National News
A new start after 60: ‘Alone for the first time in my life, I learned how to be happy’
Monday 16th May 2022Marian Elliott was devastated when her husband left her after almost 40 years together...
GCSE and A-level exam invigilator shortages mean parents and teachers are stepping in
Sunday 15th May 2022A union is warning of invigilator shortages as pupils sit their first summer exams since 2019...
Homerton College, Cambridge dining hall: good enough to eat in
Sunday 15th May 2022All drama on the outside, full of delicacy within, Feilden Fowles’s daring design for Cambridge’s most diverse college provides a bright, harmonious space that revels in the detailsWell this is a treat...
Headteachers fight for funds to shore up England’s dilapidated classrooms
Saturday 14th May 2022Hundreds of schools are queueing for cash to replace leaky roofs and failing heating...
England’s crumbling schools are a ‘risk to life’, officials warn No 10
Saturday 14th May 2022Leak reveals fears of education department that Treasury needs to stump up billions for rebuildingHeadteachers fight for funds for dilapidated classroomsMany school buildings in England are now in such disrepair they are a “risk to life”, according to internal government documents leaked to the Observer...
Zahawi rejects idea Oxbridge should ‘tilt system’ to accept more state pupils
Saturday 14th May 2022Education secretary says admissions should be based on merit and focus should be on improving schoolsThe education secretary has pushed back against the idea elite universities such as Oxford and Cambridge should “tilt the system” to accept more pupils from state schools...
How an Oxfordshire school created its own enriching baccalaureate
Saturday 14th May 2022Wood Green school is pioneering a new approach that aims to reward pupils for debating skills, teamwork and community service as well as academic success At Wood Green school in Witney, Oxfordshire, a group of year 7 pupils are trying to convince classmates that scientists have taught spinach to send emails...
The Ukrainian refugee schoolgirl learning fast in the UK
Thursday 12th May 2022Ukrainian refugee Marharyta, nine, is learning English as she waits to start school in Manchester...
GCSE and A-level exams 2022: What you need to know
Thursday 12th May 2022For the first time in two years, students are sitting exams across the UK - so what has changed?Read full story...
Bedford YMCA nursery parents' angry at 250% rise in fees
Wednesday 11th May 2022A father says he will struggle to find an extra £6,000 a year to pay for pre-school care...
Playground overhaul needed so disabled children can join the fun, charity says
Wednesday 11th May 2022Poor design means disabled children cannot use their local playgrounds, say campaigners...
Liphook Bohunt School teacher banned from profession
Wednesday 11th May 2022Katherine Veitch slapped a pupil while working as a teacher at Bohunt School in Liphook in 2020...
Childhood trauma experienced by four in 10 NI young people
Wednesday 11th May 2022Of the 1,300 young people who were asked, 478 had experienced at least one traumatic event...
Rise in reports of children abusing other children
Tuesday 10th May 2022The NSPCC has seen a 29% increase in reports of harmful sexual behaviour between young people...
Cancel culture? My play was shut down by rightwing activists before it even opened | Josie Dale-Jones
Tuesday 10th May 2022A small campaign’s capacity to cancel – unseen – The Family Sex Show is far more frightening than anything I had to say in itI am the producer and co-creator of a piece of theatre that was cancelled before it had even been seen...
GCSE and A-level exams 2022: What you need to know
Tuesday 10th May 2022For the first time in two years, students are sitting exams across the UK - so what has changed?Read full story...
Why India's poorest children are falling further behind
Monday 9th May 2022Lack of access to smartphones and computers is widening the education gulf in India...
Council-maintained schools outperform academies in England, study shows
Monday 9th May 2022Analysis of Ofsted rankings comes as government set to outline plans for all schools to join multi-academy trustsCouncil-maintained schools in England outperform academies in Ofsted rankings, according to analysis published on the day the government’s ambitions for all schools to join multi-academy trusts (Mats) are expected to be outlined in the Queen’s speech...
