National news
Coronavirus: Moral duty to get all children back into school - PM
Sunday 9th August 2020Boris Johnson wants schools in England to be the last sector to close in any future local lockdowns...
Coronavirus: Moral duty to get all children back in school - PM
Sunday 9th August 2020Boris Johnson wants schools in England to be the last sector to close in any future local lockdowns...
What we are learning about Covid-19 and kids
Sunday 9th August 2020As schools around the world prepare to reopen, new scientific evidence about children and coronavirus is coming to lightCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBack in April, the French epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet found himself leading an investigation in the town of Crépy-en-Valois, a small community of 15,000 inhabitants just to the north-east of Paris...
Tough choices need to be made, but reopening schools is a priority
Sunday 9th August 2020Young people have been hugely affected by Covid-19...
Poetry saved me. Don’t deny it to next generation, pleads award-winner
Sunday 9th August 2020Rhythm, humour and politics of verse give young people a voice, says poet...
No hugs and one-way corridors: Scotland prepares for school in shadow of Covid-19
Sunday 9th August 2020Phased return begins this week, but unions and parents’ groups are concerned by lack of clarityCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWhen 700,000 Scottish children start returning to school from Tuesday, they’ll have to find new ways to mark their excitement: teenagers will be asked to avoid hugs and high-fives...
England's school behaviour tsar: 'Letting children off again and again is like a snooze alarm'
Saturday 8th August 2020I object to being called Tory Tom, says Tom Bennett, whose approach to school discipline is ‘very low tolerance’Reputations can be made – and lost – on Twitter, and few know that better than Tom Bennett, the government’s behaviour tsar in England...
'A dangerous first step': Simon Armitage among poets to blast GCSE decision
Saturday 8th August 2020Poet laureate joins Michael Rosen and Imtiaz Dharker to criticise Ofqual announcement that poetry will be optional next yearPoet laureate Simon Armitage and former children’s laureate Michael Rosen are among the top UK poets decrying the government’s decision to make poetry optional for GCSE students next year, describing it as “a dangerous first step”...
Poorer students will suffer in 'unfair' A-level grading model, UK parents warn
Saturday 8th August 2020Social mobility groups say Ofqual has a ‘moral imperative’ to address any exam result injustices that may occurSchools in England and Wales are braced for a fierce backlash from students and their parents this week, amid fears that A-level results to be published on Thursday will unfairly penalise disadvantaged students...
UK schools fear backlash from parents over 'unfair' A-level exam results
Saturday 8th August 2020Social mobility groups say Ofqual has a ‘moral imperative’ to address any exam result injustices that may occurSchools in England and Wales are braced for a fierce backlash from students and their parents this week, amid fears that A-level results to be published on Thursday will unfairly penalise disadvantaged students...
School funding plan 'benefits wealthier pupils most'
Friday 7th August 2020The government's latest funding plan could "disproportionately benefit schools in better-off areas"...
A-level and GCSE results: 'Improved' schools can challenge grades
Friday 7th August 2020The exam regulator adds greater rights of appeal amid concerns about unfair results in the pandemic...
A-level students: tell us how you're feeling about getting your results
Friday 7th August 2020We’d like to hear from sixth form students about the upcoming results dayThis week, the Scottish Qualifications Authority came under fire after admitting it downgraded nearly a quarter of all the recommended A-level results, heightening existing fears that school leavers’ grades would be negatively impacted by the pandemic across the UK...
How are exam grades being decided in England this year?
Friday 7th August 2020‘Standardisation’ method seems to largely mean results are being adjusted downwardsNearly 40% of A-level result predictions to be downgraded in EnglandThe government cancelled GCSE and A-level exams in England in March because of the Covid-19 pandemic...
The Guardian view on poetry in schools: don't let it go | Editorial
Friday 7th August 2020Finding meaning in verse can be a challenge for teenagers...
Coronavirus: The childcare 'jigsaw' parents are facing this summer
Thursday 6th August 2020Many holiday clubs aren't running and some have had to hike up prices - how are parents coping?Read full story...
Lazy speech: teacher critical of southerners – archive, 6 August 1938
Thursday 6th August 20206 August 1938: A speech training mistress tells how slovenly we are becoming in our speech todayStrong criticism of the growth of slovenly speech in this country was made by Miss M...
