JL Dutaut | Schools Week

The year in politics: It couldn’t get any worse. Until it did

U-turns, broken promises, gaslighting, deceit and good old-fashioned cock-ups ̶ our government’s response to education in the pandemic has been jaw-dropping, says Laura McInerney In last year’s political review, I complained that truth was on the floor weeping and hoped that things might be better in 2020. Oh how the gods laugh. Standing amid the […]

This extra INSET is just another late and empty gesture

Headteachers wouldn’t be forgiven this lack of foresight yet schools ministers continue to issue policy on the hoof, writes Robin Bevan With only eight days of term remaining, the Department for Education issued an email with ‘End of Term – Advice for Schools’. At about the same time yesterday, Nick Gibb announced what is supposed […]

REACT: The team putting the Covid response on a proactive footing

“In an emergency, there is always pressure to react, react, react,” says Ofsted’s national director of social care, Yvette Stanley. Somewhat ironically, I’m speaking to Stanley today as a key member of the national REACT team (Regional Education and Children’s Team), a central plank of the DfE’s strategy for responding to the pandemic. But you’d […]

New cap on exit payments could lead to legal disputes

Regulations are about to be introduced that represent a substantial change to schools’ employment practices, write Jenny Arrowsmith and Joanne Moseley The Restriction of Public Sector Exit Payment Regulations 2020 are now in force. These impose a £95,000 cap on the amount public sector bodies can pay to an employee when their employment comes to an end. […]

Our diverse curriculum is a source of pride for all our students

African and Caribbean history and culture are woven across all subjects at one Birmingham primary. Nigel Oram and Philip Hynan explain why In October 1963, Oxford history professor, Hugh Trevor-Roper delivered several lectures – broadcast on BBC radio – that concluded with these words: “Perhaps in the future there will be some African history to […]

All signs point to even greater pressure on schools post-Covid

A raft of new data from multiple agencies points to a rising tide of families in need, with no other place to turn but their schools, writes Whitney Crenna-Jennings When Covid-19 shuttered schools and workplaces earlier this year, our thoughts quickly jumped to the children likely to be most affected: those from disadvantaged homes, already […]

Is confusion in the classroom really such a bad thing?

Research shows confusion can lead to better understanding – but it must be introduced with care, writes Harry Fletcher-Wood We rarely set out to confuse our students – but perhaps we should. Recent research suggests that carefully inducing a little confusion can encourage students to think harder about conflicting ideas, helping them learn. For example, […]

Review: Motivated teaching by Peps Mccrea

Mccrea’s new offering is a pithy and powerful book that makes the slippery topic of motivation in the classroom accessible and achievable, says Sarah Barker In 1953, Roald Dahl published Lamb to the Slaughter. It tells the tale of Mary Maloney, who kills her disloyal husband with a frozen leg of lamb, shoves it in […]

Melissa Jane’s blogs of the week, 30 November 2020

This week’s top picks of the education topics are adapting to change, being black and disabled, mainstreaming accessibility and educating refugee children Teaching outdoors and incomplete pictures @edifiedlistener A soothing read as we approach the end of term We’re nearing the end of the most unusual term of my teaching career and here, Austria-based […]