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Nicola Woolcock

@nicolawoolcock.bsky.social
3.1K followers 443 following 65 posts

Education Editor, The Times nicola.woolcock@thetimes.co.uk

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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
New edition of the FUNDAY Times, don't miss it this Sunday (particularly fans of Tom Gates, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dog Man) @timeslucy.bsky.social
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Is this the most significant university merger in recent history? King's College London and Cranfield University will unite to form a powerhouse of defence and national security - from next autumn. The two VCs say the merger is not about the money... www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
King’s College London to merge with Cranfield University
The research universities intend to join forces to focus on national capability, defence and resilience, and offer more career opportunities for students
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
BREAKING: King's College London and Cranfield University will merge - their vice-chancellors talk to The Times about their plans www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
King’s College London to merge with Cranfield University
The research universities intend to join forces to focus on national capability, defence and resilience, and offer more career opportunities for students
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
@helenhayes.bsky.social criticises Snapchat for pulling out last minute from an education select committee hearing on social media. Says they will be summoned if don't appear at next hearing
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Bursaries will be created for middle-class children who can't afford Winchester College fees, from a £10m donation. Philanthropist Paddy Dear gives his first interview. www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Why I’m giving middle-class kids £10 million to go to private school
Paddy Dear wants to ensure those like him aren’t denied an elite education, the financier tells Nicola Woolcock
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Tories will force a vote today on scrapping student loan interest above inflation after Rachel Reeves said fixing child poverty was more important. Chancellor admits the system is “broken” but said scrapping the two-child benefit cap was a higher priority. www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Tories to force vote on scrapping student loan interest
Graduates who took out Plan 2 loans between 2012 and 2023 are charged interest at the retail price index plus up to 3 per cent
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
An Afghan woman who was poised to study in Britain has said she feels “heartbroken” after her Chevening application was terminated because of the government’s new visa rules. www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
My heart broke when visa crackdown ended UK dream, says Afghan coder
Shahira Sadat was in line for a Chevening scholarship for emerging leaders but Home Office changes meant her application was cancelled
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Primary school children should learn about crime, says Lady Edwina Grosvenor, as she launches university scholarships for students who have experienced the criminal justice system. www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Crime and punishment should be on school curriculum, argues aristocrat
Lady Edwina Grosvenor, who devotes her life to criminal justice, says it’s ‘staggering’ there’s no formal education on the topic
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Al is scything through professions - what to do when your career is being replaced by ChatGPT? Bring your expertise to the classroom... www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Meet the AI refugees: white-collar workers retrain as teachers
We hear from former executives and consultants leaving lucrative roles to seek stability and purpose in their jobs as AI transforms the workplace
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Geri Scott @geraldinescott.co.uk · 22/02/2026
Excl: @Keir_Starmer writes how his late brother’s struggle “just to be seen, to count” inspired Send overhaul. The PM says his brother Nick, who died the Christmas before last, “belonged in mainstream society … these children also belong in mainstream schooling.” www.thetimes.com/article/0d3c...
thetimes.com
I will make sure no child with special needs is left behind
I want this country to see and value the contribution every single person can make, starting with an education system grounded in those values
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
this feels like a spoof from The Day Today
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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Nadhim Zahawi thinks London is now unsafe, because the other day a tired-looking man walked past him during the morning rush hour.
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Lord Bethell, former manager of Ministry of Sound, likens children's exposure to social media to letting them take illegal drugs, attend sex shows or go clubbing. Speaking during late-night debate in House of Lords on banning phones in schools.
