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15 April 2026

Tag: Covid

Covid: Government ‘allowing mass infection of children’, scientists warn

Scientists have warned the government’s back to school plans are “reckless” and allow the “mass infection of children”. An open letter, published by the British Medical Journal today, accuses education secretary Gavin Williamson of endangering the health of hundreds of thousands of pupils and not following medical advice. The letter, signed by scientists, parents and […]

Civil servants spend too much time in a room with other civil servants

After four years in the job, Jonathan Slater was unceremoniously sacked as permanent secretary of the Department for Education. Now he’s calling for much more accountability within the civil service Jonathan Slater is on the phone to one of his daughters. The former Department for Education permanent secretary and his family have just moved to […]

Pupils might not have been taught parts of autumn exams, says Ofqual

Ofqual opted to make no adaptations to the majority of exams in the autumn series despite flagging it would mean “some students could be examined on aspects that they have not been taught”. Board minutes from a March 17 meeting, published today, show that student preparedness was a “key concern” for the regulators following the […]

Leading academy CEOs demand £5.8bn catch-up cash for poorer pupils

A group of leading academy trust bosses have set out proposals for a £5.8 billion Covid recovery plan, as Gavin Williamson confirmed he was lobbying within government for extra school funding. In an unusual intervention, the chief executives of five large multi-academy trusts have co-signed a letter to the education secretary warning failure to adopt […]

Teachers not at increased risk of severe Covid, study finds

Teachers and their households were not at an increased risk of experiencing severe Covid or being hospitalised from the virus during the last academic year, a new study has found. Researchers say findings from a Wellcome Trust study published by the British Medical Journal today should “reassure those who are engaged in face-to-face teaching”. They […]

Schools face ‘knife edge’ as scientists warn of ‘exponential’ Covid surge

A warning by government scientific advisers that schools will likely see “exponential” increases in Covid when they reopen has been described as “extremely worrying” by headteachers as the new term approaches. In a consensus statement on the return to schools published today, the government’s Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling warned it was “highly likely that […]

Covid: School attendance data collection to go weekly from October

Schools will be asked to submit Covid-19  attendance data to the government on a weekly rather than daily basis from October, it has been announced. The educational setting status form, which has provided the government with information about attendance and Covid-related absences throughout the pandemic, will reopen for the autumn term on Thursday. In an […]

Vaccines to be offered to 16 and 17-year-olds ‘within weeks’

School leaders have welcomed the government’s plan to make vaccines available to 16- and 17-year-olds across England within “a short number of weeks”. The rollout has now been approved for over-16s by the government’s joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI), but it stopped short of recommending jabs for younger children. Professor Wei Shen Lim, […]