Education secretary Gavin Williamson has recently outlined his plans for Ofsted, exams and catch-up funding. Here are some of his key education objectives for the near future: Accelerated Ofsted Inspections Williamson is considering accelerating the timetable of Ofsted inspections. There are some schools that have not been inspected for 14 years, and many of them…
According to a recent Tes poll, 8 in 10 teachers believe that the workload for grading GCSEs and A Levels has been too intense. Two thirds of teachers have reported that they have lost at least a week of their own time to grading work. A Tes survey conducted of 2,800 teachers suggested that 64 percent worked…
This year’s teacher assessed GCSE and A-Level grading system has put immense pressure on both teachers and students. Students particularly feel overwhelming pressure due to the amount of mock exams and assessments they have had to perform in order to generate evidence for their grades. Unfortunately, this has taken its toll on the mental health…
After a new study reviewing the experiences of 21 SEND pupils in mainstream primary and secondary schools, Ofsted claims that some of these pupils are not receiving sufficient support. Many of the schools and families that took part in the research had experienced long waiting times and high levels of bureaucracy in the Education, Health…
In the first instalment of its research review series, Ofsted has determined what it believes to be the key principles of good science teaching. Through their inspections they are planning to closely examine how science is being taught in schools. Thorough subject investigation will be used to gather evidence concerning the quality of education in…
Ofqual’s director of standards and comparability has stated that exam boards would request samples of work from every school for quality assurance. Some of the requirements include: Schools Will Need to Provide Samples of GCSE and A-Level Work Once schools submit grades, exam boards will request evidence from no less than five each of A-level and GCSE…
Since the pandemic, many teachers have naturally moved into a hybrid teaching and blended learning model. Whilst some may still prefer more traditional methods, others have fully embraced the new approach. For many it has become second nature to use a mixture of online learning resources with homeschoolers, and face-to-face teaching with those in school….
Summer is soon approaching, which likewise indicates that GCSE exam results are impending. After last year’s grading disaster through Ofqual’s predictive algorithm, many teachers fear the outcome of this year’s new grading approach. New government instructions require headteachers to carry out an “excessive” amount of assessments on students, as well as use historical data on their…
With lockdown rules relaxing in the UK this month, some teachers are concerned that this will discourage students from following Covid safety rules. Teachers’ leaders have warned that a potential third wave of Coronavirus cases could threaten schools after Easter unless strict safety measures remain in place. The NASUWT teachers’ union have suggested that the government…
Since the dependency of online learning due to Covid, some are predicting that it could lead to the transitioning of paper to online exams much sooner than expected. The Department for Education (DfE) has suggested that a shift in attitude towards digital GCSEs has occurred due to the cancellation of summer exams. Sources close to…
