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13 April 2026

Author: Expert Contributor

Forget opening more grammars, get PRIVATE schools to open up instead

There are more imaginative ways to improve social mobility than opening more grammar schools, explains former political advisor Adam McNicholas I’m 30. In the not too distant future, I might have kids. Friends of mine are starting. Soon, when we get together, discussions will shift from plans for weekends away to plans for dealing with […]

Teacher top-ups: a solution to under-performance in Northern schools?

Ofsted’s annual report for 2014/15 highlighted an educational gap, not only between primary and secondary, but also between the north and south of England. Duncan Sim offers some concrete proposals to address the discrepancies in both funding and attainment. The north-south divide starts young. This is, at any rate, what the statistics about the relative performance of secondary […]

What makes a great middle leader?

Middle leadership is under-researched, but there are steps heads of department can take to make their departments run efficiently, write Sam Baars and Andy Buck This summer, teachers around the country will be preparing to step into new roles. Many will be taking their first step into management as Heads of Department, a role that is often overlooked […]

Safeguarding compliance – has the education recruitment sector been lucky so far?

The education sector spends millions, even billions (if you read some reports) per year on supply teachers and support staff. As this demand for teachers continues to grow, thousands of agency staff, often complete strangers are being sent into UK schools on a daily basis, writes David Boon. So it would stand to reason that […]

Nick Gibb is wrong about modern foreign languages

Boosting foreign language GCSE entries is not the way to improve our country’s language skills – but there is a better way, insists David Harbourne The Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, wants 90% of 16-year-olds to take a foreign language GCSE. In a recent House of Commons debate on the EBacc, he said this is necessary […]

Academy trust expenses claims: The dos and don’ts

It was hard not to be shocked by the Dispatches/Observer investigation into academy trust expenses and perks. The Department for Education (DfE) states that academy trusts are independent charitable companies. They are also classified by the Office for National Statistics as central government public sector bodies. While academies are responsible for their own financial management, they […]

How to secure the right business partner for your school

Schools and businesses are increasingly being encouraged to establish partnerships.  Yet with so many different organisations to work with, it can be difficult for school leaders to know where to start. Philip Avery shares his insights and advice on what works – and just as importantly what doesn’t. I have spoken to many school leaders […]

The Progress 8 measure explained

If you are not changing your exam entry policy, and results are the same, it is likely your EBacc3 score will drop, explains David Blow June 2016 will be the first year that Progress 8 takes effect for school accountability, along with other headline measures. This is a major step forward as it means that the […]

How to answer the interview question: ‘What are you reading?’

Seven teachers, heads and trust chief executives let slip the interview answers they’d like to hear I have a shockingly poor attention span in interviews. If I’m going to have to see you every day, I need to get under your skin. Asking about hobbies sounds pervy, and I don’t want anyone to start talking about […]