Council-run schools outperform academies in England, analysis shows
Monday 9th May 2022Study of Ofsted rankings comes as government set to outline plans for all schools to join multi-academy trustsCouncil-maintained schools in England outperform academies in Ofsted rankings, according to analysis published on the day the government’s ambitions for all schools to join multi-academy trusts (Mats) are expected to be outlined in the Queen’s speech...
Ofsted powers boosted to tackle illegal unregistered schools in England
Monday 9th May 2022England's schools regulator says such schools are often unsafe and do not provide a full education...
Flintshire road crossing 'dangerous', say campaigners
Monday 9th May 2022A car crashed into the pavement barrier along the slip road crossed by children on the school run...
Queen’s speech: which bills to expect
Monday 9th May 2022Measures expected to be announced include schools, levelling up and Brexit freedoms billsBoris Johnson will get the chance to give his government a mini relaunch when his legislative agenda for the next year is set out at the state opening of parliament in the Queen’s speech...
A new start after 60: ‘I took up hedgelaying at 65 and discovered a hidden connection with my father’
Monday 9th May 2022After a career in education, David Booker learned to ‘pleach’ – the ancient art of training hedges into secure boundaries...
Universities oppose plan for student cap and loans in England
Sunday 8th May 2022Restricting access to loans and limits on ‘low value’ courses would hit disadvantaged groups, say leadersUniversities across England have come out against proposals for limiting student numbers and access to loans, describing the plans as likely to crush aspirations and entrench disadvantage...
Ofsted to get new powers to tackle illegal unregistered schools in England
Sunday 8th May 2022England's schools regulator says such schools are often "unsafe" and don't provide a full education...
Not at university? The odds are stacked against you | Letters
Sunday 8th May 2022Those who do not go into tertiary education face structural inequalities, yet the government will not level the playing fieldSonia Sodha’s article brilliantly highlights the unfair advantage that young people who happen to be able to go to university enjoy over their counterparts who happen not to – ie a government-subsidised and societally supported transition to adulthood and independent living (“Is it fair that we spend so much helping middle-class children into adulthood?”, Comment)...
Cost of living: Facebook appeal helps Ipswich students go to prom
Saturday 7th May 2022Dozens of people offer outfits to teenagers who cannot afford to go to their high school's prom...
Why teachers quit: ‘I have friends up north who can’t afford their heating bill’
Saturday 7th May 2022Matthew Roberts, who wrote a play about the stresses of teaching, says he understands why people are leaving the professionMatthew Roberts, 44, is an English teacher at the Green School for Boys, a state secondary in Hounslow...
Number of male teachers in England at all-time low as pay levels drop
Saturday 7th May 2022New research also raises alarm over lack of minority ethnic senior teaching staffThe number of male secondary school teachers in England has fallen to its lowest proportion on record, according to new research that also highlights an alarming lack of senior teaching staff from ethnic minorities...
Dear Nadhim Zahawi, teaching empathy is difficult while Tory scandals pile up | Michael Rosen
Saturday 7th May 2022The party’s contempt for refugees and the goings on in Westminster make conveying moral values a tough jobI was in a secondary school last week, asked in to talk about how books and writing help with developing a sense of empathy...
Hepatitis in children mystery still being investigated as cases rise
Friday 6th May 2022Cases are being detected worldwide but UK scientists are no clearer on what's behind the rise...
Queen’s speech set to include crackdown on unregulated schools
Friday 6th May 2022Proposals to include threat of jail and unlimited fines for proprietors who ignore safeguarding concernsA planned crackdown on unsafe or unregulated independent schools is expected to be included in next week’s Queen’s speech, including the threat of jail sentences and unlimited fines for proprietors who ignore safeguarding concerns...
Pupils in England showing high anxiety in run-up to GCSEs and A-levels, teachers say
Friday 6th May 2022Reports of panic attacks, anger, self-harm and disengagement before first exams in three years since CovidExam stress: how to help children cope with GCSEs and A-levelsTeachers in England have observed high levels of anxiety among pupils in the run-up to GCSEs and A-levels, with reports of panic attacks, angry outbursts, self-harm and disengagement among students who will be the first to sit examinations in three years due to the pandemic...
