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14 April 2026

Author: Tom Mendelsohn

Amanda Spielman is right: our schools are too risk averse

Risk-aversion in schools has gone too far, argues Andy Phippen. We need to empower our pupils to manage and mitigate risks themselves. In last week’s Sunday Times, Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s chief inspector, called for a change in the risk-averse culture in our schools, claiming they have become places where children are so wrapped in cotton […]

50 years before we have an equitable school system

We’re making slow progress in closing the attainment gap, claims the Education Policy Institute’s Jo Hutchinson, because the picture is far more complex than you’d think The gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has been entrenched in our education system for generations. These gaps become evident in the early years and grow […]

We need a Bacc for the future, not a curriculum from 1904

The English Baccalaueate is driving pupils – especially those from poorer backgrounds – away from creative subjects. This cannot stand, argues Deborah Annetts After 18 months, the government has finally published its long-awaited response to the EBacc consultation. And it isn’t good news. Ambitious plans to have 90% of pupils in England study the English Baccalaureate […]

Controversial superhead Liam Nolan takes the helm at new school

A controversial “superhead” who resigned from an academy trust last year after a government probe found significant financial irregularities has been appointed headteacher of a new school. According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Liam Nolan has signed a one-year contract at the Ruth Gorse Academy in Leeds and will start in September. He stepped down […]

Don’t throw the SATs out with their administrator

A lot of loud voices in the sector are calling for an end to SATs after the latest marking fiasco. Allana Gay calls for calm before we make any rash decisions These are testing times. The release of the key stage 2 SATs results, and the catalogue of errors that came with it, has prompted […]