Opinion

A change in the rules on reading assistance in exams for pupils with special needs could cause a jump in the number receiving such assistance next year. Can we quantify such a potential rise and what will it mean for schools, asks Barney Angliss. JCQ’s decision to change the rules on what it requires from […]

With an election looming, the new education secretary will need some quick announcements up his sleeve that will actually help schools, says Ollie Lane. The education views of the new secretary of state, Gavin Williamson, are not widely known and many are wondering what his priorities might be. But as a true politician, and part […]

Exclusively sending vulnerable children to ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools is narrow-minded, unattainable and not in the best interest of the pupil, argues John Cosgrove. “We want to see children in care placed in good or outstanding schools only,” Anne Longfield, the children’s commissioner for England, writes in the Stability Index report 2019, published earlier this month. […]

The new education secretary must prioritise targeted investment in teachers and school leaders, argues Melanie Renowden. At Ambition Institute, we know that the quality of teaching and school leadership are the best levers – within control of the school system – for improving pupil outcomes, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Evidence shows us that […]

Over the past year, disadvantaged children have fallen even further behind their more affluent classmates in terms of GCSE attainment, which could signal the start of growing educational inequality, writes Jo Hutchinson. In the face of mounting financial pressures and disappearing wider social support, we can no longer say that the gap is on course […]

Implementing a trust-wide curriculum for primary schools wasn’t easy, but two years on we’re reaping the benefits, writes Rowena Hackwood. Notwithstanding Ofsted having made clear its position, the debate in the education sector as to the merits or otherwise of knowledge-based curricula rages on. At the David Ross Education Trust we have been quietly getting […]

The Chartered College of Teaching is two-and-a-half years old. What does the future hold for the organisation? Dame Alison Peacock explains. According to the results of our recent survey – our society does not value our teachers sufficiently. Our teachers shape the future of society, and your impact on the lives of young people is […]

With more than half of all pupils now educated in academies it is only logical that multi academy trusts (MATs), which play such a pivotal role in the system, should be subject to the rigours of Ofsted, writes Frank Norris. Schools, colleges and local authorities are all inspected so it does not make sense that […]