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DfE finally confirms £320m PE and sport premium will continue in 2021-22

Primary schools will continue to receive the £320 million PE and sport premium in the next academic year, the Department for Education has finally confirmed. Schools will also be able to carry forward underspends from this year and last so they can “prioritise physical activities, sport and physical education with mental health and wellbeing support, […]

Schools, pupils and their characteristics 2021: 5 things we learned

The secondary and special school populations continue to grow in England, the latest data shows, with a slight decrease in the number of primary pupils and a big fall in those attending pupil referral units. The Department for Education has published its annual schools, pupils and their characteristics data collection, which is based on the […]

Williamson announces autumn 2021 phonics screening check

An autumn phonics screening check will take place again this year, the education secretary has announced. Gavin Williamson told the Festival of Education this afternoon that as was the case in 2020, the check will be held in the autumn “so that any pupils who need support with phonics are spotted early”. The check was […]

Spielman: Don’t ‘chop out’ safeguarding from Ofsted, give us cash to inspect it properly

Chief inspector Amanda Spielman has rejected calls to “chop out” safeguarding from Ofsted’s remit, and said the watchdog could do more with increased funding. Spielman was questioned by the Parliamentary education committee this morning following the release last week of Ofsted’s review into school sex abuse. The review accused school leaders and teachers of “consistently […]

Number 10 seeks education deputy director for new delivery unit

Number 10 is seeking a “deputy director for education, jobs and skills” to work in a new unit set up to drive policy implementation. According to a job advert, the new £71,000 to £117,800-a-year role will be based in the Number 10 Delivery Unit, a new team within the Cabinet Office that “should grow to […]

Academy trust CEOs net top gongs in Queen’s birthday honours 2021

Academy trust leaders Maura Regan and Hamid Patel have been awarded top gongs in this year’s Queen’s birthday honours list, which recognises 61 people working in or with the English schools community. Regan, chief executive of the Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, is to be made a Dame, while Patel, chief executive of Star Academies, […]

Covid: Masks still in place and onsite testing returns in ‘Delta’ hotspot schools

Headteachers in “Delta” Covid variant hotspots are “praying” the virus does not rip through their schools again in the coming weeks, with one having to send seven in ten pupils home last half term. Mask rules remain in place in many north-west schools, while some have resumed in-school testing and have hosted temporary vaccine centres. […]

Sports charities demand clarity on future of £320m PE and sport premium

The leaders of 40 charities and sporting organisations have written to the government demanding “urgent clarity” on the future of the £320 million PE and sport premium. With less than six weeks to go until the end of the summer term for most schools, leaders are still waiting to hear whether the funding, worth £18,000 […]