Richard Adams

United Kingdom

Education Editor at The Guardian

The Guardian's education editor

Articles

Wealthiest private schools spend less than 6% on means-tested bursaries, research finds

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Richard Adams

England’s wealthiest private schools devote only a small fraction of their income towards means-tested bursaries, according to research that undermines claims that adding VAT to school fees would decimate support for poorer pupils.
Nigel Farage is a ‘poundshop Donald Trump’, says teaching union leader

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Richard Adams

The UK’s largest teaching union has called Reform UK “far-right and racist”, and its leader has dismissed Nigel Farage as “a poundshop Donald Trump,” as the union pledged funds to oppose the party’s candidates in elections.
Stress taking ‘immense toll’ on teachers in England as union debates industrial action

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Richard Adams

Stress is taking an “immense toll” on the lives of teachers in England, with only 1.5% of those working in schools unaffected by the high levels of strain that plagues their colleagues. The findings from research by the National Education Union (NEU) reveal that one in three state school teachers in England are stressed at work for at least four fifths of the time, while only a tiny fraction said they are never overstretched.
Ministers raise concern over NASUWT move for ‘combative’ ex-FBU chief

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Richard Adams

Ministers have expressed concern at a teaching union’s nomination of Matt Wrack for its next general secretary, criticising the appointment for his lack of education experience and for being out of step with the “mainstream views” of members. Wrack, who was the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) until his re-election bid was defeated in January, would be the first leader in the NASUWT’s history to have never been a qualified teacher or lecturer.
More than 90% of schools in England ban mobile phone use, survey shows

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Richard Adams

Almost all schools in England have banned mobile phone use by pupils, according to the first national survey conducted, as the leader of the largest teaching union called for a statutory ban owing to the “damaging impact” on young people. The national survey, ordered by Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, showed that headteachers have swiftly instituted bans on smartphone use during school hours.
Girls in England feel less safe at school than they did pre-Covid, survey finds

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Richard Adams

Girls in England say they feel less safe at school and are more disenchanted with their education, research has found. Using data from an international study of pupils at primary and secondary schools, researchers said the steep fall in girls’ “emotional engagement” compared with the years before the Covid pandemic has become a pressing issue for schools.
We need more male teachers so British boys have role models, says minister

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Richard Adams

The fate of boys “is a defining issue of our time”, according to the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, as she calls for more men to become teachers to combat “toxic” behaviours. Speaking at a conference on Thursday, Phillipson will warn that boys and young men growing up in Britain need stronger role models to counteract the dangers they face, illustrated by the Netflix series Adolescence.
VAT on private school fees is discriminatory, high court told

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Richard Adams

Adding VAT to private school fees discriminates against children with conditions such as autism whose needs cannot be adequately met by UK state schools, the high court has been told. The legal action against Labour’s policy is being taken by parents claiming that VAT on school fees is a breach of their human rights law and discriminatory on grounds including religion, nationality, disability and mental health.
Bridget Phillipson eyes AI’s potential to free up teachers’ time

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Richard Adams

AI tools will soon be in use in classrooms across England, but the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has one big question she wants answered: will they save time? Attending a Department for Education-sponsored hackathon in central London last week, Phillipson listened as developers explained how their tools could compile pupil reports, improve writing samples and even assess the quality of soldering done by trainee electrical engineers.
T-level qualifications still less popular and more expensive than BTecs, watchdog finds

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Richard Adams

Popular sixth-form vocational qualifications such as BTecs should be retained until the success of T-level qualifications can be fully evaluated, the National Audit Office (NAO) has suggested. In its investigation into the introduction of the new qualification launched in 2020, the NAO noted that T-levels had been less popular and more expensive than alternatives, with only 25,000 students enrolled this year, hampered by “uncertain” economic benefits.