The Government is reportedly drawing up plans for a phased return to schools from 8 March, with younger primary pupils and exam year groups expected to be prioritised first. By Heather Stewart and Richard Adams, The Guardian.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, has said the Government should "learn lessons from 2020" and avoid setting a date in advance for when schools in England will reopen. By Will Hazell, iNews.

According to The Guardian, the Welsh Government is planning a "phased and flexible" return to school from 22 February for some primary pupils and students taking vocational courses. By Steven Morris.

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has suggested some pupils who have lost out on a significant amount of learning time "should be allowed to repeat the school year if it's in their best interest". By Hannah Richardson, BBC News.

New findings from the National Foundation for Educational Research highlight the "significant" learning loss suffered by primary school pupils in England. By Richard Adams, The Guardian.

The Mail reports ministers are looking at providing funding for catch-up summer schools for pupils who have fallen furthest behind during the pandemic. By Jason Groves.

The National Education Union has said it has "no confidence" in the Government's National Tutoring Programme, created to help pupils catch up on their education. By Dave Speck, Tes.

Speaking in a House of Lords debate yesterday, Lord Lexden, president of the Independent Schools Association, asked if it would be "unrealistic for schools to start planning for inspections before September". In response, Baroness Berridge said while there are currently no grade inspections by Ofsted or the Independent Schools Inspectorate, monitoring inspections are taking place, particularly in "requiring improvement" and "inadequate" state schools. Hansard.

Senior Conservative MPs have called on the Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner, to retract her remarks about teachers being "more at risk of infection and death" from COVID-19. By Harry Yorke and Camilla Turner, The Telegraph.

The Educational Institute of Scotland has said teachers in Scotland "working flat out throughout the pandemic" have been let down by a real-terms pay freeze. Tes.

Schools Week reports more than 65 local authorities across England are believed to be offering staff at special schools coronavirus vaccinations. By Samantha Booth.

Anne Longfield, the children's commissioner for England, has warned nearly 800,000 children are at risk of suffering domestic abuse at home. By Charles Hymas, The Telegraph.

Barnaby Lenon, a member of the Ofqual Standards Advisory Group, has warned teachers could find it "much harder" to assess pupils' GCSE and A-level grades this year due to widespread learning loss caused by the pandemic. By Catherine Lough, Tes.

A separate article in Tes highlights five concerns, raised by the EPI, about the Government's plans for the awarding of results. By Catherine Lough.

The EDSK think tank has published a report recommending the replacement of "disproportionate and unnecessary" GCSEs with computer-based tests by 2025. By Will Hazell, iNews.

According to research from the University of Cambridge, disabled teachers are being "sidelined" in schools and face barriers to career progression. Tes.

In the latest instalment of the ISC's 'Spotlight On' blog series, Graeme Lawrie, partnerships director at ACS International Schools, explains how a 'laptop drop' initiative is helping to provide remote learning support to 300 students across 20 local primary schools.

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