Need to know: Exam malpractice, ‘stuck’ schools and behaviour

In a week when the government’s plans for schools “stuck” with poor Ofsted gradings left ministers on a very sticky wicket, Tes presented a guide to help schools handle cases of exam malpractice and concerns were voiced about “teacher influencers”.

Catch up on your must-read Tes news and features articles from the past week right here:

News

• Zahawi orders long Covid review as teacher cases rise 
  The education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, plans to release new guidance to schools on handling cases of long Covid, with research suggesting that more than a third of secondary schools are facing workforce challenges due to the condition.
   
• Exams: Physics students “doubly penalised by grading” 
  A-level physics students are faced with “more severe” grading in the subject - as well as in other subjects they are likely to take alongside it, new research suggests.
   
• “Perverse” DfE plan for “stuck” schools “risks further damage” 
  The DfE’s plan to move schools with consistently low Ofsted ratings into “strong” academy trusts has come under fire from school leaders’ unions.
   
• Joining a MAT “doesn’t help struggling primary schools” 
  Moving to a multi-academy trust has little positive effect on primary schools that have been “stuck” with low Ofsted ratings, researchers say.
   
• Key stage 1 pass marks raised due to “easier tests” 
  The threshold for achieving the expected standard in KS1 reading and maths has been raised slightly this year, the Department for Education has announced.

Features

• “Stuck” schools? It’s the system that’s “stuck” 
  Instead of trying to identify what is wrong with schools “stuck” with poor Ofsted ratings, we should be looking at the wider failings in the education system that are leaving schools in this position in the first place, writes Tes editor Jon Severs.
   
• Exam malpractice: what is it and how do you report it? 
  With the exam season under way, Tes presents a guide to what constitutes malpractice in GCSE and A-level exams, as well as Sats tests - and the process for reporting it.
   
• Why we banned shouting at school 
  One head explains how stopping shouting - by both pupils and staff - had a big impact on behaviour at this school.
   
• What do “teacher influencers” mean for schools? 
  Teachers with a big presence on social media seem to be largely responsible for the growth of research-informed practice - but does this increase the risk of “lethal mutations” of research being spread across the sector? A new study aims to find out.
   
• GCSEs and A levels: Should learner profiles replace exams? 
  Learner profiles that provide evidence of a student’s longer-term achievements at school would be fairer than grades based simply on end-of-course exams, say these three educationalists.
   
• Why story time needs to change 
  Whole-class story time isn’t the most effective way to develop pupils’ language and communication skills, research shows.