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27 April 2026

Author: Freddie Whittaker

DfE officials grilled over Covid-19 response, 7 things we learned

Senior officials from the Department for Education were grilled by MPs this morning about the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood, Covid response director Mike Pettifer and director general for early years and school groups, appeared in front of the public accounts committee. Here’s what we learned.   1. DfE […]

Kate Green reveals Labour’s education recovery priorities

A Labour government elected tomorrow would focus on addressing educational inequalities and look at the “content of what’s happening in schools” to check it is preparing pupils for a “unpredictable but exciting future”, Kate Green has said. The shadow education secretary addressed ASCL’s virtual annual conference this afternoon, and revealed she would look to “design […]

Five-fold increase in secondary pupils isolating due to in-school Covid contact

The number of secondary pupils self-isolating because of a potential contact with a Covid case in school increased more than five-fold last week as settings welcomed back more older pupils. Data published by the Department for Education shows 58,400 secondary school pupils were self-isolating due to a potential contact in school last Thursday, up from […]

DfE refuses to release reports on school buildings

The government has been accused of “knee-jerk secrecy” after refusing to release reports on the condition of school buildings in England – leaving heads in the dark over future funding. Schools Week requested copies of condition reports for 50 schools selected in the first year of the government’s ten-year rebuilding scheme. It comes after school […]

Geoff Barton to serve second term as ASCL leader

Geoff Barton is to serve a second term as general secretary of the ASCL school leadership union, after being re-elected unopposed. Elected in a landslide victory in the first contested election for the role in 2017, Barton’s first term was due to end next year. But ASCL announced today that the former secondary school headteacher […]

DfE finally deletes pupil nationality and country of birth data

The Department for Education has finally deleted its controversial migrant children database, years after it stopped collecting pupil nationality data. Data collected from children in schools is for educational purposes. Not immigration enforcement Additional questions on nationality and country of birth were added to the school census in 2016, but removed in 2018 after a […]

Labour calls on DfE to ‘guarantee’ free school meals support over Easter

Labour is calling on the government to provide free school meals vouchers or cash payments over the Easter holidays, warning extensions to a Covid grant for councils and the holiday activities and food programme don’t go far enough. The government has said free school meals vouchers won’t be offered over Easter, although some councils are […]