UK
The latest news, analysis and thought leadership for UK schools
Thursday
11th Jun 2026
Sats marking scheme ‘trying to catch children out’, heads warn
School leaders’ union calls on the Standards and ÌÇÐÄVlogting Agency to abandon its ‘rigid’ approach to marking and reward children for demonstrating understanding
Exclusive
School paperwork surges due to ‘horrendous’ Ofsted workload
Around half of secondary schools have already produced extra documents to prepare for the new inspections
Wednesday
10th Jun 2026
AQA apologises after GCSE maths paper had wrong insert
Students sitting maths exam today only discovered the problem once papers had been opened – now AQA promises to contact schools before results day to ‘explain what we’ve done to make sure no learners are disadvantaged’
Exclusive
‘It’s just not cricket’: is brand the new battlefront for private schools overseas?
Commentators are predicting the dawn of a new era in international school competition in the wake of two Haileybury-branded schools in Kazakhstan switching to the Wellington brand
What Ofsted inspectors really think about inclusion
A union leader representing Ofsted HMIs says that, when considering inclusion, the views of inspectors must not be left out of accountability debates
How to create a better reader (hint: hard texts matter)
The curriculum review has sparked debate about which texts we should make space for in our classrooms, but how far does text choice really matter for improving reading? ÌÇÐÄVlog speaks to US literacy researcher Timothy Shanahan to find out
Schools should ‘self-fund’ building projects, says ex-DfE property boss
Suggestion comes amid reports that school buildings funding will be diverted into defence budget
International SEND comparisons are not always what they seem
While nations such as Canada, Italy and Portugal are often cited as SEND success stories, a deeper look at the data and context tells a different story, says this trust CEO
Tuesday
9th Jun 2026
Support-staff unions threaten industrial action over pay
GMB, Unison and Unite express ‘profound concerns’ over the direction of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body
Revealed: the most popular GCSE and A-level subjects in 2026
Provisional entries data for this summer has been released by Ofqual – with sharp drops in computing and French among the standout trends
DfE highlights Taylor Swift gig in crackdown on ‘one-off’ absences
Government publishes the research behind its plans to curb one-day absences, alongside a new parental communications guide for schools to help keep messaging ‘useful’
Nearly three-quarters of nursery schools to cut costs amid pressures
Many maintained nursery schools are struggling to stay afloat, research shows – at a time when the government is talking up early years’ role in getting children school-ready