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18 April 2026

Author: Nicky Phillips

Parents look beyond Ofsted’s result when choosing childcare

Ofsted is consulting on a single inspection framework covering all education institutions but Sue Cowley argues they are not in a position to say how early years settings should be run. Instead, they should focus on being a good regulator As someone who volunteers in an early years setting and works with schools, I am […]

Keen gardeners take top prize

Green-fingered pupils at a Cumbrian school have scooped first place at this summer’s Royal Horticultural Society’s Tatton Park Show — about 18 months after their gardening club got going. Pupils aged between seven and 11 at Kendal Castle Park primary meet every week after school to plant, weed, tend and water their school garden’s vegetables […]

Stereotypes run deep. Let’s change them

Changing the perception that engineering is a job for the boys will take time, team effort and sustained commitment Figures compiled by the Women’s Engineering Society tell a shocking story about gender stereotyping in the UK. Only 7 per cent of the engineering workforce is female. Only 3.4 per cent of engineering and manufacturing apprentices […]

FEATURED: the new regional schools commissioners

Tackling the isolation of small, rural schools in the north will be one of the priorities for the headteacher board covering the region, Janet Renou, the Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) for the area has said. Speaking to Schools Week, Ms Renou also said that the geographical isolation of schools could present a barrier to academisation […]

Caption competition – what did Laura ask Tristram?

This week our Deputy Editor Laura McInerney interviewed the Shadow Education secretary Tristram Hunt in his office at the Houses of Parliament. We’ll have exclusive coverage in our next edition, published this Friday. Subscribe here. But can you guess what Laura asked Tristram? Leave a caption in the box below before Friday to be in with a […]

Frank Green, national schools commissioner, DfE

Frank Green’s name is half-prophetic. Within seconds of entering a small office in the Department for Education, he is already being outrageously honest. “Have I been briefed?! I’ve never been so briefed for the press since I started working at the department. Almost every word you have to memorise.” If the press officer at his […]

How unsustainable workloads are destroying the quality of teaching

Many teachers blame poor mental health on the stress on increasing workloads. The approaching general election makes it a prime time to lobby for change . Teachers do not enter the profession expecting to work 9 to 5, but workloads are spiralling out of control. Struggling to maintain a healthy work-life balance is a big […]

Stop the proliferation of small sixth-form providers

Encouraging small school and academy sixth forms to open has exacerbated non-progression between years 12 and 13 Last week’s story in Academies Week, “Free school ‘forced me out’ for not being top university ready”, featured case studies of students who were asked to leave the London Academy of Excellence (LAE) at the end of year […]

Location, location, location: it really does make a difference

Becoming an academy can help to raise school performance, but it’s more difficult if you’re on the coast Location really makes a difference to learners’ outcomes. I know: I have spent most of my 25 years in education as a teacher, senior leader, teacher educator and researcher in coastal regions. Only recently has there been […]