National News
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...
‘Apprenticeship penalty’ on benefits forces young people from poorer UK families to quit
Thursday 23rd April 2026Government advisers call for review of rules that cause loss of household income when a child takes up job training Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are abandoning valuable job training opportunities because of a little-known welfare “apprenticeship penalty” that can leave their families out of pocket by as much as £340 a week...
Schools forced to cut back on support for Send pupils in England, poll finds
Thursday 23rd April 2026More than 70% have cut down in past year on teaching assistants, who play key role in helping children with SendTwo-fifths of school leaders in England have been forced to cut back on support for children with special educational needs due to a financial crisis “more than a decade in the making”, according to a poll...
Plan for healthier school meals in England will hit services, say caterers
Thursday 23rd April 2026Trade body warns that changes are likely to drive up costs and push pupils to find somewhere to buy junk food Business live – latest updatesA government push to get schoolchildren eating more lentils, pulses and beans at lunch could have a “devastating effect”, making catering services unviable, school meal providers have warned...
I was wrong about the danger of smartphones in schools. It’s far, far worse than I thought | Lola Okolosie
Wednesday 22nd April 2026The new ban in England should be welcomed. But teachers like me know that enforcement is time-consuming – and even, sometimes, dangerousIt seems unbelievable now, but a decade ago we were debating the potential positive merits of mobile phones in schools...
Los Angeles school board votes to set limits on classroom screen time
Wednesday 22nd April 2026Measure will also limit device use during passing periods, lunch and recess and block YouTube on district devicesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Los Angeles unified school district’s board passed a resolution on Tuesday to curb students’ classroom screen time for the upcoming school year, in the latest effort nationwide to address adverse effects from excessive device use...
Inquiry clears Bristol school of antisemitism for postponing Jewish MP’s visit
Wednesday 22nd April 2026Independent review into Bristol Brunel academy finds Damien Egan visit was postponed over safeguarding concernsAn independent inquiry into a Bristol secondary school that found itself at the centre of a media storm after postponing a visit by a local Jewish MP has found no evidence of antisemitism or influence from lobby groups...
'I can't stop using it' - under-16s have their say on possible social media ban
Wednesday 22nd April 2026Thirty three children discussed possible limits the government are considering on social media...
Calls for clarity over schools smartphone ban
Wednesday 22nd April 2026Minister plan to ban smartphones in English schools, but headteachers and campaigners have called for more direction on how to enforce it...
No evidence of antisemitism at Bristol school that postponed visit by Jewish MP, review finds
Wednesday 22nd April 2026Independent inquiry into Bristol Brunel Academy found visit by Damien Egan was postponed solely on safeguarding groundsAn independent inquiry into a Bristol secondary school, which found itself at the centre of a media storm after postponing a visit by a local Jewish MP, has found no evidence of antisemitism or influence from lobby groups...
Officials too slow to act on falling pupil numbers in England, says watchdog
Wednesday 22nd April 2026Demographic changes will cause a glut of school places, according to National Audit Office reportA failure to account for England’s falling birthrate is leading to a glut of school places and a potential £1bn fall in pupil funding over the next three years, according to a National Audit Office report...
Texas can require public schools to display Ten Commandments, court rules
Tuesday 21st April 2026Appeals court ruling is a victory for conservatives who have long sought to incorporate more religion into schoolsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxTexas can require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, a US appeals court ruled Tuesday in a victory for conservatives who have long sought to incorporate more religion into schools...
‘Muslim kids are really underrepresented’: the animated movie where medieval maths meets eager young minds
Tuesday 21st April 2026Time Hoppers: The Silk Road is a time-travel adventure whose child heroes must save the legacy of Islamic scholars who shaped modern science...
Phones to be banned in schools by law in England under government plans
Tuesday 21st April 2026Education minister Jacqui Smith said the move would create "a clear legal requirement for schools"...
Mobile phones to be banned in schools in England under new plans
Monday 20th April 2026Government amendment to children’s wellbeing and schools bill to replace existing guidance with statutory banA ban on mobile phones in schools in England is to be introduced by the government to ensure that “critical safeguarding legislation” is passed...
'Huge relief' as students given loans 'in error' get repayment reprieve
Monday 20th April 2026Approximately 22,000 weekend students had been told their courses were never eligible for student finance...
