Expert Contributor | Schools Week

How to manage a mobile phone ban in schools

Collecting pupils’ phones isn’t an invasion of privacy – it’s a sensible way to run a school, explains Peter Lee. Banning mobile phones isn’t as rare or shocking as some seem to think it is. In fact, every school I’ve worked in has banned mobile phones to some extent. Yet after the culture secretary Matt […]

The early-learning goals aren’t there yet!

The review of early-years assessment has morphed into a review of the curriculum by the back door, argues Beatrice Merrick Following apprehensive rumblings on social media about the review of the early-learning goals, it’s no surprise that the DfE orchestrated a chorus of positive comment to greet the minister’s announcement of the draft revisions. Headteacher […]

Booze and backroom deals are under the accounting spotlight

The ESFA’s annual academies accounts direction document is usually fairly dry, but this year there are few more important things for trusts to look out for, writes Phillip Reynolds The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) have released the academies accounts direction (AAD) 2017 to 2018 – a nattily named document that offers guidance on […]

No, teachers aren’t overpaid – despite what some think-tanks may claim

Last week, the Taxpayers’ Alliance, a right-wing think-tank, tried to claim that teachers are paid too much, flying in the face of all the evidence. Here, NFER’s Jack Worth debunks a few of the worst points in its research The Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA) report on Schools Spending last week was a baffling and extraordinarily narrow […]

Ignore the naysayers, the new early-learning goals are great

Credit where credit is due, writes Clare Sealy; the government has done a really good job on its new early-learning goals So here we are again: another day, another early-years education story. There has been quite a lot of anxiety about these new early-learning goals (ELGs), and people are fearful that they will mark a […]

Why schools need a coherent curriculum

The curriculum at so many schools has narrowed as the government lays down more and more core targets. Mary Myatt believes that pupils will only benefit if we widen their horizons correctly There is a wonderful word, “gallimaufry,” that means “a confused jumble or medley of things”. It perfectly captures the mixed picture we get […]

An educator’s guide to mental health and wellbeing in schools

I recently presented a series of assemblies focused on my failures as a young person, and was touched by the positive responses I received from the children and staff with whom I work. This suggested to me that stripping away anxiety and misconceptions about failure may be one of the most empowering things we can […]

Five things that work in teachers’ early-career development

Nearly a quarter of teachers leave the profession in their first three years. Cat Scutt believes a focused programme of professional development can stem that tide We know that new teachers’ expertise develops extremely rapidly. As Rebecca Allen and Sam Sims point out in The Teacher Gap, the learning curve for teachers is at its […]

5 ways schools can support high-mobility learners

Schools could do considerably more to support in-year admissions and high-mobility learners, explains Rob Webster The lives of many vulnerable children and young people are defined by turbulence and instability. For those living in care, the much-needed but taken-for-granted steadiness and normality their peers experience is in short supply. Announcing last week’s annual Stability Index, […]