Tuesday
School starting age: what is happening in Northern Ireland?
Strong support for reform in schools system that has one of the youngest starting ages in Europe
We must not lose heart in the power of tutoring
Failings of the National Tutoring Programme risk undermining the power of tutoring to help tackle the attainment gap – at the very moment we need it most, explains the CEO of the Sutton Trust
Rise in FSM pupils ‘will distort attainment data’
A big increase in free school meals pupils, after changes to eligibility, will make tracking progress in closing the attainment gap almost impossible, warns NFER
Friday
Government needs to wake up to the reality in schools
Schools need help to mitigate staff absence and learning loss – and fast, argues Jon Severs
Covid tutoring: Why hasn’t the magic happened?
How come take-up for the National Tutoring Programme has been so low? Laura McInerney breaks down what’s gone wrong
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
Thursday
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
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
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
Wednesday
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
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