GCSE and A-level appeals process will be as fair as possible, says Williamson
Thursday 6th August 2020Exams watchdog confirms schools but not pupils will be able to appeal against resultsThe government has sought to allay mounting fears about GCSE and A-level results, promising that the appeal process will ensure that students with exceptional circumstances are not held back by the way grades have been calculated...
'Levelling up' school funding policy favours wealthy pupils – study
Thursday 6th August 2020Children on free school meals stand to lose out, potentially widening attainment gapChildren on free school meals and minority ethnic pupils in England will lose out under the government’s latest school funding plans, research suggests...
Schools able to appeal over students' GCSE and A-level results
Thursday 6th August 2020Exams watchdog confirms that English schools, but not pupils, will be able to call for a review after outcry over Scottish resultsSchools in England will be able to appeal against their students’ GCSE and A-level results in certain circumstances after an outcry this week over results in Scotland...
Child died after becoming trapped between two stairgates, report finds
Thursday 6th August 2020A health visitor reported worrying signs of "squalor" at the four-year-old's home days before...
Early-years workers quit 'underpaid and undervalued' jobs
Wednesday 5th August 2020You could earn more in Tesco, admits one pre-school leader as thousands leave the profession...
Schools 'must come before pubs and restaurants in future'
Wednesday 5th August 2020England's children's commissioner says the fundamental right to an education should be prioritised ahead of pubs...
BBC Three to work with young people on sitcom about pupil referral units
Wednesday 5th August 2020Exclusive: Scripted comedy PRU will ‘look past the stereotypes of kids who can’t behave’They’re the last option for many vulnerable and struggling pupils – but is there also potential for laughs in the world of pupil referral units? The BBC are set to produce a scripted comedy based around one such facility, partnering with an organisation who works with young people who have been removed from mainstream education...
Keeping England's schools open 'must take priority' in second wave of Covid-19
Wednesday 5th August 2020Children’s commissioner for England says pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops should close firstCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSchools should be last to close and first to reopen in the event of a second wave of Covid-19, with regular testing for pupils and teachers to reassure parents and keep schools safe, according to the children’s commissioner for England...
How renamed streets in Mumbai's slums are encouraging children to study
Wednesday 5th August 2020A mobile school helped Rehmuddin Shaikh become a rugby star...
Neil Ferguson predicts R number rise if secondary schools fully reopen
Wednesday 5th August 2020Ex-Sage scientist says pupils’ return in England may cause sharp increase in Covid casesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe epidemiologist whose modelling helped shape Britain’s coronavirus lockdown strategy has predicted a significant rise in the R number if secondary schools in England fully reopen...
Making poetry optional in GCSE English literature is out of tune with the times
Wednesday 5th August 2020Ofqual’s ruling comes at a time when more children than ever are reading and writing verseOfqual, the exams authority, has announced that next year schools won’t have to do all the components of English literature GCSE...
Schools reopening in England risks sharp rise in Covid cases, says expert
Wednesday 5th August 2020Ex-government adviser Neil Ferguson says teenagers as well as adults can transmit virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAs ministers and teachers wrestle with the challenge of safely opening schools in England in September, a former government adviser, Neil Ferguson, threw another spanner in the works by suggesting older teenagers could transmit the virus as well as adults...
Chicago students to begin school year with all-remote classes
Wednesday 5th August 2020District backed away from tentative plans to have most kids return to classroom for two days a week due to Covid-19 Chicago students will begin the fall with all-remote instruction, officials said on Wednesday as they backed away from tentative plans to have most kids return to the classroom for two days a week...
Fall in Welsh-capable teachers risks missing language target, report warns
Wednesday 5th August 2020Language decline among newly qualified teachers could undermine goal of reaching 1 million Welsh speakersA “striking” decline in the number of newly qualified teachers able to teach in Welsh could undermine the country’s ambition to have a million speakers of the language in 30 years’ time, a report warns...
Making poetry optional in GCSE English literature is out of tune with the times | Kate Clanchy
Wednesday 5th August 2020Ofqual’s ruling comes at a time when more children than ever are reading and writing verseOfqual, the exams authority, has announced that next year schools won’t have to do all the components of English literature GCSE...
