Newspaper headlines: Teachers get ‘sweeping powers’ and Sunak’s ‘giveaway’

image captionMany of the papers focus on new rules to be announced on Thursday which will let teachers decide exam grades in England. The Guardian says the move has been welcomed by school leaders but there have been warnings of “extremely high grade inflation” because of a lack of clear guidance.

image caption“Schools told to work out their own exam grades”, is the headline in the Times, which says the move has prompted concerns over the “credibility” of A-levels and GCSEs. It says experts are warning that the plan could lead to soaring grades with little consistency, as well as “an avalanche of appeals”.

image captionThe Daily Telegraph reports there are fears over a repeat of last year’s summer exam “chaos” ahead of the Department for Education announcing that end-of-year exams will be voluntary. It says exam boards will prepare test papers but teachers will be allowed to choose whether or not to use them. The paper says that a member of the Ofqual committee advising on exams, Sir Jon Coles, has resigned and is publicly criticising the government, saying the plans risk an outcome “much worse than last year”.

image captionThe Daily Mirror claims some pupils will have to wait until after 8 March to get back into classrooms in what it calls “Britain’s back to school shambles”. It says schools are struggling to ramp up mass Covid testing – quoting a teacher’s union as saying it was “highly unlikely” any school would fully reopen on 8 March.

image captionChancellor Rishi Sunak will use his Budget next week to pave the way for a “post-lockdown boom”, according to the Daily Mail, which calls it a “spring booster” for the UK. It says a “string of eye-catching policies” will include help for motorists, hospitality firms and the housing market.

image captionThe Budget is also the main focus for the Daily Express, which carries a plea from six senior Tory MPs asking the chancellor not to raise taxes and instead “trigger a high-speed Covid recovery”. It quotes former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith as saying Rishi Sunak’s number one priority should be to “get businesses moving”.

image captionA warning from the governor of the Bank of England to the EU makes the front of the Financial Times. It says Andrew Bailey has told the bloc that it risks a “serious escalation” in tensions with the UK if it tries to force banks into taking business away from London.

image captionThe i newspaper leads on a new government campaign reminding people to “stay home” after a “rise in rule breaking”. It says the government fears warmer weather could encourage more people to mix outdoors.

image caption“Festivals are back” declares the Metro, which says “summer will rock after all” following the announcement from organisers that Reading and Leeds music festivals will go ahead in August. Stormzy, Lewis Capaldi and Liam Gallagher are among the acts on the bill, the paper says.

image caption“Oh Betty… We did do a whoopsie”, is the headline in the Daily Star – using a catchphrase from classic British comedy Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, alongside a picture of Education Secretary Gavin Williamson mocked up as character Frank Spencer. The paper says a member of the government has “finally said sorry for the PPE contract shambles”.