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25 April 2026

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Opinion

Ofsted’s evidence is so unfounded that their case for retaining grades collapses

Ofsted’s defence of its four-point grading scheme in its recent paper (Retaining the current grading system in education, April 2019) has two, but only two, positive features. First, it acknowledges that there are strong arguments against its use of these grades.  Second, it admits that “we have never directly asked (parents) about the four-point grading […]

Which types of school are more likely to off-roll students?

It seems impossible that nearly 50,000 pupils disappeared from schools last year for no apparent reason. But this is exactly what the Education Policy Institute’s most recent report revealed last week: between 2016 and 2017, one in twelve students didn’t progress from year 10 to 11 in the same state-funded secondary school, for reasons that […]

Who needs coding when it’s pupil safety that matters?

Schools would be better using their limited edtech resources to help pupils to stay safe and develop as informed citizens, argues Laura Larke As I listened to Damian Hinds announcing the Department for Education’s new educational technology strategy, the question that rattled around in my head was simply “Is this really what we should be […]

What does a ‘high quality’ ITE curriculum look like?

Successful ITE curricula are co-designed and co-taught across a partnership, says Jan Rowe Ofsted’s recent attempt to confirm what some in its research division think is wrong with teacher education raises the important issue of curriculum in initial teacher education (ITE). But just as with the curriculum in schools, the risk is that a curriculum […]

Too many children are disappearing from school rolls

There are still too many unexplained exits from schools, at a level that cannot be in the best interests of either schools or pupils, says Jo Hutchinson Children are being pushed around the school system in England on an industrial scale. The number of anecdotal reports of off-rolling has become deafening, and today EPI has […]

SATs are the fairest way to judge pupil progress

Teachers and pupils should not have any reason to be stressed about SATs, and it is up to headteachers to ensure that is the case, says Cassie Young Exam season is upon us, and that brings with it the inevitable calls for the end of tests. Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to eliminate SATs in year […]

Keeping schools mentally healthy: sometimes young people just need to talk

Sometimes young people just want to talk, says Lisa Fathers, who explains how the devolved administration in Greater Manchester has trained up teachers and peer mentors to provide mental health support in schools The recent figures from the Children’s Commissioner highlighting that a third of areas in England are reducing real-terms spending on vital mental […]

If schools want more money from government, they must use funds efficiently

The government’s scheme for providing financial advice to schools is helping them redirect more resources to the frontline, argues the academies minister, Lord Agnew School resource management advisers are part of a package of support to help schools get the best value out of their budgets. Their work is not something that should be viewed […]

PRUs shouldn’t just be part of the flowchart

England is recreating the old grammar and secondary modern system, only this time, based on behaviour not attainment, says Jules Daulby ‘Jules, if you create a system, people will use it.’ A wise deputy head said this once when I enthusiastically suggested a flow chart to explain to teachers when they could send students to […]