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4 October 2026

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Opinion

How has Covid really affected mathematics performance?

Our data reveals in great detail whose mathematics performance have been impacted and how and could help to formulate plans for catch-up and recovery, writes Craig Barton Recent research from FFT Education found a noticeable widening of the attainment gap in maths for primary children. But the researchers said they had too little data to […]

ITT review: Does government want a market or a monopoly?

The government have reviewed the ITT market and evidently decided a market is not what they want after all, writes Ian Mearns. These recommendations are a recipe for total control The November 2020 announcement that the government was rebooting its ‘Market Review of Initial Teacher Training’ caused more than a little ripple of concern across […]

How we’ll build on the relationships forged in Covid adversity

As the Cabinet Office’s National Leadership Centre launches its 2021 report, Stephen Crookbain and Leora Cruddas explain its part in recognising new models of collaboration that should shape post-Covid life The Covid-19 pandemic has changed everything, including the relationship between public services, citizens and communities. We’ve all talked for years about ‘systems thinking’, and often […]

Great professional development for all teachers? It’s more affordable than you think

How much would it cost to give teachers a formal entitlement to continuing professional development? Not as much as you might think, writes James Zuccollo. Professional development for teachers is a surprisingly controversial topic. It is widely believed by policy wonks and researchers to have enormous potential, yet many teachers consider it a distraction. How […]

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 […]