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13 April 2026

Author: Expert Contributor

When did ‘knowledge-rich’ and ‘enquiry-based’ learning become mutually exclusive?

‘Knowledge-rich’ and ‘enquiry-based’ learning are not mutually exclusive – the government is pursuing a high-risk strategy by allowing ideology to trump research, argues Sandra Leaton Gray Perusing the Department for Education’s latest curriculum-fund tender specifications, I find myself wondering when “knowledge-rich” and “enquiry-based” learning became mutually exclusive. Curriculum materials that are “knowledge-rich, and have teacher-led […]

More exclusions are definitely NOT the answer

Jules Daulby hits back against the claim that the number of pupils being excluded from mainstream schools might be too low In a recent article for Schools Week, John Blake, head of education at the influential think tank, Policy Exchange, appears to be fist-pumping the air, celebrating the rise in exclusions and salivating over the idea […]

Is this the real exclusions ‘scandal’ – leaving too many kids in mainstream?

How can the education committee claim the current level of school exclusions is too high, when no one even knows what the correct level should be, argues John Blake Every child in England is entitled to an education. Thus, this week’s report from the parliamentary education committee, on the experiences of students removed from mainstream schools as […]

Beware the government’s sleight of hand on academy finances

The government’s new method for calculating school budgets obscures the true number of schools in financial deficit, explains Jon Andrews The Department for Education yesterday published new statistics on the revenue balances of academy trusts. This does not provide data for individual trusts let alone individual academies, this is expected later in the year, but provides […]

Teacher pay rise: how will different schools implement it?

The Department for Education has announced that it will help fund pay rises for teachers and school leaders next year. But what does this mean if you work in an academy compared to a maintained school, and how will it affect wider school budgets? Micon Metcalfe explains. The school teacher review body (STRB) 2018 report […]

Let’s not turn RE into a weapon in the war against Catholic schools

Some campaigners have an ulterior motive in pushing for a national RE curriculum – they know it would cause Catholic schools to close, argues Andy Lewis Despite their historical contribution to this country, there has always been opposition to Catholic schools in one form or another. Whether motivated by anti-migrant racism, establishment anti-Catholicism, or ‘liberal’ secularism, hostility […]

What I learned from the Shanghai maths teacher exchange

The UK can certainly learn from the Far East, says Caroline Hamilton, but cultural context is key, and what our teachers need most is time-efficient professional development Two years ago, I was fortunate to be part of the Shanghai exchange as part of the Maths Hubs initiative. The experience was fascinating, and not at all […]

Where did maths mastery come from?

The roots of some ‘Asian’ teaching approaches lie closer to home than you might think, observes Mark Boylan Read or hear the word “maths” in England right now, and you’re likely to see or hear the word “mastery”, too. Teaching for mastery is both the name of the government’s preferred teaching approach in maths and […]

Most memorable schools blogs of 2017-18

This summer we asked our blog reviewers to tell us about their most memorable blogpost of the school year. We also asked them for a special mention of a blogger or blogpost that did a great job of kick-starting respectful debate among fellow educationists.   Most memorable blogpost Jill: ‘No, darling, Mummy isn’t WonderWoman’ @SBHSMissTaylor […]