Testing 'may not prevent new coronavirus wave' when schools reopen
Tuesday 4th August 2020Scientists say the UK test-and-trace scheme is not yet good enough to stop a resurgence of coronavirus...
Scotland's results day: School pupils get their grades after exam-free year
Tuesday 4th August 2020Grades were estimated by teachers after the coronavirus forced exams to be cancelled for the first time...
Coronavirus: GCSE students allowed to drop topics in 2021 exams
Tuesday 4th August 2020The move allows English and history pupils to focus on reduced content after disruption to lessons...
Testing and tracing 'key to schools returning', scientists say
Tuesday 4th August 2020Scientists say the UK test-and-trace scheme is not yet good enough to stop a resurgence of coronavirus...
Coronavirus: GCSE students allowed to drop poetry in 2021 exams
Tuesday 4th August 2020Other English and history topics will also become optional in England after disruption to lessons...
Dear Gavin Williamson, are you sure schools will be safe in September? | Michael Rosen
Tuesday 4th August 2020Clear instructions are lacking in how students, staff and parents are meant to behave or dress when schools in England reopenAs I’m going through the ups and downs of recovering from the effects of this terrible virus, I’m worried about your plans for a return to school and university in September in England...
The teacher who decided to 'unschool' her own children
Tuesday 4th August 2020Anna Dusseau felt her son and daughter were being ‘processed’ in school...
Scotland's results day: School pupils get their grades after exams cancelled
Tuesday 4th August 2020Grades were estimated by teachers after the coronavirus forced exams to be cancelled for the first time...
Will 'clearing plus' really make it easier to apply to university?
Tuesday 4th August 2020Ucas hopes its new scheme will save time and help socially disadvantaged students, but there have been criticisms tooWhere once university choices may have felt set in stone come A-level results day, today’s students are much more likely to assess their full range of options through clearing...
What a 200-year-old experiment can teach anxious parents about home schooling | Sarah Stein Lubrano
Tuesday 4th August 2020Learning isn’t only about textbooks, it’s about awakening in the pupil the desire to grapple with interesting challengesFor perhaps the first time in the history of modern education, millions of primary and secondary students may begin the school year from home...
SQA under fire after rejecting 124,000 exam recommendations
Tuesday 4th August 2020Scottish Qualifications Authority warned it will be deluged with appealsScotland’s exams authority has been warned it will be deluged with appeals after it rejected nearly 124,000 recommendations from teachers for this year’s exam results...
SQA under fire after downgrading 124,000 predicted exam results
Tuesday 4th August 2020Scottish Qualifications Authority warned it will be deluged with appealsScotland’s exams authority has been warned it will be deluged with appeals after it downgraded nearly 124,000 recommendations from teachers for this year’s exam results...
Seven reasons not to give up on poetry
Tuesday 4th August 2020Poetry will become an optional subject area in GCSE English literature exams next year...
GCSEs: Here's why you shouldn't give up on poetry
Tuesday 4th August 2020Poetry will become an optional subject area in GCSE English literature exams next year...
'Generation Covid': Children have been hit from all sides, and they're falling fast | Ailen Arreaza, Bethany Robertson and Justin Ruben
Monday 3rd August 2020Covid-19 means poverty, isolation, depression and educational failure for millions of American children...
Unions say government has 'head in sand' over 2021 GCSEs and A-levels
Monday 3rd August 2020Ofqual accused of ‘too little too late’ over reaction to impact of Covid-19 on school examsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government has been accused of having “its head in the sand” over next year’s GCSE and A-level exams, as headteachers complain that amendments do not go far enough to mitigate for the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic...
Concerns persist over plan to reopen schools in England
Monday 3rd August 2020School leaders say distancing rules unworkable, and unions critical of guidance on masksIn four weeks’ time, 9 million schoolchildren in England are due to put on their uniforms and return to schools that most of them will not have set foot in since March...
Coronavirus: How pandemic pods and zutors are changing home-schooling
Monday 3rd August 2020US parents are resorting to "pandemic pods" and garden classrooms - but will it deepen inequalities?Read full story...
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