General

As Christmas approaches, there are a number of things all students will have on their wishlist – from a lightened workload for their teachers to access to support

School leaders’ union urges government to ensure that heads are not expected to contact Covid cases after 22 December

This English teacher started her first job three weeks before the March lockdown – and while it has been a bumpy ride, there is light at the end of the tunnel

Teaching union says it is doubtful suggested regional disadvantage plan would work, while shadow education secretary Kate Green says DfE delay means exams will be less fair in 2021

Unions say college staff will be ‘outraged’ at the offer by the Association of Colleges, and it shows leaders cannot be trusted to spend public funds as intended

Not returning to full inspections until the summer term was a ‘common-sense decision’, college leaders said

Ofsted will carry out ‘some activity’ in January, but the deputy director for FE and skills does not expect this to include graded inspections

Amanda Spielman defends plan to send inspectors back into schools for the inspectorate’s autumn visits

Chief inspector Amanda Spielman says she does not expect Ofsted to return to graded school inspections in January

Why is it still taboo for teachers to declare that they will not work all hours of the day, the weekend and the holidays? Emma Sheppard reports

Disbelief at SQA suggestion that students studying instruments hit by Covid restrictions ‘learn a different instrument’

Senior leaders operate in two ways – they are either ‘groups’ or ‘gangs’, according to one theory. Gangs develop out of fear and can be devastating, spreading anxiety through school – but there are steps you can take to make things right, says Maria Williamson