Expert Contributor | Schools Week

Let’s talk about sex: getting comfortable with RSE in the classroom

A sexual health specialist offers some tips for teachers on how to start the conversation… With new curriculum changes to PHSE and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) coming in 2020, many teachers will find themselves teaching RSE as a regular subject. As you may know by now, RSE is to become compulsory from (the revised […]

‘Low-cost’ schools are an experiment worth backing

Don’t knock “low-cost” schools – they have the potential to improve efficiency across the sector, says James Croft Affordable fee-based private schools have a long tradition in England and, as late as 2012, the best value schools in the independent sector (from the point of view of both education quality and their low fees) were […]

How to incentivise schools to be more inclusive

What incentives are there for schools to be inclusive? Not many, says Anne Heavey, who has some suggestions on how to improve matters Here’s a question for you: What recognition do headteachers get for running schools that are inclusive for SEND learners? What are the systemic incentives to prioritise SEND provision in our schools? Beyond […]

Headteachers have more power to discipline staff

Recently updated schools guidance will make it easier for headteachers to discipline staff for “inappropriate” behaviour outside the school context, explains Graham Burns The Department for Education has published revised guidance for employers on staffing and employment in schools. In the main, the changes are just to update the document, but there is one important […]

Unlock the potential of Adobe Creative Cloud in your school

Preparing pupils for the demands of a fast-changing world requires creative thinking – that’s something school teachers and policy makers can agree on. Tomorrow’s jobs are going to demand creative problem-solving skills. But nearly three quarters of teachers agree there’s not enough problem solving in the classroom. Now schools can tackle this creativity gap by […]

Debra Kidd’s top blogs of the week September 2018

An argument for discovery learning in early years classrooms @Edscacredprofane – Peter Ford and @SwailesRuth – Ruth Swailes. In this well referenced blog post, Peter Ford and Ruth Swailes unpick some of the misconceptions around discovery learning and constructivism as presented by researchers such as Kirschner, Sweller and Clarke. Arguments made by these and other […]

How can the government better support MATs?

With speculation rife that the national schools commissioner role might disappear, Michael Pain lays out what he thinks DfE priorites should be going forward As the academy trust sector waves goodbye to the national schools commissioner and enters a period of uncertainty around the long-term future of the role, it is useful to assess just […]

When do practicals work well in science?

Do pupils learn more science when they’re taught in classrooms – with the teacher explaining concepts – or in labs, through pupil experimentation? Phil Naylor takes a look at what the research says, and shares some tips for effective science teaching “Are we doing a practical, sir?” screams the excited year 9 down the corridor, […]

Why inset days should be like a driving awareness course

Teachers should get excited about inset days – after all, they’re a luxury most professionals don’t get, says Karen Wespieser, who shares some tips to inject the enthusiasm back into school-based CPD I need to make a confession. Following a period of intense learning and testing, I have for the past 18 years been doing a […]