Covid-19: Government action demanded as student attendance falls to 84 per cent 30 September 2020 A sharp fall in the number of secondary schools able to remain fully open has caused widespread concern and renewed calls for government action.
Teachers call for clarity over infection rate 'thresholds' for school closures 30 September 2020 Teachers are to debate calls for more detailed contingency plans for potential local lockdowns, including clarity about the infection rate thresholds at which school closures could or should be triggered.
County lines: Safeguarding alert as cases rise sharply 23 September 2020 A county lines safeguarding alert has been issued to schools after a worrying spike in referrals nationally.
Schools warned of 'long, hard winter' ahead amid Covid testing chaos 23 September 2020 Schools are facing up to a “long, hard winter” ahead as Covid-19 testing delays and rising infection rates have already seen a spike in the numbers of pupils being sent home.
Schools urged to keep teacher training placements to prevent recruitment bottleneck 22 September 2020 Schools and ministers must make it a priority to retain the influx of new trainee teachers that has come as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and recession.
Local authorities urged to act now on air pollution around schools 16 September 2020 Reducing air pollution around UK schools could halve the number of children with lung function so poor it affects their everyday lives, researchers have concluded.
Pressure builds over inconsistent school safety measures and Covid-19 testing problems 16 September 2020 ?Some schools are failing to implement consistent Covid-19 safety measures, including social distancing and enhanced cleaning, while on-going delays to track and trace are putting school leaders in an “impossible situation”.
Pay rises branded 'divisive and inadequate' by both teacher and leadership unions 16 September 2020 This year’s teacher pay rise, which gives early career teachers 5.5 per cent compared to a 2.75 per cent uplift for more experienced colleagues, has been labelled “divisive and inadequate” by both teacher and leadership unions.
Environment design and school building competition inspires young architects 15 September 2020 Budding young architects have produced stunning environmental designs with a range of innovative eco ideas as part of our lockdown competition run in conjunction with TG Escapes
Safeguarding: Councils braced for spike in referrals as ‘Covid lockdown cloak’ is lifted 9 September 2020 There was an 18 per cent fall in the number of referrals to children’s social care services at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown, government figures have revealed.
Food insecurity: Marcus Rashford leads campaign to extend FSM to 1.5 million more pupils 9 September 2020 Fourteen per cent of UK families report having suffered from moderate or severe food insecurity in the last six months – affecting an estimated 2.3 million children.
Back to school: Schools report high attendance and positive responses from pupils, parents and staff 8 September 2020 Headteachers are reporting high attendances and a positive response from parents and children after the full re-opening of schools following the Covid-19 lockdown and summer break.
Back to School Guide: Education technology & remote education 2 September 2020 In this 12-page Back to School Guide we consider what the technological legacy of the Covid-19 lockdown will be for schools, including the teaching and working practices that will continue, and advice on effective remote education.
Local lockdown guidance: Schools urged to set 'realistic expectations' 2 September 2020 Schools getting to grips with the last-minute government guidance on managing education during local lockdowns have been urged to focus on the “art of the possible” and to maintain “realistic expectations”.
Student wellbeing: Teachers offered specialist support 2 September 2020 Teachers are being offered free access to specialist support to help them talk to students about the pandemic, managing anxiety and related wellbeing issues.
Covid safety measures will hit teaching standards, research warns 1 September 2020 A majority of teachers have concerns about being able to teach to their usual standard in the classroom while Covid-19 measures are in place.
Masks: Secondary schools welcome new discretionary powers 26 August 2020 Secondary school leaders and teachers have welcomed new discretionary powers that will allow them to decide whether face masks should be worn in school.
GCSE learning gap stands at 22.7 months for the most persistently disadvantaged 26 August 2020 Disadvantaged students are 18.1 months of learning behind their peers by the time they take their GCSEs – a gap that rises to 22.7 months for those children living in the most persistent poverty, and 29 months for looked after children.
Schools offered Covid-19 mental health support in £8m government programme 26 August 2020 Mental health experts are to provide training and support to schools as part of a national programme to tackle the emotional impact of Covid-19 on students and staff.
Schools face £10,000 bill for full re-opening in September 15 July 2020 Schools face additional costs of around £10,000 in order to allow all pupils to return to the classroom in September – and they are unlikely to be reimbursed by the government.
New report: Covid-19 catch-up funding must be weighted towards disadvantaged pupils 15 July 2020 The £650 million coronavirus catch-up funding must be weighted towards disadvantaged schools and students, researchers have warned.
Covid-19: Vulnerable teens may "never return to education" 8 July 2020 As many as 123,000 vulnerable teenagers risk “falling through gaps” in the school and social care system, with many in danger of “never returning to full-time education”. 1 comment
Ofsted's September 'visits' are not 'inspection by stealth' – Amanda Spielman 8 July 2020 Ofsted’s plan to begin visiting schools again from September is not “inspection by stealth” and is a genuine attempt to offer “constructive challenge” and build a picture of practice across England’s schools. 1 comment
Back to School Guide: Teaching & Learning 8 July 2020 In this 12-page guide, we consider what teaching and learning should look like in schools from this September when all pupils are due to return following the Covid-19 lockdown...
Transport dilemma puts full school re-opening at risk 8 July 2020 Problems with transport and travel to and from school mean that official guidance for fully re-opening this September is likely to prove “unworkable” for secondary schools, an analysis has suggested.
2 September 2020