Week Ahead: Schools and MPs return while BBC’s new boss begins

START OF CLASS

Schools in England will welcome back their full complement of pupils this week as many students return to the classroom for the first time since March.

The National Association of Head Teachers has said that 97 per cent of schools plan to welcome back all pupils full-time at the start of the autumn, with the remaining three per cent only not doing so because they are planning transition periods for new pupils or phasing entry to alleviate pupils’ anxieties.

Staggered start and finish times, pupil bubble groups and more regular cleaning are commonly planned.

On Friday evening, the Government announced a “rota system” limiting the number of students attending secondary schools at any one time could be used in areas with a significant rise in Covid-19 cases.

Teaching unions criticised the Government for releasing the guidance just days before pupils are set to return to classrooms around the country.

PARLIAMENT RETURNS

The summer recess for Parliament comes to an end on Tuesday as MPs return, with a packed schedule of events in the first few days.

On Wednesday morning, Ofqual chairman Roger Taylor is sure to face tough questioning as he appears in front of the Education Select Committee to be asked about the A-level and GCSE grade decisions fiasco.

On the same day in the afternoon, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey will face the Treasury Committee to discuss the economic impact of coronavirus, while on Thursday Robert Jones, Director of Threat Leadership for the National Crime Agency, has been called to discuss the Channel crossings controversy with the Home Affairs Committee.

Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer will also renew their increasingly-spiky rivalry on Wednesday at Prime Minister’s Questions.
DAVIE’S DAY OF DESTINY

On Tuesday, Tim Davie will take up his new role as BBC director-general as he replaces the outgoing Lord Tony Hall.

He is taking on the job having previously served as the chief executive of BBC Studios, the corporation’s commercial production and distribution arm,

In addition to facing some immediate decisions, such as whether to bring bank BBC Three as a television channel from its current online-only state, his biggest battle lies ahead.

In 2022, when the BBC is celebrating its centenary, Davie will negotiate with the Government over the future of the licence fee from 2027. As the BBC’s own media editor Amol Rajan put it, the battle with No 10 about how the BBC should be funded is expected to be “nasty, brutish and long”.

RESTAURANTS TO SHUT

On Friday, Pizza Express is to seek approval from creditors for its plans to close 73 of its restaurants - including eight in Yorkshire.

The company, which currently has around 454 restaurants in the UK, said on August 18 it had finalised a proposal to reduce its restaurant and rental costs via a company voluntary arrangement.

BACK IN (SHOW)BUSINESS

Britain’s Got Talent will return to screens on Saturday. The popular talent series was one of many forced to halt production due to the coronavirus pandemic, but will return for the semi-finals and grand finale.  Diversity star Ashley Banjo will take Simon Cowell’s place on the judging panel for the semi-finals while the music mogul recovers from back surgery.

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James Mitchinson