Policy

The latest news, analysis and advice on government policy and legislation. Find a breakdown of new documentation, case studies from leaders and comment from high-profile educators

Friday

14th Jan 2022

GCSE MFL review: Why word lists are key
The chair of the review of subject content for GCSE modern foreign languages explains the rationale behind the new reforms put forward today
Word lists, foreign, language

Thursday

13th Jan 2022

Heads urged to promote vaccine for pupils aged 12 to 15
Government plea comes as new poll suggests most parents oppose teenage pupils receiving second dose of Covid jab
The DfE has urged schools to encourage parents to get 12 to 15-year-olds jabbed elsewhere.
6 dangers facing independent schools
Covid may not have affected private schools as much as they feared – but they are not out of the woods yet, says David James
Independent, schools, threats
A ‘piecemeal approach to education recovery’ helps no one
The CEO of a multi-academy trust says the government’s School Recovery Strategies reveal the major flaw in the heart of educational recovery plans – and one that needs fixing, fast
Why a 'piecemeal approach to educational recovery' helps no-one

Wednesday

12th Jan 2022

DfE has no Covid threshold for moving schools online
Robin Walker also tells MPs the decision to run exams this summer is constantly under review
image of empty desks
Randstad says schools lack ‘bandwidth’ to sign-up to NTP
National Tutoring Programme chief says 300k pupils have accessed the programme so far
Why it’s time to ditch attempts to tackle exam inflation
Sam Freedman outlines why the government should be thinking about ditching attempts to return to normal exam grade boundaries this year given the widespread disruption pupils have faced
Omicron, Exam
The rise of SEND ‘magnet schools’
The long-awaited SEND review is due in the next few months. Watching closely is a cohort of schools hoping that the report will address a growing gap – one between those schools with high numbers of pupils with SEND, and those with very few
Magnet, SEND
DfE’s 485 ex-teacher recruits ‘unlikely to stop school closures’
DfE announces it has found 485 ex-teachers to cover Covid absence but latest data shows 44,000 teachers and school leaders off
Absence, Scotland

Tuesday

11th Jan 2022

Covid pandemic ‘clearly’ not over, DfE admits
We’re not on our way out of the Covid crisis so deciding if there has been enough catch-up cash is ‘risky’, warns DfE recovery chief
pupil with mask holding books and looking out of window
Commissioner calls for real-time attendance data
Children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza reveals she is in talks with the DfE about creating live data showing who is in school
Extra £5m for ventilation in Scottish schools
Funding for school ventilation comes after long-running concerns over measures to guard against Covid in schools
Covid statement Nicola Sturgeon