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27 April 2026

Tag: coronavirus

Unions reject teacher pay freeze and call on STRB to defy government

Four education unions representing hundreds of thousands of teachers and leaders have rejected the government’s pay freeze for 2021, and called on the School Teachers’ Review Body to defy ministers’ wishes and recommend a rise. The ASCL and NAHT leadership unions, along with the National Education Union and Voice, warned in a joint statement today […]

Primary school attendance now six times higher than in the last lockdown

Almost one in four primary pupils were in school last week, with attendance rates among younger pupils now six times higher than in the first lockdown. Data published by the Department for Education today shows primary school attendance reached 24 per cent on February 11, up from 23 per cent the week before. Attendance rates […]

Edenred won third free school meals voucher contract without open tender

The Department for Education failed to run an open tender for the most recent free school meals voucher contract, rolling it over to supplier Edenred for the third time. Ministers were criticised for not running an open tender for the first two contracts handed to Edenred last year which rose from £78 million to £425 […]

DfE tight-lipped over attendance league tables proposal

Ministers have been urged to clarify whether an “absurd” plan to base league tables on school attendance this year is going ahead despite classrooms being closed again. In December, the Department for Education announced that exams results would not be included in league tables. Instead, performance tables would include information for parents such as subjects […]

DfE faces £263k bonus bill for staff who helped set up mass testing scheme

The Department for Education faces a bill of up to £263,000 after asking staff to work over Christmas to prepare for its ill-fated schools mass testing programme. It was reported in December that the DfE had offered staff a “one-off £1,000 bonus” to help set up the programme over the break. But the mass testing […]

Online tutoring during school closures ‘feasible’, but digital divide a key barrier

Delivering online tutoring to disadvantaged pupils during partial school closures was feasible, but access to equipment presented a key barrier, the Education Endowment Foundation has found. A new report from the EEF evaluating the effectiveness of last year’s National Online Tutoring Pilot was released today. It found that delivering online tuition was feasible and the […]

Covid-19: Trainees can get qualified teacher status based on progress again this year

Trainee teachers unable to complete their courses because of Covid disruption will once again be able to achieve qualified teacher status based on their progress, new guidance has confirmed. The Department for Education has updated its guidance to state that initial teacher training providers will be able to recommend trainees for QTS if they are […]