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Coronavirus: How schools have dealt with day one of mass closures
Schools saw a “manageable” number of pupils arrive at their doors today as they begin to adjust to a new way of working, as parents “heeded calls” to keep their children at home unless they had no other option. But things did not go as smoothly elsewhere – with leaders reporting the requirement to submit…
17.59 Mar. 23rd, 2020 | News
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Coronavirus: Schools won't be penalised for absences, says Williamson
Schools will not be penalised for issues “that are completely outside their control”, Gavin Williamson has said, amid concerns about pupil absences caused by coronavirus. The education secretary told journalists at the ASCL conference in Birmingham this afternoon that the Department for Education would be taking a “sensible and pragmatic approach” to things like absences…
13.01 Mar. 13th, 2020 | News
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Ministers reject nine in 10 council bids to prop up high needs budget
Councils have warned of soaring deficits and diminishing support for vulnerable pupils after ministers rejected nine in 10 bids to shore up high needs budgets with general school funds. The local councils of both education secretary Gavin Williamson and schools minister Nick Gibb are among 22 local authorities denied permission by Williamson to move cash…
11.02 Mar. 13th, 2020 | News
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Williamson and Gibb re-appointed in post-Brexit reshuffle
Gavin Williamson will continue in the role of education secretary following a reshuffle that saw a number of his colleagues return to the backbenches. The MP for South Staffordshire, who has been in post since last July, said he was “delighted” to have been re-appointed by Boris Johnson in a long-awaited reshuffle held to mark…
15.00 Feb. 13th, 2020 | News
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Williamson backs 'Rolls Royce-level' degree apprenticeships for teachers
Gavin Williamson has backed the idea of a teaching apprenticeship for non-graduates, saying that the government should not limit talent. The new education secretary told Schools Week he believes that there are opportunities within the teaching profession to replicate the success of degree apprenticeship schemes run by firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Rolls Royce. I…
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Ministers to consider post-results university admissions
The government will consider whether pupils should apply to university after receiving their A-level results, after the education secretary backed a review of university admissions. Gavin Williamson has today expressed his support for a review by the Office for Students, which seeks to clamp down on hard-sell tactics used by some institutions, as well as…
10.01 Sep. 16th, 2019 | News
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New free school bids round leaves AP out in the cold
The government’s latest free school wave does not allow applications for new alternative provision, despite a major pledge from ministers to encourage and prioritise them. Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, told The Times earlier this month that opening new schools for excluded pupils would be prioritised. And when the Department for Education this week launched…
17.00 Sep. 13th, 2019 | News
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Meet the team: Your guide to the new DfE ministerial line-up
The Department for Education’s new ministerial team is now complete. Boris Johnson has finished his reshuffle after becoming Conservative leader and prime minister. Here’s your handy guide to who’s who on the seventh floor of Sanctuary Buildings. Gavin Williamson Education secretary The MP for South Staffordshire since 2010, Williamson previously served as Theresa May’s…
15.12 Jul. 30th, 2019 | News
