COVID-19 | Schools Week

Army ‘on standby’ to provide testing support – but most won’t be on-site

Armed forces personnel will be “on standby” to provide “in-person support” with mass testing of pupils next term, but most of the 1,500 people assigned will only provide support and phone advice. The government announced earlier this month that secondary schools will be provided with millions of rapid-response lateral flow tests next month to test […]

Schools ‘won’t be sued’ if they don’t carry out testing, says minister in leaked MPs’ briefing

Schools “won’t be sued” if they don’t carry out mass testing slated for January, the schools minister has said. In a conversation with MPs on Friday, the details of which were leaked to Schools Week, Nick Gibb admitted it was “not ideal” that the government had announced the programme so close to the end of […]

DfE staff offered £1k bonuses to work on school testing prep over Christmas

Department for Education staff have been offered £1,000 bonuses to work over Christmas on preparations for mass testing in schools, it has emerged. The news of bonuses for civil servants is likely to anger school staff who have been expected by the government to oversee test and trace duties during holidays, including the Christmas break […]

Mass testing in schools: Everything you need to know

The government has this week announced mass testing in schools from January 4. The announcement – in the last week of term – has caused uproar in the sector, with unions claiming the plans are “inoperable”. Here’s everything you need to know about the plans. 1. Mass testing ‘opportunity’ for all secondary schools… All […]

Unions tell ministers mass testing plans are ‘inoperable’, and pledge to back schools who refuse

Unions and professional associations have said they will fully back schools that are “unable” to deliver mass testing from next month, claiming it will be “inoperable for most schools”. In a statement today, the groups said “no school or college should come under pressure if they are unable to implement these plans, or if they […]

What did we learn from Nick Gibb about mass-testing in schools?

The schools minister Nick Gibb has set out further details about the government’s mass-testing programme for schools, which is due to begin in January. Ministers announced on Tuesday that secondary school staff will get routine weekly tests from January and that staff and pupils who were close contacts of positive cases will also get a […]

Schools find new ways to help their communities at a time of crisis

From lunch deliveries and food banks to mobile libraries and “reverse” advent calendars, schools have stepped up to the Covid challenge by transforming the way they engage with their communities. As schools across England closed to most children in March, staff turned their attention not just to supporting vulnerable pupils, but also to vulnerable people […]

Non-exam-year secondary pupils to switch to online learning for first week back in January

Most secondary school pupils who are not preparing for exams will learn at home for the first week of the next school term in January, the government has announced. The Department for Education has said that students in exam year groups, vulnerable pupils and the children of critical workers will all attend school in person […]

‘No plans’ to lengthen Christmas holidays but talks going on about ‘how’ pupils will return

The government doesn’t have “any plans to lengthen” the Christmas holidays, but “conversations” are ongoing about “how” pupils will go back, the Department for Education’s top civil servant has said. Appearing in front of the Parliamentary public accounts committee, DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood was quizzed about reports that ministers are considering a delay to […]