Opinion

Despite criticism, the case for ensuring schools deliver a broad and balanced curriculum is unarguable and Ofsted are right to take a dim view of those that don’t, writes Jon Coles In its approach to curriculum breadth, the UK (and England in particular) is an absolute outlier. No similar country specialises as early or as […]

Harry Fletcher-Wood reviews recent findings on the causes and consequences of burnout, and effective strategies for its prevention According to the World Health Organisation, people who suffer burnout lack energy, feel greater distance or cynicism about their job and are less professionally effective. Left unchecked, burnout can cause disaffection and lead teachers to quit their […]

Love it or hate it, if you’re going to the 2020 BETT show, Cat Scutt has some tips to make sure you get the most out of it I have something of a love-hate relationship with the BETT show. On a practical level, its scale is such that after just a couple of hours wandering […]

Teacher pay increases are likely to dampen funding increases and will be felt unequally across the education system, writes Jon Andrews This week, education returned to the House of Commons with Gavin Williamson given his first opportunity since the election to set out his agenda for schools. There were few surprises in the Conservative manifesto. […]

After nine years of austerity, the Conservatives have promised a spending spree. But will it be enough to rescue music education, asks Matt Griffiths We have seen some big figures bandied about since the general election, all wrapped up in rhetoric about post-Brexit Britain’s place on the global stage. Amid all of that, the government […]

The last few years have seen an explosion of interest in the science of learning from the education sector. It is informing teachers, whole schools and even national policy, but rethinking our approaches is never completely straightforward. A number of key principles from cognitive science have emerged, as set out in the Deans for Impact […]

The challenges facing 400 ‘stuck’ schools are complex and unique to each, but getting stuck into overcoming them is what all educators should aspire to, writes Julie Slater Ofsted’s finding that more than 400 schools have not been ‘good’ or better since 2006 represents a national scandal. The inspectorate is absolutely right to shine a […]

Rethinking the inspectorate’s approach to ‘stuck’ schools is a great idea but the policy isn’t without risks, writes Cassandra Young. This week’s Ofsted announcement gives hope to anyone currently working in a ‘stuck’ school. It’s a proposal that truly offers a better chance for a more constructive, more sustainable model of school improvement. It pushes […]

The teacher training core content framework is an unambitious document, writes David Spendlove. It’s the opposite of what the profession needs to improve retention and recruitment. Rushed out last November – ahead of schedule to avoid election purdah rules – the initial teacher training core content framework (CCF) was an attempt to reverse engineer the […]