Universities in England ‘failing to mark down students’ for poor writing skills

Office for Students claims use of ‘inclusive assessment’ policies contributes to grade inflationUniversities and colleges are failing to mark down students for poor spelling, grammar and punctuation, which is leading to grade inflation because of a mis…

Chris Whitty warns MPs it is ‘inevitable’ unvaccinated children will catch Covid

Chief medical officer says transmission in England highest among 12- to 15-year-oldsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe rapid spread of Covid makes it “inevitable” that children will be infected and have their education disr…

‘Impossible’ for Sunak to save on tuition fees without favouring well-off graduates

Chancellor should use income tax rather than student loan repayments, says Institute for Fiscal StudiesRishi Sunak will find it “essentially impossible” to save money on university tuition fees in England without hurting graduates on average earnings i…

Covid teams can vaccinate pupils against parents’ wishes, schools told

Guidelines say health staff can decide whether children receive jab without parental consent, as headteachers fear protestsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHealthcare staff can decide whether children get a Covid vaccine agai…

Universities in England favour cancel culture over quality, says Williamson

Education secretary tells vice-chancellors they risk undermining public confidence in higher education Gavin Williamson has accused some universities of being more interested in “cancelling national heroes” and bureaucracy than improving the lives of s…

Unions criticise English schools ‘more normal year’ campaign as naive

As students are urged to have twice-weekly Covid tests, unions say further measures are needed to reassure parentsA new government campaign urging students in England to have twice-weekly Covid tests for “a more normal year” at school and college has b…

Cambridge to end teacher training if government enacts overhaul

Exclusive: university hits out at planned changes in England, which have been called a ‘wrecking ball’The University of Cambridge says it will cease teacher training courses if the government persists with damaging proposals to change how primary and s…