Expert Contributor | Schools Week

Schools must be prepared for pupil-on-pupil sexual assault

It’s an uncomfortable subject for many, but a recent court case has highlighted the need for schools to have robust guidelines in place that address the problem of sexual abuse perpetrated by young children, says Emma Bannister Dean With Barnardo’s reporting to the House of Commons science and technology committee that children as young as […]

The Learning Imperative

As a self-confessed educational-leadership-book junkie, I was interested to see how effectively The Learning Imperative, which focuses on a range of workplaces rather than schools per se, would get to the nub of professional development: learning. I encourage readers who, like me, might be initially put off by the endorsement of “progressive management”, the lack […]

How can schools be supported to take on apprentices?

Schools paying into the apprenticeship levy need advice on how to access it so they can reap its benefits for staff training, argues David Cobb At a time when the headlines are awash with schools’ struggles for funding, since May 2017 some £225 million has been taken from schools in the shape of the apprenticeship […]

Don’t neglect curriculum content for pupils with severe learning difficulties

We must protect curriculum content if pupils with severe and profound and multiple learning difficulties are to be included in the broad and balanced education they are entitled to, counsels Dr Deborah Robinson Yesterday, the Department for Education published an evaluation of the seven aspects of engagement assessment and announced its plans for a new […]

JL Dutaut’s top blogs of the week 19 Nov 2018

Teacher in Amber @whatonomy By far my favourite voice in education blogging year on year, @whatonomy reaches new levels of poetry with every post. This latest instalment lays bare the inner darkness that relentless workload creates. To those with rosy ideas that international teaching is easier, this blog should serve as a salutary tale. To […]

Ten Traits of Resilience

As concerns grow over the shortage of headteachers and senior teachers, this book is not only timely, but necessary. Grit, resilience, bouncebackability – call it what you will – has been a feature of edu-speak for some years now. James Hilton turns our attention to school leaders and in this well-crafted workbook seeks to help […]

What role should schools play in teaching pupils to spot fake news?

There’s been lots of talk about the need for children to identify fake news, but what resources are available? Asha Carpenter brings us up-to-date Research conducted by the Reuters Institute last year showed that there are clear distinctions in how people of different ages access news. Older generations are more likely to access it via […]

What do schools need to know about assessment?

The land might have been cleared for self-improvement but the tools are in short supply, says Stuart Kime The coalition government of 2010 brought with it a secretary of state for education who believed passionately that “a thousand flowers” should bloom in our school system, borrowing from a phrase used in mid-1950s China to encourage […]

The science of dyslexia isn’t as straightforward as politicians seem to think

Our teachers are seriously overworked even without catering for special needs diets, says Tom Burkard Earlier this year, Warwickshire Education Authority published a radical new document that could go a long way towards resolving the crisis of provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. They announced that poor readers would no longer be […]