Category: 'government'

The Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell MBE has called on Downing Street to put primary school libraries at the centre of the government’s response to the pandemic by ring-fencing £100m a year in spending to preserve under-threat facilities.

Downing Street is under increasing pressure to re-open schools before May half term following a shattering forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility which indicates that the UK economy will shrink by 35% as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.

As schools across the UK close to most pupils, parents are being urged to keep their children at home unless it is deemed “absolutely necessary”.

Starting salaries for teachers could rise by up to £6,000 under government plans to reform pay. The proposal would mean that a new teacher would earn a minimum of £30,000 from 2022/23, a significant increase from the current minimum in England and Wales (excluding London), which is £23,720.

Hundreds of children, parents and teachers from across England travelled to London last week to protest against schools closing early on a Friday.

Schools should be accountable for the exam results of pupils they have permanently excluded by including them in their league table rankings, a major new Government report will say.