JL Dutaut | Schools Week

Melissa Jane’s blogs of the week, 5 July 2021

Melissa Jane’s top blogs look at quality CPD, constructive negativity, echo chambers, and the ongoing battle against homophobia Compliance or learning? @greeborunner School rules have been in the news this week ̶ and not just in the teaching press. In my setting, our approach to behaviour is highly individualised, so these debates often feel […]

The ITT review poses a catastrophic risk to teacher supply

Rather than build on the strong foundations of the ITT market we have, this expert group’s review risks destabilising it, writes Emma Hollis Taken together, the recommendations of the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) market review final report, published today, represent an immediate and catastrophic risk to the teacher supply chain and the quality and availability […]

Eton reaches out. So who benefits?

The public school’s elitist reputation will be softened and some young people will benefit, but for Eton to invest in sixth forms for disadvantaged pupils is risky, writes Francis Green News that Eton is partnering with Star Academies to sponsor three new, academically selective sixth-forms in the midlands and the north of England have been […]

TAG you’re it! Preventing grade inflation in extra time

The DfE can’t rely on schools not to play up TAGs when it has created the perfect conditions for grade inflation, writes Jagjit Chadha, but an extra-time game-changer is still possible We have known since early this year that because of Covid-19 and lockdowns, public examinations would not go ahead this summer. Accordingly, the government […]

Diversifying literature is a collective responsibility – and it works

The lack of diversity in the English literature curriculum is less pervasive than it was, but a new report shows how far we still have to go, writes Caren Onanda I have always loved discovering the world through reading. It’s one of the reasons why I became a teacher. However, there was always something missing […]

Three better ideas than extending the school day

If the DfE keep floating the idea of lengthening the school day for lack of better ones, we’ve got three more promising prospects for them, say two Chartered College researchers The idea of extending the school day to help students ‘catch up’ on ‘lost’ learning seems to be endlessly teased by the government in the […]

Research: Who has lost most from the pupil premium change?

Newly eligible pupils may need less support than the long-term disadvantaged, but it’s the poorest schools who have lost out most, writes Dawson McLean The Department for Education’s newest statistics show 1.74 million pupils were eligible for free school meals in January 2021. That’s an increase of nearly 300,000 pupils since January of last year, […]

How to think by Tom Chatfield

Though not aimed at schools, this book could be transformative for senior leaders, teachers and their pupils, finds Amir Arezoo Tom Chatfield is a very clever guy. He has a PhD, has taught at St John’s College, Oxford, and is a philosopher of technology. He is clearly someone who has been able to think and […]

Sonia Thompson’s blogs of the week, 28 June 2021

Literature, leadership, modelling as a teaching method and the big lie about schools are Sonia Thompson’s top picks of this week’s education blogs Scoop @SamJDThomas Samantha Thomas is one of those wonderful school librarians who is clearly passionate about the job. I’ve only just stumbled across her blog, and I’m hooked. In every post, […]