With the prospect of schools being told to expect a near 50 per cent hike in their gas bills, one council supplier has asked ministers for a bail-out to meet rising energy costs. Energy costs are often the second highest expenditure in schools (behind the annual wage bill). Commenting as councils raise
COVID-19
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and Health Secretary Sajid Javid have written a joint letter to parents of secondary school and college students to thank them for all their efforts in keeping education safe for all during the pandemic and talk about the importance of vaccinations and regular testing. The letter said:
Schools will have greater flexibility to offer high-quality 15-hour tutoring courses that meet the needs of their pupils in a major expansion of the National Tutoring Programme, backed by £1 billion the government has announced. The programme is expected to reach up to six million pupils across the country in total over the next three years
CO2 monitors will be provided to all state-funded education settings from September, so staff can quickly identify where ventilation needs to be improved, the government have announced. Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles and is important in preventing the spread of COVID-19. It
Further COVID-19 restrictions in education settings will end from Step 4, the Education Secretary has confirmed. As part of Step 4, expected to take place on 19 July, ‘bubbles’ will end for all children under 18, social distancing will no longer be necessary and schools will not need to stagger start and finish times, though