Exam stress: how to help children cope with GCSEs and A-levels
Friday 6th May 2022Tips for parents and carers include talking openly, helping them relax, and creating revision routinesPupils showing high anxiety in run-up to GCSEs and A-levels, teachers say“I think the first thing is about being aware,” says Dr Dan O’Hare, the vice-chair of the British Psychological Society’s division of education and child psychology...
Holland Park School rife with exploitation and fear, report finds
Thursday 5th May 2022Pupils and staff were traumatised by their experiences at the west London school, a report finds...
Scores of safeguarding complaints at after-school clubs
Thursday 5th May 2022Claims including physical and sexual assaults in school grounds have been revealed by the BBC...
Disabled children 'dumped' in Ukrainian institutions
Wednesday 4th May 2022Thousands of disabled Ukrainian children reportedly left in institutions that can’t care for them...
Investigation finds school failed vulnerable children and misled Ofsted
Wednesday 4th May 2022Board expresses ‘deep regrets’ as damning report concludes ‘every complaint happened’An independent investigation into allegations of misconduct at a top London state school – including safeguarding breaches, discrimination, bullying and favouritism – has found that “on the balance of probabilities” every complaint made happened...
Pens down: England’s exams regulator exploring online A-levels and GCSEs
Wednesday 4th May 2022School leaders say online exams could allow them to go ahead in lockdown-style conditions in futureSitting exams using pen and paper could soon be a thing of the past, as England’s qualifications regulator, Ofqual, said it is exploring technology to transform the way GCSEs and A-levels are administered...
University student complaints over courses hit record
Wednesday 4th May 2022More than a third of issues examined by the independent adjudicator were related to the pandemic...
Homeschooling: Crafting and vlogging in home lessons
Wednesday 4th May 2022Skateboarder Destiny hones her craft and vlogging skills in homeschooling lessons...
‘Pupils are distressed’: community fights top London school’s takeover
Tuesday 3rd May 2022About 200 students at Holland Park school reportedly rioted in protests over plans to join academy chainParents and students at one of England’s top academy schools, where the children of Michael Gove and former Commons Speaker John Bercow are pupils, are locked in a bitter dispute with ministers about plans for the school to be taken over by one of the country’s largest academy chains...
University student complaints over courses hit record
Tuesday 3rd May 2022More than a third of issues examined by the independent adjudicator were related to the pandemic...
Face mask rules to be scrapped in schools in Wales
Tuesday 3rd May 2022High school pupils and visitors had been told to wear them between classes and in communal areas...
Tourette's: Girl, 12, hopes her book will help other children
Tuesday 3rd May 2022Lucy-Marie, 12, hopes her book can help dispel myths about the condition...
Billingham school 'won't be able to buy books' as costs rise
Monday 2nd May 2022A head teacher warns rising food and energy costs mean her school has less to spend on resources...
What did my son learn at school? That Thatcher was ‘OK’, apparently | Zoe Williams
Monday 2nd May 2022I would tell him about the miners’ strike and the abolition of free school milk...
Can you solve it? Are you a match for Britain’s teenage geniuses?
Monday 2nd May 2022Smash this perplexing ping pong poserToday’s puzzle appeared in last year’s British Mathematical Olympiad (BMO), a competition taken by almost 2,000 school pupils in the UK...
Student loan changes in England ‘could imperil supply of teachers and nurses’
Monday 2nd May 2022Less well-off young people may be put off university, hitting supply of graduates in key sectors, says reviewMore than two months after they were unveiled, the government’s student loan changes have now been reviewed and analysed in detail, with experts concluding they will be a gamechanger for higher education in England – but not in the way ministers hope...
Schools urged to adopt maligned National Tutoring Programme
Monday 2nd May 2022The education secretary pledges support for 40% of schools struggling to use post-Covid education recovery schemeThe education secretary will write to schools this week to urge them to use the government’s flagship national tutoring programme (NTP), which has been criticised for failing to help disadvantaged pupils...
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