National News
Student loans inquiry responses show ‘massive scale of frustration and upset’
Wednesday 27th May 2026More than 52,000 people respond to Commons committee’s call for evidence amid criticism of loan termsThousands of graduates have told an official inquiry their horror stories and bad experiences relating to student loans, underlining what the chair of an MPs’ committee called massive levels of “frustration and upset”...
The Guardian view on support for youth: someone in government should grab hold of school sports | Editorial
Tuesday 26th May 2026With concerns about childhood obesity and screen use sky-high, cuts to primary PE are an unforced errorWith remarkably poor timing, days before closing a consultation on children’s social media use, the government announced last week that it is cutting an annual £320m sports premium for primary schools in England...
Education secretary to order review of hidden childcare costs
Monday 25th May 2026Bridget Phillipson will ask the competition watchdog to examine costs that families are still facing in government-funded free childcare...
Education secretary to ask competition watchdog to review hidden childcare costs
Monday 25th May 2026Bridget Phillipson will ask the competition watchdog to examine costs that families are still facing in government-funded free childcare...
‘Massive’ child abuse scandal in France as school staff investigated for violence and sexual assault
Monday 25th May 2026Paris police looking into more than 100 allegations of mistreatment by ‘monitors’ after parents’ groups said they had fought for years to be taken seriouslyFrance is facing a child abuse scandal as ‘monitors’ at dozens of state nursery and primary schools are investigated for violence, sexual assault and rape...
Nurseries in England charging extra fees to cover funding gap, campaigners say
Monday 25th May 2026Head of Early Years Alliance says additional charges paid by parents represent ‘cross-subsidy’Parents of nursery children in England are being charged extra fees to cover for government underfunding of free childcare hours, with some paying thousands of pounds a year for consumables such as food, wipes and nappies, campaigners have said...
I avoid AI tools because thinking is supposed to be hard. It’s what makes us human | Wendy Liu
Sunday 24th May 2026As intelligence itself becomes privatised by big tech, allowing your intellectual faculties to wither in service of inane bots seems a dangerous moveLong before the age of multi-billion-dollar AI companies promising to disrupt the field of software development, I was learning to code the hard way...
Bridget Phillipson orders review of hidden childcare charges hitting parents
Sunday 24th May 2026Education secretary asks UK watchdog to look into nursery practices, including non-refundable deposits and add-onsBridget Phillipson, the education secretary, is ordering a competition review of hidden childcare charges amid concerns parents are being hit with extra charges, despite the government’s flagship expansion of funded childcare hours...
Labour to expand youth work experience and training schemes
Sunday 24th May 2026Announcement comes after former minister Alan Milburn says Britain has neglected a generation of young peopleMinisters are expanding youth work experience and training schemes, after Alan Milburn warned Britain is spending £25 keeping young people on benefits for every £1 spent helping them into work...
Primary schools lose out as Labour slashes sport funding
Friday 22nd May 2026New scheme will be worth 40% less than current government grants and will be shared with secondariesFunding for primary school sport in England is to be slashed by Labour, including the abolition of a grant designed to cement the 2012 Olympic legacy, to the dismay of school leaders...
Primary schools to lose out as Labour scraps 2012 Olympic legacy sports grant
Friday 22nd May 2026Replacement scheme worth about 40% less than current funding greeted with scepticism by headteachersFunding for primary school sport in England is to be cut by Labour, including the abolition of a grant designed to cement the 2012 Olympic legacy, to the dismay of school leaders...
UK police bosses urge unsafe platforms to be blocked for under-16s
Thursday 21st May 2026The NCA and NPCC say children should be blocked from accessing sites which do not stop them seeing nudes or being contacted by strangers...
Meta settles major social media addiction lawsuit with school district
Thursday 21st May 2026Kentucky is one of about 1,200 school districts across the US that have each sued Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTubeMeta agreed to settle a major lawsuit on Thursday with a school district in Kentucky over claims that its social networks are designed to be addictive, leading to harm in children...
