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6 June 2026

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Opinion

This new academies handbook could cause waste and confusion

Poor consultation on the new Academy Trust Handbook reflects badly on the DfE and could create unnecessary and preventable damage, write Stephen Morales and Stephen Lester The new Academy Trust Handbook (ATH), which is set to be introduced from Sept 2021, is worryingly thin on why it has a far broader scope than its predecessor […]

We can’t put the school food genie back in the bottle

The pandemic has revealed systemic issues with the quality and accessibility of school food and our new working group aims to put them right, writes Nick Capstick As we inch our way to a summer break that’s never been more richly deserved, thoughts of September are never far away. Recent announcements on the relaxation of […]

Three new insights about early learning and child wellbeing

Deprivation affects learning, but the good news for teachers is that other factors within their control can have an even greater impact, writes Rachel Classick It is unacceptable that educational achievement is so strongly influenced by family circumstances. The deprivation gap is already large when children start school and recent evidence suggests gaps may have […]

Are we showing the profession all that it can be?

Every year, we audit our back pages to hold ourselves accountable for representing the teaching profession at its diverse best. JL Dutaut sets out how we did in 2020/21 As Schools Week’s commissioning editor, I take seriously my duty to ensure the paper’s features are representative of the profession as a whole. After some pleasing success in […]

ITT review: Histrionics can’t block an historic opportunity

The reaction to the ITT review is completely out of kilter with its proposals, writes Stuart Lock, and improving teacher training is far too important to cave in to it It should be the entitlement of every new teacher to a structured introduction to the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great […]

Five research insights that shone a light on 2020/21

JL Dutaut selects five contributions to our regular research column that have informed and elightened our year   Are exams really the only option?   Cat Scutt, director of education and research, Chartered College of Teaching Always ready with a perfectly timed evidence-based intervention, Cat Scutt offered a piece on exams and teacher assessment back […]

Are we doing enough to support maternity returners?

Taking return to work from maternity for granted can cost schools talent and women their careers. That’s just not good enough, writes Sean Duffy Imagine you’ve been working at the same school for ten years. You’ve been following the same strict routines day in, day out. Through practice and ongoing professional development, you’ve honed your […]

Schools can’t dismiss the menopause as a ‘women’s issue’

There are many good reasons to make our schools ‘menopause aware’, writes Jenny Arrowsmith, and not doing so could turn out to be a costly mistake Around 50 per cent of women going through the menopause experience symptoms that affect their working life. It can prematurely end some women’s careers and leave experience gaps in […]

Post-Covid: risk and opportunity for women in schools

The pandemic has worsened factors that were already holding women back from leadership positions, writes Sharon Monaghan, but it has also created a chance for real change A report published by Dr Helen Kelly last November made for bleak reading about the pandemic’s effect on school leaders. Of the 721 surveyed, 70 per cent said […]