Welcome to the Tes coronavirus liveblog. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is causing uncertainties for everyone.
Schools are facing unprecedented disruption with efforts to keep open and 'Covid-secure' and many teachers facing working with "bubbles" of pupils or delivering remote lessons.
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.
DfE admits there's no new money for extra tutoring
In June, the DfE promised to invest a cool £350 million in a new tutoring programme to help pupils catch up on their studies in 2020-21.
But today it has emerged that the money will be split over two years, not one, in what the shadow schools minister has called a "terrible betrayal of children and young people".
The department said the NTP had been extended for at least another year and it was correct to say that the £350 million covered the full two years of the programme.
Read the full story here.
Ofsted's current inspection framework not helpful in pandemic, say heads
Ofsted is set to make a return to routine inspection next year - but the details of how and when are yet to be announced.
Today Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the NAHT school leaders union, has urged the inspectorate not to try to return with its current inspection framework or to grade schools.
He also warned the watchdog that returning to inspection in January would be “ridiculous”.
His comments come as Ofsted confirmed that inspectors would be going back into schools for its Autumn visits after the national lockdown finishes this week.
1 in 4 special school pupils ‘sat at home’ during Covid crisis
Amy Skipp, the director of ASK research, said new figures have shown that attendance in special schools and colleges has been between 70 and 75 per cent.
And separate figures show a similar proportion of pupils with education health and care plans were in attendance across all state schools last week - at 77 per cent.
Nine options to counter exam disruption
The DfE’s long-awaited plan to counter Covid disruption to next year's exams is not too far away.
In the meantime, Tes has examined some of the more likely options, including Covid asterisks on exam certificates as a symbol denoting the disruption suffered by an individual candidate.
We also look at options which are falling out of favour, including cancelling exams altogether - as has happened in Scotland and Wales.
Whichever option is chosen, the head of the UK's biggest schools exam board has already admitted the problem of the coronavirus upheaval is "not completely solvable".
Read our piece here
Back to school for Ofsted? Not for a while, it seems.
If there is something to look forward to at the end of the current lockdown, Ofsted going back into schools for its “visits” is probably not at the top of teachers’ list.
But it seems the watchdog has changed its mind. Visits had been moved online a month ago, but Ofsted said it would resume in-person visits at the end of the lockdown, which ends on Wednesday.
It now seems the matter is under review and visits may be staying online.
Read more here.
Flexed muscles and mass disobedience
It is all too possible that Covid could still cancel Christmas, at least in some schools with rising infection numbers, heads are warning.
Some fear they will have to ask students and staff to self-isolate during the Christmas period to stop infections.
And a heads' union has accused the government of flexing its muscles and warned of "mass disobedience" from schools not allowed to close early this term to stop Covid in its tracks.
Read more here.
What does the end of lockdown hold for schools?
Good morning.
National lockdown ends this week, and a new tiered system is due to come into force on Wednesday.
Amid Westminster wrangles over the restrictions placed upon each local authority are, schools are trying to unpick what the changes mean for them.
And, on Friday, new government guidance set out a "Covid-19 contingency framework for schools".
The guidance confirmed the news revealed by Tes that school rotas were to be banned under new plans for central government to take control of contingency measures for keeping children in education.
But we can expect plenty of kickback from teachers and heads who feel they are best placed to make decisions for their school communities.
You can catch up on the rest of last week's developments here.
