JL Dutaut | Schools Week

Exam delays are only the start of a solution. Where’s the rest?

Progress is too slow in letting schools know what to expect. This is what happens when system capacity is systematically eroded, writes Simon Sharp When I signed a joint letter to the secretary of state along with the Chartered College of Teaching CEO, Alison Peacock, and Sir John Dunford, I was clear that delaying examinations […]

Are exams really the only option?

This year’s exams will go ahead but demands for reform are unlikely to go away, so what does the research tell us about end-point assessment? Asks Cat Scutt I’m always envious of anyone who is absolutely certain of the best thing to do, based on “the evidence”. But I’m also slightly bemused by it. “What […]

Lighting the Way by Angela Browne

Aditi Singh discovers a timely and persuasive argument for leaders to reflect on their values as education approaches a reckoning about its purpose Amid this all-encompassing pandemic, schools are hives of activity and understated angst. Never has a need for visionary educational leadership been quite so necessary or apparent. Thankfully, through the hum of this […]

Melissa Jane’s blogs of the week, 12 October 2020

Professional trust, the experience of exclusion, making communication inclusive and that guidance are Melissa Jane’s top picks of this week’s education topics Rose-tinted toxicity: professional unity in unprecedented times @ShuaibKhan26 Last weekend marked World Mental Health Awareness Day, which can often be an occasion for brands and institutions to talk about looking after your mental […]

Ignoring pressure to cancel exams was the right call

There might be a debate to be had about assessment but cancelling exams now would have done more harm than good, writes Anne Heavey The consequences of Covid on last year’s GCSE and A level cohorts are still fresh in the mind, and preventing a repeat is a priority. Amid the fervour, the long-standing debate […]

Vulnerable students need more than a quick-fix catch-up

With the National Tutoring Programme about to get under way, one primary leader says schools need to use catch-up funding more creatively to address the needs of the most vulnerable “This is Operation Encompass. We are calling to inform you of an incident…” I received a lot of calls like this during lockdown. Operation Encompass’s […]

To get through Covid, we need more CPD, not less

More agile CPD is key to ensuring Covid’s legacy doesn’t become an injustice for the profession, writes Nicola Podd Easing children back into school life. Assessing and tackling the impact of lockdown on learning and on students’ emotional and mental health. All while adapting practices and policies to ensure schools are safe and Covid-secure. Re-adjusting […]

Exasperation has driven me to retire early

The heart attack didn’t cause me to give up leadership, writes Robert Campbell. Losing heart did I never intended to go early. I was always going to be the one who kept on keeping on. When I used to wind up my partner, Sarah – who is nine years younger than me – by saying […]

Prioritising well-being doesn’t make you a ‘snowflake’

Amid daily guidelines and Daily Mail headlines, we can’t lose sight of what it takes to run happy and successful schools, writes James Kibble While we pride ourselves on taking a sensible approach to change and regulation in education, the current pandemic has inevitably led to some additional pressures for staff that we haven’t been […]