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25 April 2026

Tag: coronavirus

Coronavirus: PM urged to publish evidence on increased risks of reopening schools

The National Education Union has written to Boris Johnson demanding clarity on school and colleges reopening amid “unhelpful speculation” surrounding future plans.  Joint general secretaries Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney are asking for the “modelling, evidence and plans” of the government’s decisions as a full return would put teachers and pupils at greater risk […]

Patrick Roach takes over at NASUWT with a plea to ministers

Government must intervene to stop “unacceptable management practices” in schools that are damaging teacher wellbeing during the coronavirus pandemic, the new leader of the NASUWT union has said. Dr Patrick Roach took charge today of the 300,000-member union after a decade as its deputy general secretary, and immediately demanded action from the government, which he […]

Coronavirus: Put academy conversions on hold, says councils’ body

Academy conversions should be put on hold so that councils can focus on supporting schools to stay open, according to the body representing local authorities. The Local Government Association believes council time spent on dealing with conversions of maintained schools into academies is “undermining council efforts to coordinate sufficient school places for vulnerable children and […]

Coronavirus: Reopen schools before summer if possible, say leadership unions

Unions representing school leaders across England are lobbying the government to reopen schools for a “limited period” before the summer holidays if scientific advice says it is safe to do so. Once the scientific advice is that schools can return safely, they should do so, even if it’s for a very limited period before the […]

Coronavirus: Working-class parents are less confident home-schooling, survey finds

Working-class parents are less confident about teaching their children from home than their middle-class counterparts, a new survey has revealed. A poll of more than 1,500 parents conducted by Sutton Trust and Public First found that just 37 per cent of parents in the C2DE social grade were confident teaching their children and explaining things […]

Coronavirus: Don’t judge teachers on 2020 assessment results, DfE tells schools

Schools should not use 2020 assessment data to judge teachers’ performance, the Department for Education has said. New guidance from the government also confirms that this year’s GCSE and A-level results won’t be used to assess free school, teaching school and English and maths hub applications. It comes after joint union guidance told schools not […]

Coronavirus: Schools will grade BTECs, says Ofqual

Schools will calculate pupils’ grades for the majority of BTECs and other vocational qualifications this year, but a full list of those in scope will not be ready until after Easter. In a briefing this morning, Ofqual said qualifications such as BTEC nationals, Cambridge technicals, UAL diplomas and functional skills will be graded in a […]

Coronavirus: Heads seek ‘urgent clarification’ over staffing and free meals costs

A headteachers’ union is demanding “urgent clarification” from government over whether schools can claim extra funding to pay term-time only staff to work over the Easter holidays. Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said guidance issued by the Department for Education on exceptional costs associated with coronavirus was “unclear” […]