‘It’s put the joy levels up’: the flood-prone London school with a climate-adapted playground
Thursday 21st May 2026When pupils could no longer play outside, St John’s school in Barnet decided to act, enlisting Trees for Cities to help rethink its outside spaceThe play area at St John’s Church of England primary in Barnet, north London, used to flood so severely it was often unusable...
Schools are ‘pipeline’ to joblessness for many people, says ex-Labour adviser
Thursday 21st May 2026Ban social media and reform education to tackle scandal of young people not in work or study, says Peter HymanSchools have become a “pipeline” to worklessness for a large cohort of young people in the UK, according to an influential former Labour adviser who has called for urgent action to help a “lost generation”...
Struggling with the nine times table? I have a failsafe method | Adrian Chiles
Thursday 21st May 2026Apparently, nines are the hardest to grasp for primary school children...
‘Attainment at all costs’ approach could undermine Send changes, school leaders in England say
Wednesday 20th May 2026Union says emphasis on academic goals conflicts with proposed measures on special educational needs provisionChanges to special educational needs provision in England could be thwarted by “academic attainment at all costs” policies that prioritise exam results and punish inclusive schools, headteachers have said in response to a government consultation...
Children’s reading should prioritise pleasure over learning, says laureate
Tuesday 19th May 2026Frank Cottrell-Boyce tells MPs to focus on early-years reading, with more support for parents and nursery workersThe children’s laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, has urged the government to prioritise pleasure over learning in children’s reading...
After dinosaurs, it’s spot the dog! But can a child really learn anything in a gallery?
Monday 18th May 2026Galleries such as National Museum Cardiff pull in children with their play areas and pencils – but stick around and you’ll notice kids critiquing Turner paintings tooNeil Osborne and his three-year-old daughter Daisy are peering at a small, shimmering painting by JMW Turner of foaming waves crashing against a cliff...
Sons of jailed Saudi scholars urge Cambridge to drop plans to train Riyadh staff
Sunday 17th May 2026Exclusive: Families of men facing death penalty join opposition to proposals to run courses for defence ministryThe families of two scholars facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia have appealed to the University of Cambridge to drop proposals to run staff training courses for Riyadh’s defence ministry...
Canvas hack: is it ever a good idea to pay a ransom, and what happens to the data?
Saturday 16th May 2026Businesses are advised against paying – but as the Canvas platform hack shows, many are prepared to deal to protect users’ privacyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAfter a week of outages, hundreds of millions of students’ data stolen, delayed assignment due dates, and school login pages being defaced by hackers, US tech firm Instructure – which operates the education platform Canvas, used by education providers worldwide – announced it had “reached an agreement with the unauthorised actor” behind the ransomware attack...
La Gradiva review – stunning coming-of-age story of young love and sexual tension
Saturday 16th May 2026Cannes film festival: Marine Atlan’s debut film follows a group of French high-school kids and their long-suffering teacher on a visit to Pompeii and NaplesHere is cinematographer turned director Marine Atlan’s beautiful debut film about young love, superbly acted and directed...
King’s College and Cranfield hope to be stronger together in surprise merger
Friday 15th May 2026News will come as a shock to staff, especially at Cranfield, but the institutions’ bosses say intention is growthThe announcement that King’s College London is to absorb Cranfield University came as a surprise but not a shock to England’s higher education leaders, who have been braced for sudden announcements about job cuts and course closures...
Privately educated CEOs seen as ‘safer bet’ by investors, study finds
Thursday 14th May 2026Privilege being mistaken for competence as study reveals no evidence to suggest companies run by state-educated peers underperformChief executives who attended private school are perceived by investors as a “safer bet”, according to a study, despite there being no evidence they perform or behave differently to their state-educated counterparts...
The south London community where ‘pioneering’ scholarship choristers are made
Wednesday 13th May 2026St John the Divine, Kennington has built one of UK’s largest youth choral programmes in area marked by deprivation St Paul’s Cathedral school, one of the UK’s most prestigious private schools, has long been associated with the musical elite...
