Need to know: GCSE fears, teacher strikes and back-to-school blues

In the week when exclusive Tes research revealed teachers’ fears about exam grades this year, the likelihood of strikes in the autumn increased and one wellbeing expert offered advice to help school staff overcome their anxiety about returning to the classroom after the summer break.

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

News

• Exclusive: Nine in 10 teachers fear GCSE and A-level grades will be unfair 
  An overwhelming majority of teachers are concerned that their students will not get the GCSE and A-level grades they deserve - from the first exams since 2019 - because of disruption caused by the Covid pandemic, a Tes poll reveals.
   
• Teacher strike threat as pay deal rejected 
  The NASUWT teaching union says it is “committed” to a ballot on industrial action in the autumn if the government does not improve its pay offer, after members rejected the current pay deal in a survey.
   
• GCSEs 2022: Drop in grades is necessary, says minister 
  Schools minister Will Quince has said the country must return to a position where qualifications “maintain their value”, referring to an expected fall in GCSE and A-level grades this year after grade inflation during the past two Covid-affected years.
   
• Revealed: The eight lead schools for flexible working 
  Eight schools and academy trusts have been given Department for Education contracts to promote flexible working in their regions, under a plan to improve teacher recruitment and cut the number of staff leaving the profession.
   
• AQA staff to strike on A-level results day  
  Staff at the country’s biggest exam board, AQA, are planning to strike again over pay on A-level results day. AQA has denied the union Unison’s claim that the walkout could cause issues for teenagers trying to contact the exam board on results day.
   
• Scotland’s exam results: what we’ve learned 
  The first exam results since 2019 were delivered in Scotland on Tuesday. Here Tes breaks down the figures, which show a widening of the attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their wealthier peers.

Features

• GCSEs and A levels 2022: Eight trends to expect on results day 
  As teachers and students in England prepare to receive the first exam results since 2019, Tes looks at the patterns in grading that they can expect to see when results are released later this month.
   
• Five research studies teachers should know about 
  With education research having a growing influence on teaching practice, Tes rounds up five key research papers from the 2021-22 academic year that you won’t want to miss.
   
• 5 tips to help teachers beat the back-to-school blues 
  If you’re already dreading returning to the classroom, Gemma Clark has some advice to help ease your anxiety - and protect your wellbeing in the first few weeks of the new school year.
   
• How to make exams more inclusive 
  These are the changes that neurodivergent students, and their teachers and parents, say they would like to see to make the exam system more inclusive, writes headteacher Robin Macpherson.