Education
The numbers behind the PM’s maths claims fact checked
We’ve dug into the figures behind Rishi Sunak’s claims about the negative impact of poor numeracy. Read
Fact check
Education
We fact check and explain issues about schools, teacher shortages, childcare, universities, and qualifications.
Education
Think tank figure does not show 100,000 children ‘never went back to school’ due to lockdown
Journalist Isabel Oakeshott twice claimed that 100,000 children left education permanently as a result of the pandemic. Read
Fact check
Education
£95k average headteacher salary refers only to state secondary schools
The Daily Express repeated a claim made by education secretary Gillian Keegan last month about headteacher salaries, which failed to clarify the figure referred only to those in secondary schools Read
Fact check
Education
Claim ‘nine in 10’ teachers voted to strike is misleading
Teaching union NASUWT claimed that nine in 10 of its members voted to strike. Read
Fact check
Public information film about the dangers of electricity has not been banned
A segment of a 1970s short film warning about the dangers of playing near electrical substations has not been banned. Read
Fact check
Education
Reports that ‘most teachers’ are suffering from depression are based on a self-selecting survey
The data comes from members of the NASUWT teaching union who chose to complete its survey, so it can’t reliably tell us about the wellbeing of teachers as a whole. Read
Fact check
Education
We don’t know how many children aren’t on school rolls
The Children’s Commissioner for England recently claimed that 80,000 to 100,000 children weren’t on any school roll. Read
Fact check
Education
Parents mostly against face masks in classrooms
A recent poll found two thirds of parents of secondary school pupils were against mask wearing in classrooms, but the results may not be representative of parents generally. Read
Fact check
Education
Iain Duncan Smith’s figures on school absence are out of date
The former Conservative leader claimed that more than 90,000 pupils are now absent from school. Read
Fact check
Education
Observer Twitter poll data on air monitors is meaningless
The Observer has reported that only 8% of schools have received CO2 monitors, based on a meaningless Twitter poll. Read
Fact check
Evidence you can rely on
Fact checking claims made by politicians, public figures and viral online content can give you the full picture backed by the evidence.
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