Opinion | Schools Week

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We say SATs don’t define children, but they shape their experiences for years to come

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6d | Opinion

The test was designed to measure the school. Somewhere along the way, we started using it to measure the child

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6d | Opinion
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No, Andy Burnham. Education doesn’t need a ‘complete rethink’

1w | Opinion

Parity of esteem cannot mean asking poorer children to narrow their horizons earlier

1w | Opinion
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Ofsted must remember that even similar schools are different

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6d | Opinion

If contextual benchmarking is to work, it must help inspectors understand context without lowering ambitions

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6d | Opinion
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Don’t ignore local context in a rush to nationalise the MBacc

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6d | Opinion

Success absolutely cannot mean a reform that works well in core cities and patchily everywhere else

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6d | Opinion
5

Strong boards need both organisational memory and fresh perspective

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6d | The Boardroom Leader

Recruitment is of course important, but the data shows effective governance is also built through retention

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6d | The Boardroom Leader

English and maths resits are crucial – but fewer should need them

A low pass rate for English and maths GCSEs – especially among disadvantaged pupils – is not an argument for reforming assessment but for improving outcomes

Schools can close gaps – but they can’t fix inequality

It’s time to stop asking what schools can do for society and start asking what society can do for our schools, writes Russell Hobby

Exam results: Regional disparities show we need new solutions

This summer’s exam results have once again shown the persistence of regional disparities in educational attainment. Across A levels and GCSEs, the gap in top grades between the North East and London has actually widened. But while there is a growing North-South divide in educational attainment, it is wrong to suggest that this is due […]

4 things to look out for in tomorrow’s GCSE results

As the sector prepares for the first GCSE results based on exams since 2019, Jon Andrews explains what we can expect …

Prioritising poorer pupils for university is not ‘social engineering’

The odds of getting a university place remain heavily stacked against the poorest in society, one sector leader writes

A-level results are no disaster – but the system is not out of the woods

The vast majority of young people who wanted to attend university now can – after that there are some tricky questions, writes Tom Richmond Although A-level results day is always a special moment across thousands of schools and colleges, we should remember that today is particularly special for the young people who took their exams […]

Exams can’t close the attainment gap. We must address the underlying causes

Qualification reform is needed, but won’t be enough on its own to address issues of inclusion, diversity and equality

How unfunded pay rises turned my budget surplus into a £140k deficit

Headteacher Tim Marston has been forced into a summer savings scramble after the government’s late decision to raise teacher salaries without giving schools more cash

The evidence that exposes calls to bring back grammar schools

With grammar schools seemingly back on the agenda – it feels like 2016 all over again. Thankfully we are not at that stage yet, but both candidates in the Conservative leadership election have shown their support for grammar schools, in the hope it will get them the support of party members. It has reignited the […]

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