Gavin Williamson | Schools Week

Schools to get two weeks’ notice of reopening, plus 4 more findings from Williamson’s media rounds

The education secretary did the morning media rounds this morning, facing questions about the safety of schools, when settings might reopen and calls for his resignation. Here’s what we learned from Gavin Williamson this morning. 1. Two weeks’ notice of reopening… Williamson told Sky News this morning the government wanted to give schools “as […]

‘His record is shambolic’: Labour demands Williamson’s resignation

Labour is calling on education secretary Gavin Williamson to resign over a “series of failures” during the Covid-19 pandemic. Shadow education secretary Kate Green said it was “time for Gavin Williamson to go”, following a debate in Parliament on the government’s work to provide free school meals and remote education support. He has bounced from […]

Tell us how grade inflation can be ‘washed out’, MPs urge Williamson

MPs have demanded to know how 2020 grade inflation will eventually be “washed out” of the exams system. In a letter to education secretary Gavin Williamson, education committee chair Robert Halfon said he was “keen to know your current thinking” about how grade inflation can be ended “once you deem it is appropriate to do […]

Williamson orders Greenwich council to withdraw early closure request

A London council which urged schools in its area to move to online learning this week has been ordered to withdraw its instructions by the education secretary, in the first use of emergency coronavirus powers granted earlier this year. Gavin Williamson has issued a “temporary continuity direction” under the emergency Coronavirus Act 2020 ordering the […]

Broken promises: DfE snubs exams transparency request

Gavin Williamson has snubbed demands from the education select committee to provide details of key meetings his department held with Ofqual in the run-up to the exams debacle, despite promising transparency. The education secretary had been ordered by committee chair Robert Halfon to provide the information by Monday, after missing an earlier deadline. It is […]

Revealed: What Ofqual’s explosive board minutes tell us about the exams fiasco

The ill-fated exams “triple lock” policy that sparked a chain of events culminating in pupils instead being awarded their centre-assessed grades was announced before Ofqual had been able to even sign it off. The exams regulator has today published its long-awaited board minutes that give a behind-the-scenes account of this year’s exams fiasco. They also […]

‘Dithering’ ministers urged to reveal 2021 exam plans

Ministers have been told to stop “dithering” and give schools clarity on what will happen with exams next year, following the Scottish government’s decision to cancel some tests and push others back. Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, has promised exams will take place and that full plans – including whether or not they will be […]

Williamson ally Nick Timothy handed DfE board role without competition

The education secretary has been accused of “trying to subvert process to help his political mates” after appointing an ally to a key government role without following usual procedures. Nick Timothy, Theresa May’s former chief of staff, was also made a non-executive director at the Department for Education before officials had received a declaration of […]

SEND review won’t be out until 2021, says Williamson

A landmark review into provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities won’t be published until next year, Gavin Williamson has said. The education secretary admitted in April that work on the review has stalled because of the coronavirus outbreak, and confirmed today that the report will now not be published until “the early […]