Theme 1 news Covid DfE forks out £5m for Covid inquiry lawyers The department has contracted a global legal firm based in Manchester for five years Schools Week Reporter 3d Schools Week Reporter 3d Covid Long Covid affects 1 in 20 secondary pupils, study suggests Pupils with symptoms 12 weeks or more after getting Covid are also more likely to suffer mental health problems Freddie Whittaker 3w Freddie Whittaker 3w Covid Exclusive Vacancies for some school leader roles up 85% on pre-Covid rates Data also suggests more teaching vacancies have been advertised in the last five months than in any of the… Freddie Whittaker 4w Freddie Whittaker 4w Covid One in four pupils were persistently absent in autumn 2021 Changes to isolation rules reduced Covid-related absence, but illness drove a rise in other absences Freddie Whittaker 1mo Freddie Whittaker 1mo Covid Williamson provided wine and mince pies for DfE lockdown Xmas party Sue Gray report finds 50 staff were invited to the ‘festive drinks’ – organised days in advance Samantha Booth 1mo Samantha Booth 1mo Covid, Schools Exclusive Another procurement legal row emerges as DfE ‘under stress’ At least three major outsourcing contracts from the DfE have been at the centre of legal challenges Samantha Booth 2mo Samantha Booth 2mo Covid Reception pupils falling behind after pandemic, warns EEF Experts warn of ‘particularly concerning’ drop in early years development James Carr 2mo James Carr 2mo Covid Covid inquiry chair wants to investigate impact on children The UK’s public Covid inquiry chair wants to expand her remit to investigate how children and young people were… Samantha Booth 2mo Samantha Booth 2mo Covid Half of pupils kept wearing masks after January guidance change Most secondary pupils felt face coverings should be mandatory Freddie Whittaker 2mo Freddie Whittaker 2mo 1 2 3 4 5 6 17 Older Must Read Covid Exclusive DfE threatened with legal action over ‘unlawful’ Covid attendance rules The government is being threatened with legal action if it fails to update attendance guidance for vulnerable children and… James Carr 10mo James Carr 10mo Covid Academy trusts’ cash stash rises to £3bn despite pandemic pressures Academy trusts boosted their reserves and surpluses last year despite the upheaval of Covid, official figures show. New Department… Tom Belger 1y Tom Belger 1y