Skip to content

New rules bring consistency and clarity to fair access routes

Changes to the admissions code make everyone’s roles and responsibilities clearer and give every child a real opporutnity for a fresh start, writes one contributor to the consultation The new Admissions Code changes, covered by Schools Week recently, should be welcomed as the product of a great deal of thoughtful scrutiny and deliberation by colleagues […]

Our new network will drive special school improvement

Schools North East is the model for the new DfE-backed network to support business professionals in the special sector. Its deputy director, Pauline Aitchison, explains its success While connectivity and collaboration are key improvement drivers for many aspects of school performance during normal circumstances, the coronavirus pandemic has illustrated that working together is vital in […]

Removing free travel will hurt those who need help most

Bailing out Transpost for London can’t be at the expense of young people’s access to education, write Andy Lewis and Sebastien Chapleau When March’s lockdown came, Londoners followed the government’s rules and stopped using public transport. This had a huge financial impact on Transport for London (TfL) and they, like many others, needed financial assistance […]

Results day: Ofqual must shift or ministers must intervene

A storm of dissatisfaction is brewing over results and if Ofqual don’t offer to change their position then ministers must make them, writes Sir Jon Coles It goes without saying that Ofqual have a tough job this year. An exam system with no exams. But they are in danger of getting it badly wrong. Schools […]

Edtech has come of age and there’s no going back

With the right planning and resources, online learning can be part of an offer that engages the whole community, writes Julian Drinkall Before lockdown, AET were already the largest user of Google classroom in the country, and I’m very proud that we have some preeminent experts in digital learning in our curriculum and technical teams. […]

Profile: Richard Tutt

Schools Week meets Britain’s other ‘strictest headteacher’ to find out what drives him and what he’s doing next If there’s one school that people interested in education have heard of (aside from Michaela Community School in north London), it’s Magna Academy. Like Michaela, Magna, near Bournemouth, was until recently a byword for stringent discipline, prompting […]

Five priorities to help trusts come back stronger

Running ‘trust diaganostics’ has revealed the common challenges all MATs face in unlocking improvement in the coming months, writes David Carter When I first stepped into the trust CEO role ten years ago, I was set the challenge leading school improvement across three very different schools. Despite being one of the most vibrant, multicultural cities […]

How to prepare for a likely summer of subject access requests

This year’s appeals process will be far from straightforward, say Esther Maxwell and Geraldine Swanton. But schools can avoid unwanted disputes The cancellation of this year’s exams represents an unprecedented challenge to the awarding of grades. Ofqual’s consultation to decide how this should happen determined that awarding calculated grades provided the fairest means of promptly allowing […]

A week in the life of Allana Gay

Students bring vitality back to school but there is precious little certainty about the future for independent school headteacher, Allana Gay Monday 29 June Being with each other brings vitality back into the building The final piece falls into place. After rewrites, reconsiderations and reviews, the timetable that brings all our class groups back is […]