DfE
The latest news and analysis on the Department for Education and the secretary of state for education, including new policy, legislation and appointments
Thursday
7th Dec 2023
Weekly round-up: Ruth Perry verdict and trainee shortage
This week’s essential education news includes the inquest ruling on the death of Ruth Perry and the DfE falling far short of its targets for new teacher trainees
Boris Johnson: Schools were ‘terrific Covid reservoirs’
The former prime minister told the Covid inquiry he was ‘desperate’ to keep schools open in January 2021 but ‘it wasn’t a runner’
DfE rejects MPs’ call for mental health review to tackle absence
There are ‘outstanding questions’ about whether schools have resources to meet demand for mental health and SEND services, says Robin Walker
Revealed: secondary ITT target missed by half
Government data shows the teacher recruitment crisis has ‘plumbed new depths’, heads’ leaders warn
Breaking: Only half of secondary teacher trainee target reached
The government has recruited just half of the secondary teacher trainees it said it needed this year
Wednesday
6th Dec 2023
Schools need tech investment to avoid online exam ‘divide’
Exam boards have called on the government to make sure schools have the digital access and guidance they need for online GCSE exams
DfE can’t yet give end date for RAAC crisis, MPs told
The education secretary, answering MPs’ questions on a range of issues, says some schools are still waiting for a second RAAC building survey
Pisa tests: the key insights behind the headlines
While the pandemic has been cited as the big factor in changes in the latest Pisa scores, there are also worrying longer-term trends, says the EPI’s Louis Hodge
231 schools now confirmed as having RAAC
Education secretary Gillian Keegan tells MPs that three schools with RAAC are still operating a hybrid model, with some pupils doing remote learning