Russell Group warned over ‘divisive’ support for entry thresholds
New leader of research-intensive grouping says ‘challenging conversations’ needed but critics urge united front against political attacks.
What changes in regulatory culture might follow from the University of Sussex’s High Court victory over OfS?
The recent High Court ruling on free speech has larger implications for how the sector in England is regulated.
Facing a downhill march for bootcamp funding
Funding for devolved areas to run skills bootcamps has been cut by more than half this financial year, data suggests.
Former DfE civil servant appointed DWP permanent secretary
Dame Sarah Healey has been named as the Department for Work and Pensions’ next permanent secretary.
Insider wins promotion to lead FE college group
A deputy principal will step up to replace chief executive Craig Hodgson when he retires from Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG).
Simon Bartley: a champion of skills and young people
Tributes from across the world have been paid to Simon Bartley, the former chief executive of UK Skills and president of WorldSkills International, who died last month aged 68.
£2.5m fund to study how AI tools are affecting learning
The government’s go-to education research body has opened a £2.5 million research fund to fill an “urgent evidence gap” on how tools like ChatGPT have impacted the way pupils learn.
Grammar schools are inclusive, says Ofsted
Ofsted has branded every grammar school inspected so far under its new framework as inclusive, prompting a backlash from social mobility campaigners.
Cleaners consider strike as Ark cancels wage agreement
One of England’s most influential academy trusts has stopped offering the real living wage to staff this year, blaming stretched budgets and falling rolls.
More than 500k pupils in schools with EHCPs
The number of pupils with an education health and care plan has reached another record high, with more than 500,000 children now receiving statutory support for special educational needs in school.
Almost half of the disadvantage gap ‘locks in’ by age 11 – research
Almost half of the GCSE attainment gap between poorer pupils and their better-off peers is “locked in” by the end of primary school, new research has warned.
Cambridge fined £875k for automated test blunder
The University of Cambridge has been fined £875,000 after automated marking failures caused tens of thousands of people to receive incorrect English language test results, including some needed for visa, immigration and university applications.
Sats marking scheme ‘trying to catch children out’, heads warn
School leaders’ union calls on the Standards and Testing Agency to abandon its ‘rigid’ approach to marking and reward children for demonstrating understanding.
School paperwork surges due to ‘horrendous’ Ofsted workload
Around half of secondary schools have already produced extra documents to prepare for the new inspections.
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’.
ASCL to create ‘safe space’ for trust CEOs to ‘amplify’ their voice
New network aims to make government more aware of the challenges being faced by academy trust leaders.
Adult skills funding 2026-27: rule changes you need to know
Construction safety card costs, free maths and English courses for apprentices, visa documentation requirements and frozen funding rates have all been confirmed in new adult skills fund rules published today.
Post-16 students trail schools in mental health teams rollout
Fewer than half of post-16 students are covered by the government’s mental health support teams, despite ministers today claiming they are on track to roll out the service to every school and college by 2029.
‘No room for complacency’ as 35,000 teachers choose to walk away
More than 35,000 teachers walked away from the profession last year for reasons other than retirement with retention rates for new teachers and the use of non-specialist teachers in secondary school still notable concerns.
Children’s enjoyment of reading increases for first time in five years
The renewed focus on reading for pleasure seems to be paying off as children’s engagement with reading has risen for the first time in five years.