Opinion

The prime minister sounded an optimistic note tonight but it will take a lot more to alleviate our fears and begin to set things right, writes Mary Bousted This is a crisis point for the nation, and a great deal of what got us here can’t simply be blamed on new strains of the virus. […]

Over the past few weeks, three of our schools, all hard-hit by covid-related absence in the autumn term, participated in a pilot to administer rapid lateral flow tests to pupils and staff. We set up at short notice, with little initial guidance, and it was logistically demanding work. Here’s what we learned…   1. Use […]

As a new term begins and mixed provision looks likely to continue to be the norm, Helen Newies shares her top tips for effective blended learning Consolidate your platforms It is far too easy to take a ‘more is better’ approach and sign up for a dozen different platforms, but the schools we have seen […]

Our troubles are not at an end but we can lay the groundwork for a better post-Covid education system now, writes Alison Peacock As this year draws to a close, we understandably want to throw it out with the rubbish – along with all of those plans we made in January. However, amidst the chaos, […]

There is no doubt as we enter the final turbulent days of 2020 that the parameters that underpin our education sector have been turned on its head. I was appointed to my first school leadership post in 1995, and for the past 25 years have been a leader and now a developer of leaders and […]

The scope of the national tutoring programme and the breadth of providers and approaches are daunting. Simon Barnes sets out some first principles to help you get started As schools start to take advantage of the subsidised tuition on offer through the national tutoring programme, school leaders are keen to maximise return on investment and […]

Tutoring can transform life outcomes for students – but ensuring the NTP’s success depends on school leaders understanding its unique principles, writes Julia Silver Good tutoring is a fantastic resource. The improvements it leads to transcend the topics or subjects covered in tutoring sessions, and this spill-over effect can transform a student’s interest in and […]

The government’s moves on primary testing are welcome but the tests that remain don’t fufil the purpose they’ve been kept for, writes Alice Bradbury The announcement this month that Key Stage 1 SATs will be dropped in 2021 was a welcome relief for some teachers in primary schools. Alongside this, the DfE has decided that […]