coronavirus | Schools Week

Coronavirus: AET to spend £2m on laptops as others call for tech donations

One of England’s largest academy trusts has said it will spend £2 million on laptops to help poorer pupils access digital learning. However, the plan by the Academies Enterprise Trust, which will involve live-streamed lessons for some pupils, could set the chain at-odds with unions, which have warned that their members cannot be expected to […]

Coronavirus: Schools step up to support their suppliers

Schools across England are stepping up to save small businesses in their supply chains by speeding up payments – with one trust asking some suppliers to invoice early for next year’s services. But although there is broad support for the move – following instructions from the government for schools to help keep their suppliers going […]

Coronavirus: Schools told to review child protection policies

Schools have been told to review their child protection policies and warned they may have to rely on other schools’ safeguarding leads in response to the coronavirus outbreak. New guidance on safeguarding during COVID-19 has been issued by the Department for Education. It comes as schools are grappling with a new way of working, providing […]

Coronavirus: Legal challenges ‘certain’ over SEND rule changes

New emergency powers that “relax” requirements on councils to provide support for SEND pupils will “most certainly” lead to legal challenges, lawyers have warned. The proposed coronavirus bill states councils won’t be penalised for failing to provide support outlined in pupils’ education, health and care plans (EHCPs) as long as they show “reasonable endeavours” to […]

Coronavirus: Fears lockdown will lead to a widening inequality gap

School leaders are worried about a widening inequality gap as state schools fall behind their private counterparts in using online teaching platforms to educate housebound pupils. A survey by pollsters Teacher Tapp found three-quarters of private school teachers had set work through an online learning platform, compared to 65 per cent of state-funded schools. We […]

Schools halt redundancy plans amid coronavirus outbreak

Schools are halting redundancy plans as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause unprecedented disruption across the nation. Harris Federation – one of the country’s largest trusts – is among those calling off crunch talks with employees. The reality is that there would only have been a tiny number of redundancies, if any, across our 48 […]

Coronavirus: Help poorer children access online learning, charity begs tech firms

Tech firms and internet providers have been asked to help poorer children get online after a survey revealed just two per cent of teachers working in the poorest communities believe all their pupils can access the internet at home. A survey of more than 6,000 teachers by Teacher Tapp found the vast majority in the […]

Coronavirus: Trainees to qualify based on progress made towards teachers’ standards

Trainee teachers due to qualify this year will be judged on their completed assessments and progress towards the teachers’ standards if they cannot complete their courses due to coronavirus disruption. In a policy statement sent to initial teacher training partnerships, seen by Schools Week, the Department for Education advised providers to continue to deliver courses […]

Coronavirus: School governors told to meet over Skype

School governors should adopt “alternative arrangements” for their meetings now that non-essential gatherings are banned, the government has said. The Department for Education has issued new guidance for governors, which states that governing bodies and boards of trustees should “adopt alternative arrangements, for example by using video or teleconferencing applications”. “These may include but are […]