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The Times and Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 19/01/2026
Scientists have long thought cattle lacked the brains for problem-solving. An Austrian cow called Veronika has forced a rethink
thetimes.com
Outstanding in her field: cow recorded using tool for first time
Scientists have long thought cattle lacked the brains for problem-solving. An Austrian cow called Veronika has forced a rethink
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Fantastic work by my colleagues @georgiamay.bsky.social , Sean O'Neill @timeslucy.bsky.social and @shaymabakht.bsky.social to produce this shocking story
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The Times and Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 15/01/2026
Cambridge University has students from 140 countries, some of them thousands of miles away, including Chile, New Zealand and Guatemala ⬇️
thetimes.com
Cambridge aims to woo northern students who worry about fitting in
The university wants to find out why teenagers from the northeast are reluctant to apply, while the student union has launched a Northern Society
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The Times and Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 15/01/2026
Melissa McKay criticised the tech giant after it told her son how to switch off the safety features ahead of his 13th birthday, and Google changed their policy
thetimes.com
Google told my son how to turn off parental controls — we became an inconvenience
Melissa McKay criticised the tech giant after it told her son how to switch off the safety features ahead of his 13th birthday, and Google changed their policy
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Cambridge trying to attract students from northeast and make them feel at home. One student says: "I am commonly mocked in Cambridge for my accent. At first I thought it was just banter with friends but I've since had a massive shift in my position on the issue." www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Cambridge aims to woo northern students who worry about fitting in
The university wants to find out why teenagers from the northeast are reluctant to apply, while the student union has launched a Northern Society
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Cambridge goes on a charm offensive to attract students from the northeast of England, as the student union launches a northern society. Sixth-formers say they are worried about not returning home afterwards if they go to Oxbridge. www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Cambridge aims to woo northern students who worry about fitting in
The university wants to find out why teenagers from the northeast are reluctant to apply, while the student union has launched a Northern Society
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Most 12-year-olds do not realise they will be able to vote in the next general election but already hold strong political views by this age, research has found. www.thetimes.com/article/7d3d...
thetimes.com
We can vote in 2029? No one told us, say 12-year-olds
A study of the cohort set to become the first 16-year-olds to vote in a general election found most did not think it was a good idea and few could name the PM
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The Times and Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 02/01/2026
Baroness Mone is being allowed to keep the estimated £15,000-a-week rent received from a mansion covered by a freezing order ⬇️
thetimes.com
Baroness Mone can keep £15,000-a-week rent from mansion, court rules
The property, which was previously covered by a freeze order, can be rented out but not sold while proceedings on the PPE case continue
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The Times and Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 20/10/2025
🔺 EXCLUSIVE: Prince Andrew has not paid rent on Royal Lodge for two decades
thetimes.com
Prince Andrew has not paid rent on Royal Lodge for two decades
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Tom Richmond @tom-richmond.com · 04/10/2025
And I complete agree with Dr Henry Shevlin from @cfi-cambridge.bsky.social that "most [degree] courses are still figuring out how to adapt to the post-ChatGPT era when the take-home essay assignment is basically dead". They need to adapt soon if their degrees are to retain any value.
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The Times and Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 26/09/2025
Teenagers will sit a compulsory school reading test at 13 under changes planned by Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary ⬇️
thetimes.com
Mandatory reading test to be introduced for 13-year-olds
A national assessment, expected to be set out in a white paper, will check children’s progress at the end of year 8
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ednews.bsky.social @ednews.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Mandatory reading test to be introduced for 13-year-olds | The Times
thetimes.com
Mandatory reading test to be introduced for 13-year-olds
A national assessment, expected to be set out in a white paper, will check children’s progress at the end of year 8
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Exclusive: Bridget Phillipson wants compulsory reading tests for 13-year-olds and will set out plans in forthcoming white paper www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Mandatory reading test to be introduced for 13-year-olds
A national assessment, expected to be set out in a white paper, will check children’s progress at the end of year 8
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PLMR Education @plmr.education · 04/09/2025
The Office for Students is considering using official rankings of teaching quality to determine how much institutions can charge for tuition. More from @thetimes.com @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social buff.ly/YUkZqnO #education #educationnews
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Failing universities risk having their tuition fees cut
The Office for Students is considering using official rankings of teaching quality to determine how much institutions can charge
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 03/09/2025
Nigel Farage looks uncomfortable as Jamie Raskin uses his opening statement to absolutely demolish him
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Universities with poor teaching records could be stopped from charging full tuition fees under plans being considered by the Office for Students (and its new chair calls for more TikTok and gaming-style teaching from academics) Exclusive in The Times www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Failing universities risk having their tuition fees cut
The Office for Students is considering using official rankings of teaching quality to determine how much institutions can charge
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The Times and Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 22/08/2025
Review of assessments is expected to suggest that the government create alternative routes for pupils who repeatedly fail core subjects
thetimes.com
Endless resits of maths and English to be scrapped in GCSE reform
Review of assessments is expected to suggest that the government create alternative routes for pupils who repeatedly fail core subjects
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
