Expert Contributor | Schools Week

What education questions to ask political canvassers

Forget 24-hour news, the internet and Twitter: parliamentary candidates will still go canvassing before May 7. Be prepared and seize the chance to grill them on education policy The General Election campaign proper doesn’t begin until the end of this month. But that hasn’t stopped the parties vying with each other to offer tasty titbits […]

Ofsted should only ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ schools

Ofsted has become too pervasive. It is time now for it to become a regulator, rather than a school improver Ofsted has recognised the need for reform. It has said that good schools will face frequent but shorter visits in the future, and it will give more weight to subjects such as music. But in […]

Land sharing: it’s going to be difficult to resist

The DfE cannot compel academies to share their land, but changes to funding agreements will make it difficult to resist Amid concerns about the shortage of pupil places at primary schools in England, the Department for Education (DfE) has introduced new provisions into the model funding agreements of academy schools. These are designed to enable […]

Here’s what politicians REALLY think about education

If you ask politicians, of all parties, to tell you what they really think would improve education – what do they say? Education is something that affects all of us. We all go through school, 49% of young people go to university, and later on in life as parents we want to ensure that the […]

Cybercrime: it could happen in a school near you

You must prepare for risk in the digital world. But don’t think that you must fight technology with technology; the education of staff and students is your most potent weapon against cyber criminals Schools have to deal with a huge number of risks, from fires and flooding to budget cuts and a squeeze on places. […]

Fine tuning the school leadership team

Schools use the phrase “school business manager” rather than “school business leader”. It’s time that was changed As Sarah Jones pointed out recently that school business managers (SBM), with headteachers and governors, are the “trinity” of school leadership, with all three necessary to achieve outstanding and effective leadership (Schools Week, January 10) As a headteacher […]

Schools must do more than ask ‘What will you be when you grow up?’

A question people always ask when you’re growing up, is “what do you want to be when you’re older?” At the time you might have answered something like “footballer” or “pop star”. But once reality bites and you realise you probably aren’t going to end up as David Beckham or Beyoncé many adults then go […]

The true value of arts education

Two organisations in Norfolk have formed a partnership to make sure that the ideal environment for fostering creative education fits comfortably alongside the day-to-day running of schools It is no secret that the government is pushing hard to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in schools right through to university choices. No one will […]

Three ways to heal a failing school

Rapid remedial action is needed: Try a three-pronged approach of raising expectations, earning the trust of staff and prioritising student achievement Raise expectations Failing schools can be desperately sad places where weary teachers and rattled students engage in damage limitation to get through the day. A school in this state can’t be coaxed to health; […]