Skip to content
22 April 2026

Tag: COVID-19

How the big academy trusts managed to ride out Covid finance hit

Some of the biggest multi-academy trusts have managed to ride out Covid’s toll on their finances – using savings, donations and reserves to pump millions into catch-up schemes and laptops. Analysis by Schools Week revealed trusts with cleaning bills of £1m, IT costs doubled and falling catering income as the pandemic rocked school finances. But […]

DfE officials grilled over Covid-19 response, 7 things we learned

Senior officials from the Department for Education were grilled by MPs this morning about the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood, Covid response director Mike Pettifer and director general for early years and school groups, appeared in front of the public accounts committee. Here’s what we learned.   1. DfE […]

Kate Green reveals Labour’s education recovery priorities

A Labour government elected tomorrow would focus on addressing educational inequalities and look at the “content of what’s happening in schools” to check it is preparing pupils for a “unpredictable but exciting future”, Kate Green has said. The shadow education secretary addressed ASCL’s virtual annual conference this afternoon, and revealed she would look to “design […]

Five-fold increase in secondary pupils isolating due to in-school Covid contact

The number of secondary pupils self-isolating because of a potential contact with a Covid case in school increased more than five-fold last week as settings welcomed back more older pupils. Data published by the Department for Education shows 58,400 secondary school pupils were self-isolating due to a potential contact in school last Thursday, up from […]

DfE to spend £7m on hundreds more school cost-cutting consultants

The Department for Education will spend £7 million expanding its army of cost-cutting consultants by up to 600 – with a similar “mentor” scheme now to be rolled out for chief finance officers. Tender documents show the government will soon invite bids from organisations to train 200 school resource management advisers (SRMA) a year until […]

‘Flimsy’ medical evidence for Greenwich schools Covid legal threat revealed

The medical advice received by Gavin Williamson before he used emergency Covid powers to order a London council to keep its schools open has been branded “astonishing” for its lack of evidence. The education secretary issued a “temporary continuation order” on December 14, ordering the London borough of Greenwich to rescind its request for schools […]

£22m from recovery premium to ‘accelerate’ numeracy and literacy progress

The government is planning to set up a National Tutoring Programme-style subsidised scheme to “accelerate” pupils’ progress in numeracy and literacy, Schools Week can reveal. Ministers are using £22 million of the £302 million recovery premium cash to “scale up” evidence-based interventions identified by the Education Endowment Foundation as having the strongest potential to boost […]