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21 April 2026

Tag: COVID-19

Deprived schools will struggle to meet Covid costs, finds NFER report

One in four schools may not be able to meet Covid-related costs despite increased funding from government, and deprived schools will be among the hardest-hit, a new report has found. Analysis by the National Foundation for Educational Research found that existing inflationary pressures, such as teacher pay rises, mean the £2.6 billion increase in school […]

Attendance league tables will be ‘relief map of pandemic’

Ranking schools in league tables based on their attendance will just become a “relief map of the pandemic”, one head has warned. The government announced this week that exam results will not be included in league tables this year. It won’t be a league table, it’ll be a relief map of the pandemic Instead, the […]

Schools told they will be ‘on call’ until Christmas eve for track and trace

Schools will “effectively be on call” until Christmas eve to help with coronavirus contact tracing, a council has warned headteachers. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council has written to headteachers in its area, claiming to have received new guidance from the Department for Education. It comes after schools were ordered not to close early for the […]

Spielman ‘not expecting’ graded inspections from January

Ofsted is not expecting to resume graded inspections in January, the chief inspector of schools has said. Speaking at the launch of the watchdog’s latest annual report, Amanda Spielman said Ofsted needed to “take account of the national situation, and we’ve always said that the timing and form of our return was under review”. I’m […]

Ofsted annual report 2019-20: 8 things we learned

Ofsted has published its latest annual report following a “year of two halves” which saw inspections halted around six months after the launch of its new inspection framework. The report highlights that the judgment profile for schools remains “broadly stable” following the introduction of the new framework, with 86 per cent rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’. […]

Christmas closure chaos as schools allowed to extend holidays

The government’s approach to schools closing early for Christmas was mired in confusion this week after two academy trusts were given the green light to shut a week early, just days after another trust was blocked from doing so. Schools Week revealed this week that Focus Trust cancelled plans to close its 15 schools across […]