JL Dutaut | Schools Week

How much do teachers really need to know about the science of learning?

The last few years have seen an explosion of interest in the science of learning from the education sector. It is informing teachers, whole schools and even national policy, but rethinking our approaches is never completely straightforward. A number of key principles from cognitive science have emerged, as set out in the Deans for Impact […]

Transforming Ofsted’s ‘stuck schools’ is a moral imperative

The challenges facing 400 ‘stuck’ schools are complex and unique to each, but getting stuck into overcoming them is what all educators should aspire to, writes Julie Slater Ofsted’s finding that more than 400 schools have not been ‘good’ or better since 2006 represents a national scandal. The inspectorate is absolutely right to shine a […]

‘No judgment’ can’t become Ofsted’s new ‘inadequate’

Rethinking the inspectorate’s approach to ‘stuck’ schools is a great idea but the policy isn’t without risks, writes Cassandra Young. This week’s Ofsted announcement gives hope to anyone currently working in a ‘stuck’ school. It’s a proposal that truly offers a better chance for a more constructive, more sustainable model of school improvement. It pushes […]

Government has a dangerous lack of ambition for teacher training

The teacher training core content framework is an unambitious document, writes David Spendlove. It’s the opposite of what the profession needs to improve retention and recruitment. Rushed out last November – ahead of schedule to avoid election purdah rules – the initial teacher training core content framework (CCF) was an attempt to reverse engineer the […]

What’s preventing more schools from accessing apprenticeships?

Almost three years after the launch of the apprenticeship levy, schools are still struggling to find ways to spend their money. But some schools are bucking the trend. Freddie Whittaker investigates Schools meeting the government’s apprenticeship target have done so by upskilling support staff and even recruiting former pupils, while training companies are now running […]

What can parental engagement really do for schools?

My last research piece in these pages looked at the difficulties facing schools when addressing a whole-community issue (fitness and obesity), but what are the challenges when trying to get the community to support a school issue? The research on parental engagement has been fairly consistent over the past few years. It is clear that […]

Review: ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’ by the DfE

Our reviewer silences his inner cynic and finds the positives in what turns out to be a well-made advert for what is still a career like no other As much as I hate to admit it, there are four Indiana Jones films. In our house however, we like to pretend the fourth, Kingdom of the […]

Stuck schools need support, not a merry-go-round of headteachers

A small number of schools are failing to improve under the current system. For them, a new approach is needed, writes Amanda Spielman When discussions turn to Ofsted, despite the vast majority of the sector being in favour of our new framework and our overall approach, a common refrain is that inspection is not supportive […]

Robin Conway’s top edu-blogs of the week, 6 January 2020

Term Time Well-being @fod3 The start of a new year can be a great time to look at which habits and routines are not working for us and plan some changes. This is the first of two excellent blogs I have read in the last week that focus on well-being. In this piece @fod3 makes […]