Secondary

Wednesday

13th Dec 2023

Less than 1 in 3 schools offer core maths, Royal Society warns
Heads’ leaders say schools do not have enough specialist teachers for core maths because of recruitment challenges and focus on GCSE resits
Less than 1 in 3 schools offer core maths according to Royal Society

Tuesday

12th Dec 2023

GCSEs: ‘Stifling’ curriculum ‘overloads’ students, warn Lords
Ministers should scrap the EBacc and reduce student assessment, according to cross-party Lords committee
The Government’s emphasis on a knowledge-rich approach has led to an 11–16 curriculum which stifles pupils' engagement, Lords warn.

Friday

8th Dec 2023

Louise Hayward: Assessment review ‘not radical’
Education secretary has predicted a ‘radical shift in Scottish education’ – but reform report author insists there is nothing revolutionary about its proposals
Louise Hayward: Assessment review ‘not radical’

Wednesday

6th Dec 2023

Schools need tech investment to avoid online exam ‘divide’
Exam boards have called on the government to make sure schools have the digital access and guidance they need for online GCSE exams
Computers digital divide
OCR to launch first fully online GCSE in 2025
The exam board has announced it will launch a digitally-assessed computer science GCSE in 2025 if it gets Ofqual approval
Exam board OCR has announced plans for the first digital GCSE in computer science to be launched in 2025.

Tuesday

5th Dec 2023

Private schools more likely to win exam grade appeals
Appeals from the wealthiest parts of Scotland after the 2023 SQA exams were also more likely to be successful, new analysis shows
Private schools more likely to successfully appeal exam grades
Scotland’s Pisa scores drop across the board
Reading, science and maths results in Scotland drop to record lows, but Pisa scores across the OECD have fallen in first update since Covid pandemic
Dropping scores
UK’s Pisa scores fall in maths, science and reading
The decline in performance should ‘concern us a lot’, says international education figure – but others urge caution when interpreting the results
Teenage girl walking down stairs

Friday

1st Dec 2023

GCSEs 2024: Heads warning over mock exams
Unions and exam boards welcome planned use of equation and formulae sheets in 2024 exams – but ASCL warns that the Ofqual consultation came after some schools sat mock exams
GCSEs 2024: Heads warning over mock exams

Thursday

30th Nov 2023

Sharp rise in exam special consideration requests
There was a 21 per cent increase in the number of approved requests for marks to be adjusted in the 2023 exams compared with pre-pandemic figures
Sharp rise in exam special consideration requests

Wednesday

22nd Nov 2023

Gender pay gap hits 12-year high for secondary heads
Female secondary headteachers earn £3,908 less a year on average than their male counterparts, an analysis reveals
The gender pay gap for secondary school headteachers is at its widest point in 12 years.

Tuesday

21st Nov 2023

Every secondary hit by teacher shortage, says education director
A teacher shortage in the north east of Scotland is leading to subjects being watered down or removed from the school curriculum entirely
Education director calls for action over secondary teacher shortages