News Sources - EdCentral - Results from #140

University of Hertfordshire one of the first to offer the Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship

The University of Hertfordshire is one of the first higher education institutions to offer the Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (EYTDA) from September.

DfE backs MPs calls for increased early years SEND training

The Government has backed calls from Parliament’s Education Committee to increase access to training on the early identification of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) for early years educators.

Literacy charity expands its inclusive book gifting programme to 100 under-resourced primary schools

One hundred primary schools will receive a collection of inclusive children’s books under an expansion of the Inclusive Books for Children’s (IBC) gifting programme.

Oasis Restore recruits new principal ahead of expected reopening

The government’s flagship secure school, Oasis Restore, is recruiting a new principal as it prepares to reopen following a year-long closure caused by security failings.

Students without English GCSE ‘to be locked out of loans’

DfE reportedly considering introducing minimum entry standard, potentially blocking tens of thousands of applicants from accessing student finance.

Social class ‘key’ to diversity efforts as white students shun HE

Charity says access agenda has stalled, as less than one in five disadvantaged white British pupils progress into university.

UK research collaboration ‘hampered by poor transport links’

Faster rail services between major UK research hubs and stronger incentives to work together could deliver innovation benefits, says report.

More Nottingham-style cyberattacks a ‘case of when, not if’

Experts warn of increasing threat to systems used by universities at crunch points in the academic year after hundreds of thousands of student records compromised.

Opportunity is shaped by where you live, who you are, and how much money your family had

David Kernohan reads in to a new report from the Sutton Trust on how ethnicity, gender, place, and poverty combine to determine opportunity.

The Code of Higher Education Governance has had a complete rewrite

The Committee of University Chairs has refreshed the higher education governance code. Iain Cornish, who chaired the review’s steering committee, sets out what’s changed and why.

Ofqual fines Cambridge English £875k over IELTS marking errors

UK qualifications regulator Ofqual has fined Cambridge English £875,000 following an investigation into automated marking errors that led to incorrect IELTS results being issued to more than 62,000 learners worldwide between 2023 and 2025.

Chinese universities gain ground on UK and US in global rankings

Britain and US retain grip on top 10, with MIT first and Imperial College London second.

Girls as young as 9 feel pressured to lead ‘perfect lives’ with ‘boyfriend and good skin’ due to influencers

Children as young as nine have said they feel pressure to lead “perfect lives” due to influencers on social media, researchers have warned.

Wales aiming to match England on teachers' pay award, minister says

The new Plaid Cymru government is hoping to give teachers in Wales a similar pay increase to that in England, the education minister has said.

Falling primary rolls will ‘narrow curriculum’, Lords warned

The government must financially support schools and councils to manage demographic upheaval, hears inquiry into the falling number of pupils in primary schools.

‘Limited’ evidence for AI tutoring tools, government admits

Google is among eight tech firms awarded a contract to pilot AI tutors, with the DfE planning to roll out the technology to help disadvantaged students.

Treasury could claw back savings from reduced teacher pension contributions

The Treasury could claw back any savings made by schools from an anticipated fall in employer contributions to teachers’ pensions, Schools Week understands.

Ringfencing post-16 SEND funding not ‘right approach’, says DfE

Ringfencing funding dedicated to college learners with SEND would create significant administrative burdens and risk fragmenting provision, the government has said.

Top teaching union says Burnham is Labour’s best chance of beating Reform

The leader of one of the country’s biggest teaching unions has said Andy Burnham is Labour’s best chance for beating Reform in a general election.

As a teacher, I saw first-hand how education can lift children out of incredibly difficult circumstances.