Nine students in Gaza with offers from British universities have been told the UK will attempt to bring them out to start their studies. The students have Chevening scholarships funded by the government but had no access to biometric data to prove their ID www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Gaza scholarship students to be evacuated to Britain
Nine Chevening scholars will be helped to leave before their courses start next month but dozens of other Palestinian students will be left behind
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The Times and Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 13/08/2025
Risk of collapse shouldn’t stop students graduating, the skills minister says
thetimes.com
Clearing system to rescue students whose universities go bust
Risk of collapse shouldn’t stop students graduating, the skills minister says
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
Teenagers are supposedly addicted to their devices - but are anxious about making phone calls. Now schools are teaching them how to ring universities ahead of A-level results day. www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Schools give pupils lessons in phone calls to cope with clearing
As A-level results day approaches, teenagers are learning to overcome worries about ringing Ucas and admissions officers to secure degree places
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The Times and Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 12/08/2025
Lara, a postgraduate student at the University of York, speaks about identifying as asexual and her perspective of hookup culture at university, as told to Sian Bradley
thetimes.com
I’m asexual and aromantic. Here’s what university was like for me
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
As families brace themselves for the long summer break... should it be cut to a month? Most parents think so according to new polling by Parentkind www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Parents want four-week school summer holidays to ease costs
More than half of families support trimming the break, citing childcare pressures and financial strain — and many teachers say they would welcome the change too
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Difficult but important read by my colleague @georgiamay.bsky.social on the safeguarding failings at a special needs school www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Special needs school faces safeguarding claims after head teacher sacked
A damning Ofsted report reveals safeguarding failures and inadequate leadership at an Essex school rocked by allegations of neglect and potential sexual abuse
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PLMR Education @plmr.education · 30/06/2025
Education secretary plans to overhaul school complaints system. With more than 5 million formal complaints last year, @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social says system is failing both parents and teachers. More from @thetimes.com @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social buff.ly/DtTXCG1 #education #educationnews
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Education secretary plans to overhaul school complaints system
With more than five million formal complaints last year, Bridget Phillipson said that the system is failing both parents and teachers
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PLMR Education @plmr.education · 11/06/2025
‘No ball games’ signs silence children — ban them, says peer. Former children’s commissioner calls for outdoor play to be revived to tackle ‘scourge’ of phone addiction. More from @thetimes.com @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social buff.ly/5EovADj #education #educationnews
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‘No ball games’ signs silence children — ban them, says peer
Former children’s commissioner Baroness Longfield calls for outdoor play to be revived to tackle ‘scourge’ of phone addiction
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Rachel Reeves announces £17.8bn stake in Sizewell C - here's my interview with the English literature graduate and Cambridge choral scholar running the project www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
Former choral scholar and CND member running new nuclear power station
Cambridge alumna Julia Pyke wants the Sizewell C nuclear facility to attract women to the sector and boost opportunities for young people
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Dani Payne @danihpayne.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Thanks to @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social for the coverage of our new report in @thetimes.com today. Regional disparities in access to HE are significant: a place-based approach to widening access, one that encourages & facilitates collaboration within regions, is needed to help close these gaps.
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Jim Lauder @mrjlauder.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Worth a read. What I found most interesting is both schools here had relatively low % PP - so part of the answer might be more integrated/diverse school populations (in all respects). Would mirror research findings that fully comprehensive intake schools can do better for all.
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Yoga, wild animals, Scottish dancing - and no silent corridors. Bridget Phillipson wants white working class pupils to do better - I spoke to two rural schools boosting results. www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Yoga and animal clubs boost GCSE results for disadvantaged pupils
A rural school is using extracurricular activities from astronomy to Scottish dancing as part of a range of measures to help white working-class pupils
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Becontree Primary School in Dagenham is a template for government reform of special needs. Its methods could be adopted across the country. Was such a pleasure to meet their incredibly impressive children and staff www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Labour plans to fix special needs system with more inclusive schools
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, intends for more children to be taught in mainstream schools to address absenteeism and spiralling costs
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
More special needs children will be educated in mainstream under reforms planned by Bridget Phillipson. Major overhaul of “broken” special educational needs system will come in White Paper. Govt wants more inclusion - and needs to cut £12bn bill www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Labour plans to fix special needs system with more inclusive schools
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, intends for more children to be taught in mainstream schools to address absenteeism and spiralling costs
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Alex Gerko wants to change the culture of bright kids doing PPE at Oxford, and make maths degree the default. Russian-born billionaire is funding 1729 Maths School in north London, opening next September
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Nicola Woolcock @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Alex Gerko, Russian-born billionaire and Britain’s biggest taxpayer, will open the first maths specialist secondary school in September next year. The “needs blind” private school will offer "very substantial" bursaries. www.thetimes.com/uk/education...
thetimes.com
Billionaire to open maths school for the most talented children
Alex Gerko, one of Britain’s biggest taxpayers, is launching an institution that will offer gifted mathematicians the chance to specialise from the age of 11
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