Phones to be banned in schools by law in England, government says
Monday 20th April 2026Education minister Jacqui Smith said the move would create "a clear legal requirement for schools"...
Phones to be banned in schools by law in England under government plans
Monday 20th April 2026Education minister Jacqui Smith said the move would create "a clear legal requirement for schools"...
‘Exam-obsessed’ schools leave pupils unready for work, Alan Milburn says
Monday 20th April 2026Former minister leading review into young people and work cites survey showing most teachers decry lack of ‘soft skills’ An “exam-obsessed” school system is leaving young people unprepared for work, Alan Milburn has said, as new polling suggests teachers believe pupils are leaving education without the skills they need for adult life...
The Guardian view on school food: there is no instant solution to childhood obesity | Editorial
Sunday 19th April 2026Higher nutritional standards are a good idea. But ministers, like hungry pupils, must avoid looking for ‘grab-and-go’ fixesFor growing children, lunchtime is a vital moment in every day...
Fee hikes, big bonuses, then bosses exit: the curious case of City & Guilds privatisation
Sunday 19th April 2026Sale of vocational training brand and million-pound executive pay deals now subject to Charity Commission inquiryWhen electrician Charlie Butler was contacted by City & Guilds last autumn, he received a shock...
My weekly juggling act - being a teacher to other children and a mum to my own
Friday 17th April 2026Many teachers say they struggle to balance the pressures of their job with the demands of being a parent...
‘No cheeseburgers … they would go bankrupt’: pupils reject plan to cut fatty foods from lunch menus
Friday 17th April 2026Though welcomed by chefs and campaigners, many schools say the government’s plan to remove ‘grab and go’ options from the menu is a step too farIt is lunchtime at Richard Challoner school, a Catholic comprehensive for boys in New Malden, south-west London...
Sharp fall in number of children entering reception classes in London
Thursday 16th April 2026Capital’s schools hardest hit in England and Wales by rising housing costs and falling birthrate, with further falls predicted in coming yearsSchools in London continue to be hardest hit by housing costs and the falling birthrate...
The city where primary school places come with a toilet-training guide
Thursday 16th April 2026Teachers say more children are starting school without skills like basic communication and potty training...
Back to books - Sweden's schools cutting back on digital learning
Wednesday 15th April 2026Swedish classrooms swap laptops for books, pens and paper, raising concerns from the tech sector...
The city where primary school places come with a toilet-training guide
Wednesday 15th April 2026Teachers say more children are starting school without skills like basic communication and potty training...
UK parents: have you considered switching your children from school dinners to packed lunches?
Wednesday 15th April 2026We would like to hear parents’ views on their children’s school mealsThe government is to announce an overhaul to school food standards in England that will lead to dishes such as fish and chips and steamed sponges being banned...
English councils need to hire 1,400 more educational psychologists, says report
Wednesday 15th April 2026Rising demand from children with special needs means the £140m required could come from government grantsCouncils in England need to hire 1,400 more educational psychologists at a cost of £140m to meet demand from children with special needs such as autism, according to a new report...
Sri Lankan student could be deported from UK after one-day student fee delay
Wednesday 15th April 2026Coventry University reported Navodya De Silva, 25, to Home Office after £8,000 arrived late, causing termination of visaA Sri Lankan university student says her life has been ruined because a one-day delay in paying her tuition fees led to her being thrown off her degree course and put at risk of deportation...
'Children with maths dyslexia are set up to fail'
Wednesday 15th April 2026Often referred to as the "dyslexia of numbers", dyscalculia is thought to affect one in 20 people...
‘An incalculable loss’: Hampshire College to close doors after fall semester
Tuesday 14th April 2026Massachusetts liberal arts college laments ‘heartbreaking reality’ and says financial pressures to blameA Massachusetts liberal arts college is set to close permanently due to low enrollment and financial problems...
Why one school has banned phones for some pupils - but not others
Tuesday 14th April 2026Schools across Wales say phone bans improve behaviour but can mean conflict with pupils and parents...
School gets £4,500 for lockable mobile phone cases
Tuesday 14th April 2026The money will part-fund signal-blocking pouches for about 900 pupils aged 11 to 16...
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