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25 April 2026

Tag: coronavirus

Coronavirus: Schools will get ‘proper notice’ before they reopen, says Williamson

Schools will get “proper notice” before they reopen so they are “able to prepare” for the return of pupils, the education secretary has said. Gavin Williamson, leading Downing Street’s daily coronavirus press briefing today, insisted that ministers would not think about reopening schools to all pupils until the government’s five tests for beating the pandemic […]

Coronavirus: DfE to provide free laptops for disadvantaged year 10s

The government will provide free laptops and tablets for disadvantaged year 10s and other vulnerable pupils to help them learn at home during the coronavirus lockdown. From Wednesday, schools will be able to submit business cases via a Department for Education online portal for devices for individual eligible pupils. The aim is to prevent those […]

Coronavirus: Thousands of pupils with ‘no recourse to public funds’ to get free school meals

Children usually denied free school meals because of their parents’ immigration status have been granted temporary eligibility during the coronavirus outbreak. This is a welcome, albeit temporary, roll-back from another of the government’s hostile environment policies Legal experts estimate that thousands more children will now be able to receive free meals or vouchers following a […]

Coronavirus: Schools paying out thousands for cancelled PGL trips

Schools are paying out thousands of pounds to parents in order to cover the costs of cancelled trips as the popular PGL travel provider refuses to offer refunds. Education travel providers have been forced to cancel trips due to the coronavirus pandemic – with the government advising visits overseas be called-off even before it closed […]

Coronavirus: DfE cancels academies’ May budget forecast

Academies will no longer have to submit next month’s budget forecast return, after the government cancelled the collection because of the coronavirus outbreak. Normally, academies have to submit a budget forecast return outturn (BFRO) in May each year. The form was due to be made available to schools to fill in from next week. But in […]

Coronavirus: Teachers join forces to create online curriculum hub

Teachers from across the country have recorded lessons that will be shared for free on a new online curriculum hub to help address schools’ digital divide. Schools Week understands the project, expected to be called the Oak National Academy, will consist of around 180 filmed lessons from experts across different subjects, covering from early years up […]

Coronavirus: DfE relaxes rules around admissions appeals

The Department for Education is planning to relax regulations governing school admissions appeals so they are no longer required to be held face-to-face. Temporary legislation is set to be introduced to ensure parents continue to have “the right to appeal to any schools which has refused their child a place” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In […]

A seven-step plan to reopen schools

Despite the inexorable tragedy of the daily death toll and the awful misery that COVID-19 brings, the sacrifices of our essential workers and our wider country are beginning to ‘flatten the curve’. Now is the time to think about how and when we can start to open up the country and lift the restrictions on our […]