Schools 'a lifeline to many students' in past year'

School staff have been giving clothing, food and furnishings to families that have been struggling financially in the coronavirus pandemic, teachers say.

Some pupils have gone to school without winter coats, while others have been worried about having enough to eat, a National Education Union poll suggests.

The findings come as the NEU begins its annual conference on Wednesday.

The Department for Education says it has invested £2bn to help pupils in England in the wake of the pandemic.

The NEU surveyed 10,696 members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in March and concluded that schools and colleges had been a "lifeline" to many disadvantaged students during the past year.

Don't worry, please call us anyway to discuss your ideal job.

18/12/24Worry for staff and children as London council moves ahead with plans to close Kent special school

Staff at a residential special school in Kent, which is run by a London council, have voiced worries about plans to close the facility down. Wandsworth Council is moving forward with plans to shut down Bradstow School in Broadstairs due to escalating financial pressures.

17/12/24Schools given £740m to adapt buildings for Send pupils

The government has announced £740m of funding to increase the number of places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) in mainstream schools in England. ??The money, part of the £6.7bn of education spending announced in the Budget, will be targeted towards adapting school buildings to make them more accessible.

10/12/24Starmer wants 75% of children ‘school-ready’ by 2028

Target of three in four reception pupils at a 'good' level of development is one of six key 'milestones'

09/12/24Kent school where pupils feel 'safe and happy' named The Sunday Times 'best in the South East'

A Kent school has been named the best secondary school in the South East by The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2025. The highest-achieving primary and secondary schools across the UK have been ranked by the paper, which said its survey is "widely acknowledged as the most authoritative".

06/12/24Ofsted "alarmed" by absences and "flexi-schooling."

The “alarming” level of children missing school has become a “stubborn and damaging issue”, according to the chief inspector of Ofsted, England's schools regulator. Sir Martyn Oliver said he was also worried about a rise in "flexi-schooling", where parents educate their children at home for part of the week. It is not clear how many children are taught in this manner. The Department for Education (DfE) said the government was putting education "back at the forefront of national life". Ofsted's annual report said attendance issues had "deepened" since the pandemic.