Headteachers in England have written to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi to say that they are “appalled” by his bank holiday letter urging schools to use the national tutoring programme. On Monday, Mr Zahawi wrote to all schools urging them to use the flagship NTP, adding that he was “planning to publish data on each school’s tutoring delivery at the end of the year” and share it with Ofsted.
Headteachers’ unions have written to the Education Secretary asking why the letter was sent on a bank holiday, which they say contravenes the Department for Education’s own position on wellbeing. As first reported by the Schools Week website, the Association of School and College Leaders and the NAHT union wrote to Mr Zahawi on Wednesday to say they were “appalled” about the announcement that data on schools’ uptake of the NTP would be shared with the education watchdog.
“We are angry both at the content of the letter and at the fact that it was sent on a bank holiday, with an accompanying press release all but inviting the media to vilify schools,” the letter said.
