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14 April 2026

Author: Billy Camden

Experienced teachers: why confidence can be a problem

Experienced teachers have been warned against using their intuition because it could lead to them making “unreliable” judgments when it comes to student outcomes. David Didau (pictured), an education consultant and former teacher, urged attendees at a packed-out Festival of Education session to think carefully about when to trust their “gut instincts”. He said: “As […]

High-stakes primary testing ‘puts off’ pupils from learning

A national reference test should replace high-stakes testing in primary schools because the current system does not “serve the best interests” of children, an education writer has claimed. Jack Marwood (pictured), primary school teacher and author of the Icing on the Cake blog, told delegates on Thursday that current primary school tests leave children “distressed” and […]

Child poverty increases by 200,000 — putting pressure on school welfare services

Child poverty has soared over the last year with an additional 200,000 children now living in low income families according to new government figures — adding to concerns that schools will need to become “mini-welfare states” to support pupils. The statistics, published by the Department for Work and Pensions last week, show that 3.9 million children […]

Fashion A-level planned by exam board

An exam board has unveiled plans for a new A-level in fashion in the face of the government’s push towards “rigorous” qualifications. In 2014, Ofqual, the exams watchdog, said “soft” GCSEs and A-levels such as applied art and design would be scrapped, while others, including media studies, would be dramatically toughened. Last year, Nicky Morgan, […]

Julie Swan appointed as new Ofqual director for general qualifications

Ofqual has announced Julie Swan as its new executive director for general qualifications. She will take up the position permanently after a spell as the acting executive director when her predecessor, Ian Stockford, left the exams regulator to join AQA in December. Swan (pictured) has worked for Ofqual for seven years and was most recently associate […]

Wilshaw backs government over KS1 SATs

Sir Michael Wilshaw has backed the government over controversial changes to key stage 1 SATs which led to thousands of children being kept off school today in protest. Ofsted’s chief inspector said he “fully supports” the introduction of tougher tests for primary pupils so that teachers can “identify weaknesses” in literacy and numeracy at an […]

Stephen Fry launches ‘pinboard for learning’

Stephen Fry has launched an online platform that lets teachers collect and share educational material. Visitors to Pindex can access original material on topics ranging from the Large Hadron Collider and the Hyperloop to atoms and energy. Described by Mr Fry as “a new pinboard for learning”, the platform allows teachers to post material for […]