(PA Archive) Schools will be told to provide at least 32.5 hours of teaching a week under a new plan announced by education secretary Nadhim Zahawi. The Department for Education’s new minimum would be the equivalent of a school day lasting from 8.45am to 3.15pm. Most primary and secondary schools already offer a 32.5-hour week, but ministers say there are “discrepancies” that they say need to be abolished by 2023 in “levelling-up” plans to increase numeracy and literacy rates. The Schools White Paper will set out the new minimum requirement when it is published tomorrow. But the government has not made any new money available to fund the increase in teaching hours. Meanwhile, chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly planning a new council tax rebate after his spring statement failed to lessen fears over the cost of living crisis. Intially, he had announced a £150 council tax rebate to help households with sky-high energy costs – as prices are set to rise by more than 50 per cent from next week.
Key Points
Show latest update 1648371616
Russian sanctions can only be lifted after a full withdrawal of troops, Truss says
Sanctions against Russian oligarchs, banks and businesses cannot be lifted until Russia ends its invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said. It is only until Vladimir Putin commits to “no further aggression” and fully withdraws troops can the embargoes be lifted. The comments were backed by Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi who insisted “any peace deal has to take into account the wish of the free Ukrainian people.” “I think the Russian illegal invasion has to end and the Russian army has to leave the Ukraine, and it’s up to the Ukrainian people, they must be very much the ones who decide what that peace looks like,” he told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday. My colleague Sam Blewett has the full story. Zaina Alibhai27 March 2022 10:00 1648370416
Zahawi admits closing schools during Covid pandemic was a ‘mistake’
The closure of schools and cancellation of exams during Covid pandemic was a “mistake”, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has admitted. “I will do everything in my power never again to close schools, and the prime minister absolutely agrees with me,” he said on Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday. However, he declined to criticise his predecessor Gavin Williamson who oversaw the fiasco saying he had “very little choice” but to take that action. Mr Zahawi also defended Mr Williamson’s controversial knighthood following his second sacking as a minister, insisting his work in the department will “transform the fortunes of young people in our country who may not want to go to university”. Zaina Alibhai27 March 2022 09:40 1648369456
Zahawi admits the crisis in Ukrainian brings back memories of him fleeing Iraq
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has admitted the plight of Ukranian refugees has brought back memories of his own family’s escape from Iraq which saw him arrive in the UK as an 11-year-old who could not speak English. “[I felt] a combination of anger, huge loss because you’re ripped away from all the things you held dear. The protective layers of family and home, and you don’t understand why this is happening to you,” he told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday. “The first few weeks I hid at the back of the classroom. I tried to string words together in my head but by the time I did, my classmates’ conversation had moved on.” Mr Zahawi said his own experience has helped shape preparations that will see his department welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the education system. Zaina Alibhai27 March 2022 09:24 1648367881
It’s up to the Russian people to decide who leads thier country, Zahawi says
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has said it is up to the Russian people to decide who leads their country. US President Joe Biden yesterday insisted Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power” during an impassioned speech in Warsaw, whilst appealing to Russians to stand up against the war. Asked whether the government echoed the his sentiments, Mr Zahawi told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “I think that’s up to the Russian people. “The Russian people, I think, are pretty fed up with what is happening in Ukraine, this illegal invasion, the destruction of their own livelihoods, their economy is collapsing around them and I think the Russian people will decide the fate of Putin and his cronies.” Zaina Alibhai27 March 2022 08:58 1648366065
UK will ‘blow’ its net zero climate target with new North Sea drilling sites, analysis reveals
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new push for oil and gas, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will “blow” the UK’s net zero climate target, analysis has revealed. The plans to approve six new North Sea drilling sites are estimated to generate the equivalent of 420 million barrels of oil and produce 205 tonnes of CO2 emissions, the equivalednt of almost half of the UK’s yearly total emissions. Read the full story by my colleague Adam Forrest here: Zaina Alibhai27 March 2022 08:27 1648364116
Pupils to be given 32.5 hours teaching a week under new plan
Schools will be told to provide at least 32.5 hours of teaching a week under a new plan announced by education secretary Nadhim Zahawi. The Department for Education’s new minimum would be the equivalent of a school day lasting from 8.45am to 3.15pm. Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi (AP) Most primary and secondary schools already offer a 32.5-hour week, but ministers say there are “discrepancies” that they say need to be abolished by 2023 in “levelling-up” plans to increase numeracy and literacy rates. The Schools White Paper will set out the new minimum requirement when it is published tomorrow. But the government has not made any new money available to fund the increase in teaching hours. Lamiat Sabin27 March 2022 07:55 1648363717
Chancellor Rishi Sunak ‘planning new council tax rebate’
Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering a new council tax rebate amid backlash over his recent spring statement. Earlier this week, the chancellor’s package of tax and duty cuts was widely criticised for not going far enough to help households in the cost of living crisis. Boris Johnson congratulates Rishi Sunak after his spring statement (PA Wire) Initially, Mr Sunak had announced a £150 council tax rebate to help households with energy costs – that are set to rise by more than half from next week. On Friday, the energy price cap will jump from about £1,300 to nearly £2,000, and could rise again to £3,000 in October. Mr Sunak is considering another multibillion-pound package to help with the autumn surge in fuel costs, The Times reported. Lamiat Sabin27 March 2022 07:48
