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19 April 2026

Author: Nicky Phillips

Mental health support for young people should be a priority

Mental illness affects about one in four people: that means six pupils in a class of 24. And yet young people, who often cannot access the right help, can be told that they are little more than “upset”, that they need to get out more. This year the UK Youth Parliament takes up their cause […]

Sweet sound of recycled rubbish

Pupils in year 7 at The Spires College have turned rubbish and recycled items into musical instruments. The Torquay youngsters all took part in a junk orchestra competition and made instruments from unwanted items including plastic bottles filled with rice and drums made from tin cans and plastic tubs. Three prizewinners made guitars from wood, […]

First fleet of university teacher training schools …. don’t have any trainees (yet)

The first two university-run schools set up to train teachers alongside fully-qualified staff have opened this summer without any trainees. The £23 million University of Birmingham School and The University of Cambridge Primary School were established as university training schools (UTS) to employ trainee teachers who will learn on the job. Said to be the […]

Jonathan Morris, Greg Bowkett and Ellie Newbery

Jonathan Morris, former head of neighbouring Marden High School,  has joined Thorp Academy in Tyne and Wear as executive principal. Among a number of “big changes” at Thorp, Mr Morris plans on first seeing through a building programme that will “entirely transform” the school, and which is due to end in September next year. “We […]

Stationery rental plan wins challenge

A team of young business tycoons in east London have won £250 to launch a social enterprise in their school after taking top honours in The Borough Enterprise Challenge. The group of year 9 pupils from Langdon Park School in Poplar competed against more than 60 pupils in the Tower Hamlets area to devise a […]

App lets pupils report bullying

A web platform that allows pupils to report instances of bullying anonymously has been launched in the UK. The Speak UP! app already operates across schools in Sweden, where it was first launched, and the US, where it can be accessed by more than 15,000 students across 24 schools. Headteachers in the UK can now […]

Graffiti brings touches of colour

Five pupil murals have brightened the corridors of a Northumberland school. Ashington High School students got to grips with the art form in a series of lessons with professional graffiti artist Rob Hutchinson. Celebrating national biology week, 20 pupils from years 7 to 10 created large murals depicting fundamental ideas in biology, chemistry and physics. […]

The overriding strength of the Cambridge history PGCE

Last week the Cambridge history PGCE almost disappeared in a puff of neo-liberal neglect. Its stay of execution is welcome: teacher training needs such a model of excellence, rigour, curriculum, mentoring and reading lists. he National College for Teaching and Leadership-imposed cap on university PGCE places kicked in before Cambridge had the chance to interview […]