coronavirus | Schools Week

Coronavirus: Reopening on June 1 ‘may not be possible for all schools’ admits Johnson

Reopening schools to pupils in reception, year 1 and year 6 “may not be possible for all schools”, Boris Johnson has admitted. The prime minister also announced that the government does not expect secondary schools to start providing face-to-face support for year 10 and 12 pupils until June 15, two weeks later than ministers initially […]

Schools turn to philanthropists for laptops as wait for DfE devices continues

Schools and education charities are asking philanthropists and local businesses to provide devices for disadvantaged youngsters as the wait for Department for Education hardware continues. The government has pledged “over 200,000” devices for disadvantaged year 10 pupils, care leavers and children who have a social worker. But Schools Week revealed earlier this month that many […]

School kitchens’ ‘nightmare’ over planning for pupils’ return

School kitchens face a planning “nightmare” for the return of pupils, with uncertainty and concern over numbers, food availability, rising prices and a lack of government guidance. The Department for Education has said school kitchens should provide meals for all pupils returning on June 1. Official guidance, however, is brief. Following the partial closure of […]

Coronavirus: 2020 exam standardisation process will ignore school ‘trajectory’, Ofqual confirms

The “trajectory” of improving schools will not be taken into account when standardising GCSE and A-level results this year, Ofqual has confirmed. The exams regulator said today that the standardisation process for centre-assessed grades this year “will not seek to reflect any trends in improvement or deterioration in a centre’s outcomes in a subject over […]

Coronavirus: 8 things we learned from SAGE’s advice to ministers on schools

The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has finally published the advice it provided to ministers over plans to reopen schools. Here are eight things we learned from reading them. 1. We’re still in the dark about the impact on children The dossier of evidence includes a report on the role of children […]

Speed read: Five things schools need to know about plans for an autumn exam series

The exams regulator Ofqual has launched a consultation on how a new autumn exam series should work. Summer exams are cancelled this year as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and associated partial school closures. Pupils will instead receive grades from their schools. However, ministers have said they want pupils who aren’t happy with their […]

Coronavirus: Scientists told ministers a rota system could help curb transmission in schools

The government told schools not to use rota systems for the return of pupils despite scientific advice that it was “likely to be the most effective strategy” for bringing them back, official documents show. Advice to the government, published today by the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), shows that advisers reported on April […]

Long read: How are schools preparing to reopen?

Many school leaders regard the government’s guidance on reopening schools as vague at best. So what are their plans as the June 1 deadline looms . . . Schools are planning to make pupils walk through trays filled with disinfectant and check their temperatures with infra-red thermometers to ensure they can safely reopen from […]

Revealed: the school leaders advising DfE on coronavirus plans

Guidance for how primary schools can reopen safely was published by the Department for Education last week. The guidance stated it was “designed by school leaders for school leaders”. But who has a seat at the table? The DfE provided a full list of its advisers, who were approached individually by the department to sit on […]