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19 April 2026

Author: JL Dutaut

We must rethink league tables in light of the Covid crisis

League tables are here to stay, but a different approach could reduce volatility and have long-term benefits for schoo leaders too, write John Jerrim and Loic Menzies Unions and head teachers have said it would be unfair to compare schools’ performance next year, given the uneven impact of lockdown. They are right. There is clear […]

What are the active ingredients of effective teacher development?

Our research shows the consensus view of how best to conduct effective professional development in education is flawed, write Sam Sims and Harry Fletcher-Wood Effective and sustained professional development is collaborative, subject-specific and practice-based, and should be supported by external expertise and teachers’ buy-in. So goes the consensus view of the research community. But in […]

Schools in their Communities: Taking action and developing civic life

Gerry Robinson finds this celebration of stakeholder engagement is a life-affirming call to action In many ways, chapter five of Schools in their Communities offers an apt summary of the collection of essays that make up this book. The chapter tells the story of School21’s community choir, a process described as “life-affirming”, “enriching and empowering”. The […]

James Murphy’s top edu blogs of the week, 6 July 2020

This week’s top blogs are all about resisting the pressures of the moment and keeping the main thing the main thing Education is, as we all know, a vast and endlessly complicated subject. One of the main reasons for the deluge of blogs in recent years is that there is much to write about – […]

Careers education must be part of our recovery programme

This summer, around 800,000 16- and 18-year olds (Yr11 and Yr13) will be collecting their exam results and trying to decide what to do next. But this year is like no other and, as well as having had their exams cancelled, these young people are facing some serious challenges. The post Covid-19 economy will almost […]

The programme placing social workers in schools

A DfE programme is placing social workers directly in schools – and getting promising results. Schools love it, but what about their new staff member? Jess Staufenberg investigates One set of statistics has made for particularly alarming reading in Whitehall in recent years. The number of pupils needing involvement from social services has been climbing […]

Flexible governance is key to solving MAT problems

Many trusts have proved that they are able to cope with the unpredictable – and the flexibility within their structure has helped them, says Sam Henson The pandemic has taught us much about school accountability, but also about the flexibilities school structures give to organisations that need to act quickly and effectively. Across the country, […]

There are no shortcuts on the road to recovery

Our Derbyshire primary-only trust’s return to school programme has attracted international attention from every phase, writes Matthew Crawford Our trust of nine primaries across Derbyshire began to plan early on for supporting children on their return to school after lockdown. That work has resulted in the “reconnection to recovery and resilience programme” that has garnered […]