department for education | Schools Week

Exams 2021: Heads will have to confirm pupils have learned ‘sufficient content’ for progression

Headteachers will have to confirm GCSE and A-level students have been taught “sufficient content” to allow them to progress to the next stage in their education when submitting teacher assessment grades this year. Ofqual has this morning published its response to the consultation on plans to replace exams with teacher assessments this summer. The Department […]

Exams 2021: Externally-set questions to be ‘optional’ for schools

Schools won’t be forced to use externally-set questions when determining their pupils’ GCSE and A-level grades this year, the government has confirmed. Teacher assessments will be used to issue grades to pupils this summer after formal exams were cancelled following partial school closures. A joint consultation by Ofqual and the Department for Education last month […]

‘Too slow’: More delays as lost learning expert group ‘refocused’

An expert group promised by ministers to provide solutions to uneven lost learning across the country is now being “refocused”, leaving its membership still up in the air two months after being announced. Before exams were cancelled in December, the Department for Education announced the advisory panel would “monitor and advise on lost and differential […]

Students make up half of respondents to ‘largest ever’ exams consultation

Nearly 47,000 students have responded to the government’s call to have their say on replacing exams this summer – making up half of all responses in what is thought to be the Department for Education’s largest ever consultation. It marks a huge increase from the student voice in last year’s consultation to replace exams, when […]

Majority of primaries had more than a fifth of pupils attend this week, DfE stats show

The majority of primary schools that opened this week had more than a fifth of children attending on Monday, new statistics have revealed. The government’s attendance survey – responded to by 82 per cent of state-funded schools in England – found that 14 per cent of pupils on roll were in school on January 11. […]

Susan Acland-Hood made permanent boss at DfE

The Department for Education’s current acting boss will step up to the role on a permanent basis, it has been announced. Susan Acland-Hood will become the DfE’s full permanent secretary with immediate effect, having covered the role since September. Acland-Hood took over from Jonathan Slater, who stepped down on September 1 amid the fallout of […]

DfE relaunch forces policy experts to reapply for posts

The Department for Education is “refreshing” its team of experts who inform policy-making – just 18 months after recruiting them. The department started recruiting 200 “external experts” two years ago under a £10 million contract that was labelled at the time as a “waste of public money”. About 100 experts have been recruited. But the […]

Covid advisory group signed gagging orders, DfE reveals

Twelve members of a group advising the Department for Education on its Covid-19 response have signed gagging orders. Schools Week revealed in May that the recovery advisory group, made up of academy leaders, charity bosses and others, had been formed to help the department. It has now emerged that the group members signed personal confidentiality […]

DfE won’t say if NTP second-year cash is new

The government’s flagship National Tutoring Programme will be funded for an extra year, but the Department for Education has been unable to confirm whether the cash is new. Schools Week revealed on Wednesday that the scheme was heading for a second year, and the DfE belatedly confirmed the move yesterday. Gavin Williamson said the spending […]