US university’s commencement speaker reveals he will pay off students’ final-year loans
Tuesday 12th May 2026Anil Kochhar hopes textile graduates of North Carolina State can leave with ‘greater freedom to pursue goals’Anil Kochhar, a North Carolina State University donor, gave graduates of the school’s Wilson College of Textiles a lot more than just words of wisdom when he delivered their keynote commencement address recently...
Youth mobility scheme disagreement hampering reset of UK-EU relations
Tuesday 12th May 2026Deal was expected by end of month but talks hit buffers over cap on number of people entering UK and tuition feesUK politics live – latest updatesEurope live – latest updatesSignificant gaps remain in negotiations on the reset in relations between the UK and the EU despite Keir Starmer’s latest pledge to put Britain “at the heart of Europe” after last week’s election drubbing...
Birmingham City University urged not to axe Black studies MA
Monday 11th May 2026More than 100 figures sign open letter criticising closure, just months after MA was launchedMore than 100 academics, writers and activists from around the world have signed an open letter condemning plans to close an MA in Black studies and global justice at Birmingham City University (BCU), just months after it was first launched...
Cambridge University seeks deal with Saudi defence ministry despite rights concerns
Monday 11th May 2026Senior academics describe the Judge business school’s proposal to provide services and training as ‘horrifying’Cambridge University’s business school is seeking to provide “leadership development” and “innovation management” to Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry despite concerns over its government’s record on human rights and climate change, the Guardian has learned...
‘One of the greatest invisible tragedies’: is the loss of childhood imagination inevitable?
Sunday 10th May 2026We have created the most stifling and sanitised imaginative space conceivable for children, says teacher Brendan James Murray...
I knew my writing students were using AI. Their confessions led to a powerful teaching moment | Micah Nathan
Sunday 10th May 2026The problem wasn’t just the perfectly polished, yet mediocre prose...
‘It’s about recognising our role in history’: Bradford exhibition to revisit live Somali display
Saturday 9th May 2026At the city’s Great Exhibition of 1904, 57 Somali men, women and children cooked, weaved and danced for visitorsIt was, the posters said, a rare chance to see a “little known but interesting people”: a live display of 57 Somali men, women and children who cooked, weaved and danced for the entertainment of hundreds of thousands of Edwardians who flocked to Yorkshire to see them...
Mo Farah urges against possible £120m cut to school sports in England
Thursday 7th May 2026Athlete and sport bodies call for rethink after health and education departments each propose £60m funding cutsMo Farah and more than 70 leading UK sporting bodies have demanded the government rethink potential £120m cuts to school sports in England, after a clash between two departments over the funding...
My kids are taking their first big exams – and revealing my own anxieties about AI and long division | Emma Brockes
Thursday 7th May 2026As the traditional route of school, university and entry-level job is ever more precarious, it’s no wonder parents are feeling the strainCalled on to do long division, how would you fare? I had no illusions going in...
‘Close to zero impact’: US study casts doubt on effect of phone ban in schools
Tuesday 5th May 2026Researchers say findings are not reason to shy away from restrictions as MPs consider ban in England’s schoolsStrict bans on mobile phones in schools have “close to zero” impact on student learning and show no evidence of improvements in attendance or online bullying, a study has found...
‘Go inside, he will kill you’: Israeli militants step up West Bank school attacks
Saturday 2nd May 2026Education is being targeted across Palestine, with the murder of 14-year-old Aws al-Naasan only the latest in a spree of violenceThe Israeli reservist shot 14-year-old Aws al-Naasan in the head just outside the western gate of the Mughayyir boys’ secondary school, where he was studying in ninth grade...
Ofsted inspections pushing headteachers to ‘point of destruction’, union chief says
Friday 1st May 2026NAHT leader says schools watchdog for England does not raise standards, amid opposition to ‘Nando’s-style’ scoringSchool leaders are being pressurised “to the point of destruction”, the head of a teaching union has said, as he put the education establishment “on notice”...
I took an algorithm to court in Sweden. The algorithm won | Charlotta Kronblad
Thursday 30th April 2026Gothenburg promised to optimise school admissions with a piece of code...
