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6 June 2026

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Opinion

Research: How masks in class went from unimaginable to mainstream

As children returned to school this week, masks have been more in use than ever. Teacher Tapp’s Eve Debbage explores how their classroom use became mainstream News reports at the onset of the pandemic led many of us to feel unsure about what precautions to take against Covid-19. One day, children were said to run […]

The Chartered College of Teaching keeps 175 years of tradition alive

In the face of political and social upheavals, the teaching profession needs the Chartered College more than ever, writes Richard Willis Writing in 2019, I was critical of the work the Chartered College of Teaching had set out to pursue. I argued that teachers were wrong to continue to strive for a nebulous professional utopia. […]

Anti-racist dogma shouldn’t replace real curriculum thinking

A perfect storm of competing pressures threatens to shortcut critical thinking about curriculum, writes Alka Sehgal Cuthbert For some, Ofsted’s emphasis on a knowledge-rich curriculum for all students has represented a welcome change from filling in content to fit schemas of generic skills. For many, and especially for leaders tasked with previously unimaginable levels of […]

Catch-up: follow Barrow’s lead on summer provision

It’s possible to deliver summer catch-up without burning out the teaching workforce. We’ve been doing it for years, writes John Woodcock Exhausted teachers could be forgiven for not whooping with joy at the prospect of giving up their summer for the catch-up tuition programme announced by education secretary Gavin Williamson last week. Between adapting to […]

Reopening: Managing teachers’ reasonable objections

Jenny Arrowsmith sets out what school leaders need to know to properly manage staff’s reasonable concerns about returning next week There are many reasons why staff may be reluctant to return to work in the midst of the pandemic, or reluctant to wear a face covering. But for school leaders, taking a hard line in […]

Research: How to ensure more disadvantaged students succeed

Rebecca Wheater looks at a new PISA 2018 analysis that sheds light on the conditions for disadvantaged pupil’s academic success Recent national and international evidence has shown that the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the negative impact of disadvantage on educational success. Understanding how to mitigate this is therefore vital to ensuring an equitable recovery for […]

Three traps the edtech strategy must avoid at all costs

The Covid lockdowns have provided a golden opportunity for government to work out a well-thought-through strategy for edtech, writes Mark Anderson Three national lockdowns in, by and large most schools and trusts are making a good go of blended learning. It’s been challenging, even for those who have been successfully using edtech for years, to […]

Schools teach and care. We ought to value both

The return to school without exams presents a golden opportunity for schools to practise what they value, write Rebecca Boomer-Clark and Jake Curtis Our organisations support some of the country’s most vulnerable teenagers – the very children who, sadly but unsurprisingly, have been hardest hit by the pandemic. Together, we have been considering what seeds […]

Once open, schools must stay open for good

This lockdown has been a nightmare. The government must throw everything at making sure schools stay open, writes Qais Hussain The prime minister’s announcement that I and my peers can return to school on March 8 is perhaps the best news I have received throughout this pandemic – better even than my GCSE results. Truth […]