Welcome to the Tes coronavirus liveblog. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is causing uncertainties for everyone.
Schools are facing unprecedented disruption, with classrooms currently closed to all but the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils.
Here, we aim to help teachers in the UK and in international schools by gathering together all the relevant stories in one place and keeping you updated with the latest news and announcements as and when they happen.
And, as ever, we also want to hear from you. What is different in your school, in your working life, because of the virus? If you have stories you want to share or information you think should be circulated, then contact us at: william.stewart@tesglobal.com; charlotte.santry@tesglobal.com and Mary-Louise.Clews@tes.com.
Gibb: Covid will drive teachers to 'permanently adopt' tech skills
"When the effects of the pandemic are eventually a distant memory, the lessons that we have learnt will open the door to new opportunities for children to leave school shaped by a truly excellent education.
"That was the hope expressed by schools minister Nick Gibb today when he delivered his keynote speech at the BettFest edtech event.
Mr Gibb said said he was "confident" that the Covid crisis would improve teachers' use of technology.
Read the full story here.
School leaders welcome pausing of contact testing but say staff frustrated at another ‘U-turn’
The announcement that the government is pausing its use of rapid Covid tests to keep contacts of the virus in the classroom has received a mixed reaction from a school leaders’ union.
The NAHT has welcomed the decision but warned that school staff are “deeply frustrated” at another “U-turn and the “regular chaotic announcements” from government.
And the union has said there are now serious questions to answer about why the Department for Education pursued this policy in the first place.
Until today secondary schools and colleges have been told to use rapid lateral flow tests on anyone who is identified as a contact of the virus. If they test negative they can remain in school instead of having to self isolate.
However this proved to be controversial because of concerns that it will result in people with the virus getting false negative test results and being allowed to stay in school.
How Ofsted could join an online lesson
As teachers continue to adjust to the reality of working in the lockdown there is news of another change coming their way.
From next week an online lesson might include an Ofsted inspector.
It has been revealed that Ofsted inspectors could join a teacher's online lessons, use cameras when assessing remote education and ask to speak to pupils remotely as part of its plan for virtual inspections from next week.
The watchdog has published more details today on its plan to begin virtual visits to schools rated as requires improvement or inadequate for monitoring inspections.
It has planned to carry these out in person but abandoned this plan last week amid opposition for its own HMI inspectors.
Williamson asks schools to test staff twice a week after pausing use of Covid tests on those in contact with the virus
Education secretary Gavin Williamson has called on schools and colleges to increase regular testing of staff to twice a week to help break chains of Covid-19 transmission.
He has also confirmed that the Department for Education has accepted a recommendation from Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace that using lateral flow tests on people who have been in contact with a confirmed case of the virus in schools should be paused.
The announcement comes after concerns from school leaders, scientists and public health officials that the DfE's plan to use rapid tests as an alternative to self isolating could result in more cases of the virus in school.
DfE pauses use of Covid tests on close contacts of the virus after mounting controversy
The Department for Education's controversial plan to use daily rapid Covid testing to keep close contacts of confirmed cases of the virus in school is being "paused".
Public Health England has recommended putting this part of the government's Covid school testing plan on hold because of the higher rates of transmission of the virus caused by a new variant.
And the DfE has confirmed this morning that the recommendation has been accepted.
It comes amid mounting concerns from public health officials, school leaders and scientists about the government’s plan to use rapid Covid tests to keep people who have had contact with a confirmed case of the virus in schools if they test negative rather than asking them to self isolate.
The government has been warned that this could lead to more Covid cases in schools because the tests have been shown to provide false negatives.
Youngest pupils could be first back in Scottish schools
Scotland's education secretary has revealed that children in early primary could be among the first to return to school, given the analysis showing that they are "very unlikely to be transmitting the virus".
John Swinney said the Scottish government was also looking at getting pupils with additional support needs back at the earliest opportunity, as well as older secondary school pupils.
Read the full story here.
Led by the science
Good morning,
Yesterday’s news was dominated by the questioning of government scientists over rationale behind decisions on teacher vaccines, partial closures and school Covid tests.
We learned that a regional approach to school reopenings is likely, and that teacher vaccines won’t necessarily mean that schools can reopen.
And there was an admission that the government’s plan of daily Covid tests in schools risked an increase in virus transmission.
You can catch up on more of yesterday’s coronavirus related news here.
