Expert Contributor | Schools Week

Teaching isn’t about being on the right team

Don’t be too sure that your view of education is the only right one, says Phil Beadle. You will miss the usefulness of what other people have to say and “become blind to the truth of things” In early February 2006, I wrote an article that concluded “cod” psychological inventories such as learning styles were […]

Should pupils have to wear school ties?

Following the news that MPs will no longer have to wear ties to work, Adam McNicholas considers the case for schools “Do I think it essential that a Member [of Parliament] has to wear a tie? No.” So said the speaker of the House of Commons last week. Admitting that opinions on his own sartorial […]

Final exam results are becoming less valid

The evidence base for exam results is becoming less valid as the system moves back to wholly end-of-course testing, says Harry Torrance There are good reasons, rooted in traditional assessment concerns for validity and reliability, to involve teachers in setting and marking national test work in their own schools (coursework, project work and so forth). […]

Streaming dampens the aspirations of white working-class boys

Many white working-class boys say ability-based grouping dampened their aspirations, says Mary-Claire Travers White working-class boys in England are the lowest academic achievers at 16 for any socio-economic class grouping, according to Sutton Trust data, with only 24 per cent achieving five or more A*-C GCSEs, compared with a national average of 69 per cent. […]

Is it legal for teachers to sell teaching resources?

Who owns your lesson plans, and who can make money off them? Education consultant Simon Foulkes has the answers You wrote a great lesson plan, but then you find out, by whatever means, that another member of staff has not only used the plan but has actually sold it on to other teachers across the […]

Homework habits: what we have learned at Michaela

Setting the right balance on homework is a tight-rope walk for teachers, but Britain’s so-called ‘strictest school’ has a plan, explains Jo Facer Every school faces the challenge of getting kids to practise what they need to, but without gaming it. Teachers have all encountered pupils who will do the bare minimum to avoid a […]

Will the Conservatives really remove the faith school 50% cap?

With no mention in the Queen’s speech, and its chief architect Nick Timothy no longer in post, the Government’s plan to remove the faith school admissions cap might, just might be dead in the water, argues Andrew Copson In September last year, Theresa May announced plans to remove the limits on religious selection at new […]

Should we base education policy on evidence or values?

The former senior DfE civil servant David Bell muses on one of the thorniest philosophical divides in education. Should it really all be about evidence? Just before the general election, I participated in a press conference in which a group of experts looked at the various political parties’ manifestos through a lens of educational evidence. […]

How to make your school more LGBT-inclusive

Lesbian, gay, bi and trans people at school continue to face bullying, discrimination and isolation, argues Stonewall’s Sidonie Bertrand-Sheldon Homophobic language is a huge issue. A shocking 96 per cent of gay pupils hear homophobic remarks such as ‘poof’ or ‘lezza’, and 99 per cent hear the words “that’s so gay” used to describe something […]