COVID-19 | Schools Week

Williamson: Government ‘looking at’ how to get more schools into multi-academy trusts

The government wants to see “far more schools” in multi-academy trusts by 2025, and is “actively looking at how we can make that happen”, the education secretary has said. Gavin Williamson told the Foundation for Education Development summit this morning that partnerships between schools were “fundamental”, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. By […]

Remote education: Schools cut screen time to boost mental and physical health

Schools have introduced “comfort breaks” and reduced screen time to boost the mental and physical health of staff and pupils during remote education. Since the third lockdown began in January schools have had to provide remote education for most pupils but some have adapted their approach after feedback from staff, pupils and parents. Although all […]

School staff won’t be prioritised for vaccine as government continues with age-based approach

School staff will not be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccinations over other workers in the next phase of immunisation, the government has confirmed. But education workers in their forties will be next in line for the jab along with all others in that age group once phase two begins, after ministers confirmed the age-based approach to […]

Longer days and early appointments on cards as schools gear up for ‘mammoth’ Covid testing effort

School leaders are exploring staggered starts and extended days to ease the “mammoth logistical task” of mass Covid testing returning pupils. Boris Johnson announced on Monday that schools would begin reopening from March 8, with secondaries testing pupils three times on-site in their first two weeks back. Some leaders said that larger schools would struggle, […]

National Tutoring Programme: Schools could pay 90% of session costs within three years as DfE ‘tapers’ subsidies

Government plans to “taper” subsidies for tuition delivered by its flagship National Tutoring Programme could leave schools having to pay 90 per cent of the cost of sessions within three years. The Department for Education has published a £62 million tender for a supplier to run the NTP between May this year and next August. […]

Ofsted monitoring inspections paused for week of schools’ return

Ofsted will pause its remote monitoring inspections for the week beginning March 8 to allow schools to focus on wider reopening. The watchdog has been carrying out remote monitoring visits since January in place of routine in-person inspections, which have been suspended during the pandemic. But the inspectorate has updated its guidance this afternoon to […]

New £302m ‘Covid recovery premium’ to be allocated based on pupil premium

The government’s new £302 million “Covid recovery premium” will be allocated to schools on the same basis as the pupil premium, the Department for Education has confirmed. The fund was one of several initiatives announced by the government today to help pupils catch up. It is supposed to help schools to “bolster summer provision for […]

Secondary schools can start testing pupils on-site before March 8, DfE confirms

Secondary schools and colleges will be allowed to start testing pupils on-site before March 8, the Department for Education has confirmed. Increasing numbers of leaders have been calling for clarity on the matter since the announcement earlier this week that secondary school pupils will be tested four times – the first three on-site – when […]

Lost learning study: Pupils in poorer-intake schools further behind in reading, and 4 other key findings

Pupils in schools with the poorest intakes are further behind in reading than their counterparts in schools with more affluent rolls, a study into lost learning caused by Covid-19 has found. The Department for Education has released the first report from a research project run by Renaissance Learning and the Education Policy Institute, which was […]