom next year – aligning with government plans being formulated. One trust is exploring cordoning off sections of schools for each year-group bubble in a bid to reduce the risk of transmission […]

DfE finally reveals details of Covid summer food fund

Details of the government’s Covid summer food fund have finally been released, over a week after the scheme was unveiled. The fund will allow schools to order free school meals vouchers for eligible children to cover the summer holidays following a government U-turn. Guidance on the fund has now been published, setting out how the […]

Reception baseline assessment introduction delayed to 2021

Schools will not have to set the new reception baseline assessment this autumn, after the government delayed its statutory introduction as a result of the coronavirus. The Department for Education said today that “due to the challenging circumstances faced by schools in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, statutory introduction of the RBA has been […]