Exclusive: London edtech firm Unibuddy raises $20m after pandemic boost July 7, 2021 London-based education technology firm Unibuddy has raised $20m (£14.5m) in fresh funding to help fuel its global expansion after a bumper pandemic year. Unibuddy, which allows prospective university applicants to chat with existing students and staff, raised the funds in a series B round led by Highland Europe, with further participation from Stride.VC. The company, [...]
Pupil isolation and school ‘bubble’ restrictions in England to end July 6, 2021 Gavin Williamson has confirmed that key restrictions on education and childcare will come to an end when the UK is expected to reach its fourth and final step out of lockdown on 19 July. The secretary of state for education said that the current system of “bubbles” and isolation in schools will end when England [...]
Universities tell students to stay away until September February 12, 2021 St Andrews has become the latest UK university to announce all teaching will remain online until September, following announcements made by the University of Edinburg and the London School of Economics. This means thousands of students will spend almost the entire academic year learning online. Education secretary Gavin Williamson is expected to lay out plans [...]
University students to receive share of £50m funding amid Covid disruption to teaching February 2, 2021 Universities are set to receive an additional £50m to support financially struggling students amid mounting backlash over continuing fees during the pandemic. The new funding, which comes on top of a £20m package offered to disadvantaged students in December, follows a slew of rent strikes and protests from students. Many have asked for rent on [...]
Most UK university students think fees must be refunded after Covid-19 disruption December 7, 2020 Most UK university students think fees must be refunded after Covid-19 disruption
Act now to close the education gap — or our economy will pay the cost for years to come October 12, 2020 If there were ever any doubt about the full cost of closing schools, the answer is now clear. It is a vast price — and one that will have to be paid by the nation on both a human and a financial level for many, many years to come. Alongside the mounting national debt being [...]
Measures to suppress Covid-19 are causing untold damage to students and young people September 30, 2020 The motto of the Young Money Blog is “don’t get mad — get informed”. But in recent weeks and months, I’ve found it hard not to get mad. As we try to head into an uncertain and bleak winter, emergency laws designed to curb the spread of Covid-19 are fast becoming a moral and economic [...]
The mutant algorithm: what actually went wrong with this year’s school exams September 9, 2020 The Prime Minister described it as a “mutant algorithm”. Social commentators were naturally outraged as it disproportionately upgraded the results of children from private schools, while downgrading those from state schools, especially in the poorest areas. Few people actually understood how it worked, as the technical report from the UK Office for Qualifications (Ofqual) purporting [...]
We’ve spent months on Zoom, but we mustn’t forget to “zoom out” September 7, 2020 When threatened, human beings automatically focus intently on the danger. This amazing ability to “zoom in” is why you’re here. It kept your ancestors alive while others weren’t so lucky. In hunter-gatherer tribes, threats were short-lived but lethal. When a rival clan runs out from the trees, being focused pays off. However, what kept our [...]
The government needs to take nurseries more seriously as part of its education strategy September 1, 2020 As schools prepare to return, so soon after the A-Level fiasco, there is a huge focus on education. However, one very important part of the education sector, which has been underappreciated for too long, is that of day nurseries, pre-schools and childminders. These early learning providers cater for 2.1m children under the age of five [...]