department for education | Schools Week

No free laptops for schools with fewer than 15 self-isolating pupils

A school that is limiting attendance by operating a rota model or that has fewer than 15 children self-isolating with covid-19 symptoms cannot access free laptops or devices from the government. The Department for Education has published updated guidance today which explains how a school can access technology to support disadvantaged children who are “otherwise […]

Council encourages schools to contact test and trace teams first rather than DfE hotline

A council is urging schools to ignore new protocols for contacting the government’s national coronavirus helpline to report positive cases after it issued incorrect advice. The Department for Education seized control of handling calls about school Covid-19 cases last week after some were left in “limbo” waiting three days to get health advice from local […]

New ‘flagship’ study to solve why teachers leave

A new five-year study of 15,000 teachers will assess why staff drop out of the profession, the impact of Covid-19 and changing working conditions. The Department for Education says the longitudinal study will serve as its “flagship workforce research vehicle” and “fill key evidence gaps on a long-term basis”. In particular, the study will help […]

School rebuilding programme ‘will disappoint more than it pleases’, warns DfE director

A top civil servant has warned that the government “will be disappointing more people than we please” during the early years of its new school rebuilding programme. Rory Kennedy, the DfE’s director of capital, told a Westminster Education Forum webinar this morning that his experience working on Labour’s flagship “building schools for the future” project […]

It’s official: DfE doesn’t know how many schools have covid cases

The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in schools, a Freedom of Information request has revealed. The return to school has been disrupted with reports hundreds of schools have sent children home after suspected covid-19 cases, or a struggle to get those with symptoms tested. An […]

High-profile trusts win share of £1.5m ‘exemplary leadership’ fund

Four of England’s most high-profile academy trusts have won the first tranche of a £1.5 million government contract to deliver “exemplary leadership” training. Schools Week revealed earlier this year that the Department for Education was developing the leadership programme”, which will see ‘outstanding’ schools designing training programmes to replicate their success. However, the government was […]

TV star and celeb GP hired for ‘back-to-school’ promo

Ministers have come under fire for paying a television presenter up to an estimated £15,000 for social media posts promoting the government’s back-to-school campaign. Kirsty Gallacher used her Twitter and Instagram accounts to “reassure parents on the changes and safety measures in place at schools”. There’s a point where you wonder whether the government is […]

Pupil numbers set to fall 5.2% over the next decade, DfE predicts

The number of pupils in state-funded schools is expected to drop by 5.2 per cent over the next decade, new statistics show. Pupil projection data published by the Department for Education today states the overall population of state schools is expected to decrease by 408,000 to about 7.3 million by 2030. The figures show that […]

DfE spends £££s spinning Covid response

The government has spent tens of thousands of pounds in an attempt to present its response to the impact of coronavirus on education in a positive light. The Department for Education diverted an external PR agency promoting teaching vacancies to highlight its efforts to boost remote learning. It reallocated about 10 per cent of a […]