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25 June 2026

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Opinion

A week in the life of Ed Vainker

Following the Prime Minister’s Sunday evening announcement, Ed Vainker’s lockdown diary reveals a steady ship amid stormy seas

Governing boards will need even more flexibility as schools begin to reopen

As the NGA launches its 2020 governance survey, chief executive, Emma Knights praises the transformation of boards’ practices and warns of more challenges ahead There has been a revolution in the way governing board meetings are held. As with much of governance, it has been going on under the radar, but it has been a […]

A week in the life of David Preece

With university application season in disarray, UCAS coordinator, David Preece finds he is missing the joy of seeing those big decision moments in person Monday, May 4 It’s all happening so far away from normal. I miss it. It’s two weeks since our sixth form sent out a letter to students explaining what we knew […]

Why teacher expertise matters – now, and when schools reopen fully

As the government announce a gradual re-opening of schools, Cat Scutt looks at the challenges teachers will be facing and what they will need to begin closing the widening disadvantage gaps The closure of schools to most pupils is a key part of the approach to tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and fully reopening them too […]

Government promised transparency, but school leaders have been left in the dark

The response within Government to Covid-19 has been highly centralised, where decisions are conveyed but not necessarily explained. This has resulted in a ‘confidence gap’ for parents and the profession that will be hard to overcome. It could also result in schools making key decisions whilst completely in the dark about vital information. In the […]

How should schools support transitions this summer and beyond?

Primary-to-secondary transition faces new challenges as a result of the Covid crisis but recent research can help ensure schools make the best of it. Ellie Mulcahy explains Research suggests that most children anticipate transitions in positive terms and successfully navigate them. However, the primary to secondary school transition nonetheless presents a variety of challenges, many […]

A week in the life of Jo Southby

As her schools prepare to launch Oak Academy resources amid new routines and new challenges, Jo Southby opens up her lockdown diary

Building on this ‘mindful pause’ for education

Whatever is in store for education post lockdown, we can be sure that the foundational skills of mindfulness will continue to be as invaluable as ever, say the authors of a new strategy document The interruption of our normal life has made us all acutely aware of the significance of emotional and social needs. It […]

Warming the cold spots of alternative provision

A new report on the state of alternative provision makes for some dire reading but there’s plenty of evidence it doesn’t have to be that way, writes Cath Murray When you want to sell a story about excluded children into the mainstream media, it has to be about how dire their outcomes, or awful the […]