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22 April 2026

Tag: education policy

Will Young calls for buddy system for LGBT pupils

Singer Will Young has called for schools to adopt a “buddy system” to change the language used around homosexuality. Young, a campaigner for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) rights, urged teachers to create an environment within their schools that fostered inclusivity – including ending the use of “gay” as a pejorative term. The former […]

8 things we know about the latest shadow education secretary

As revealed exclusively by Schools Week, Angela Rayner is Labour’s third shadow education secretary this week. Here’s what we know about her… She was born in Stockport in 1980. At 36, she is the youngest person to hold the role of shadow education secretary since it was created (as shadow secretary of state for education and science) […]

White paper is a ‘goner’, says policy expert

Major reforms such as forced academisation face being kyboshed in the wake of Brexit, Whitehall experts have told Schools Week. Policies unveiled in the government’s latest education white paper, published just three months ago, could be sidelined until a new government forms, and could even be dropped, they say. Those policies include plans to force […]

Ofsted will consider scrapping ‘outstanding’ grade, says new chief inspector

Ofsted will consider scrapping its controversial ‘outstanding’ grade, the new chief inspector has told MPs. Amanda Spielman, who has been selected by the government to succeed Sir Michael Wilshaw when his term ends at the end of the year, told MPs on the education select committee this morning that she wanted to have “discussions” about […]

Child poverty increases by 200,000 — putting pressure on school welfare services

Child poverty has soared over the last year with an additional 200,000 children now living in low income families according to new government figures — adding to concerns that schools will need to become “mini-welfare states” to support pupils. The statistics, published by the Department for Work and Pensions last week, show that 3.9 million children […]

Speed-read: What does the 2016 census data tell us about our schools?

School census data from January 2016 has been released by the government today. Here are the main points… 1. A smaller proportion of pupils are claiming free school meals   In January 2016, the proportion of pupils claiming free school meals hit 14.3 per cent, the lowest since the collection of pupil level information began. […]

More resignations leave Labour’s education team less than half full

Labour’s shadow education team has lost more than half of its members after another flurry of resignations linked to the party’s leadership crisis. The ability of the opposition to effectively challenge government education policies has been called into question after its team was reduced from seven to three members in the space of less than 48 hours. […]

Could multi-academy trusts be a potential model for the good local authorities?

We’ve heard some local authorities are looking at setting up a multi-academy trust – could this be a potential model for the good local authorities? Antony says: The government has made its policy position on the role of local authorities in education very clear in the white paper. It sees local authorities taking on a “more […]

Access arrangements — are they a right or a privilege?

Recent changes to the official guidelines on access arrangements and assistive technology have wide-reaching implications for all pupils if implemented equitably, argues Andrew Harland Access arrangements (AA) help pupils with special educational needs, learning difficulties, disabilities or temporary injuries, to access the exam system. They are often seen as the preserve of pupils with special […]