What is Ofsted and how does the new school ratings system work?
Thursday 30th April 2026The rating system changed after the death of head Ruth Perry highlighted the pressure of inspections...
University of Sussex overturns £585,000 fine as high court rejects free speech breach claim
Wednesday 29th April 2026Ruling is blow to Office for Students after it issued record fine for allegations over professor’s trans rights viewsThe University of Sussex has overturned a £585,000 fine from England’s higher education watchdog after the high court rejected claims that the university breached free speech regulations in a case involving a former professor...
Office for Students’ University of Sussex humiliation is a symptom of deeper failings
Wednesday 29th April 2026England’s higher education regulator must rebuild trust with troubled sector after series of blunders under previous leadershipIn its brief and unhappy life, England’s Office for Students has been offered a series of challenges it has largely failed to meet...
Teaching in classes grouped by ability does not hamper progress of less able pupils, study finds
Tuesday 28th April 2026Research on maths teaching in English secondary schools upends decades of debate over mixed-ability educationTeaching pupils in classes grouped by ability improves the results of high-flyers but does not affect the progress of less able children, according to a study that upends decades of debate over mixed-ability education...
Calls for ‘student premium’ to support disadvantaged young people after GCSEs
Tuesday 28th April 2026Social mobility groups say post-16 funding gap risks young people falling out of education, work and trainingA coalition of 14 social mobility organisations is urging the government to fund a “student premium” to support disadvantaged young people post-16 and prevent them from “falling through the cracks” into joblessness...
The Guardian view on screens in schools: big tech is finally under the microscope | Editorial
Monday 27th April 2026Scrutiny of the impact of technology on children’s lives and education should be welcomedA new law banning mobile phone use in schools in England, which ministers reluctantly agreed to last week, is on one level the result of political manoeuvring by Liberal Democrat and Conservative peers – who forced their hand by threatening to derail the schools bill...
What the parties promise Welsh voters on the NHS, schools, childcare and tax
Monday 27th April 2026Labour, Plaid Cymru, Reform, the Greens, the Tories and the Lib Dems set out competing plans but offer little detail on how they would pay for themThe parties most likely to win the Senedd election next month offer radically different futures for Wales, but all six are facing criticism for not being “upfront” in their manifestos about the fiscal challenges the next Welsh government will face...
Half of England’s schools unfit due to leaks, mould and faulty toilets, poll finds
Monday 27th April 2026NAHT survey says widespread disrepair forcing closure of playgrounds and classrooms, with Send facilities also hitHalf of headteachers say parts of their school are either out of use or unfit for purpose due to leaks, damp, mould, asbestos, ageing boilers and malfunctioning fire doors, according to a new survey by the National Association of Head Teachers(NAHT)...
HSBC ‘reviewing’ private school perk for bankers in Hong Kong
Monday 27th April 2026Hundreds of senior staff in territory benefit from nearly £30,000-a-year grant per child not available to staff in group’s other hubs HSBC is reportedly reviewing a perk that covers school fees for bankers in Hong Kong as part of a big overhaul of the bank under chief executive Georges Elhedery...
I’m out of a job after issues at the schools I worked for. Is it my fault? | Annalisa Barbieri
Sunday 26th April 2026It feels as if your work and your identity are fused...
A federal program has helped Native Hawaiian medical students for 35 years. It’s now being sued for discrimination
Saturday 25th April 2026Do No Harm, a conservative group, wants the scholarship, which has helped islands’ underserved communities, declared unconstitutionalDoctors and health experts in Hawaii say a decades-old federal program meant to support Native Hawaiians through medical school and better serve some of the islands’ most underserved communities is under attack after a conservative group filed suit...
‘I’m spending my house deposit savings to pay off my postgrad student loan’
Friday 24th April 2026Lucy O’Brien was shocked when she discovered how high interest rates were leading to ballooning debtLike many of my drowning-in-debt “plan 2” student loan comrades, I didn’t think twice about diving straight into a master’s degree, bright-eyed and fresh out of my undergraduate course in 2021...
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