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25 April 2026

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Opinion

Improving the oral language skills of disadvantaged pupils

One barrier common to disadvantaged pupils across our trust is poor oral language and communication skills on entry. Aspirer Research School is based within a multi-academy trust of ten primary schools across the northwest (most with above-average proportions of disadvantaged pupils). We use a range of diagnostic tools to assess pupils’ language skills, including Wellcomm […]

These children need more than a system of escalating consequences

Ofsted’s new framework must recognise the enormous hurdles that some children have to overcome – and inspectors must make sure that funding to support them is used in the right way, says Becky White At three years old, Jade* often ate until she was sick. In between meals, she sneaked other people’s leftovers out of […]

Secondary moderns can be really great schools too

“High scores” in school accountability measures does not always mean that grammars are better schools, says Ian Widdows The grammar school debate inevitably triggers passionate responses on both sides. But many of the arguments put forward share a common factor – an assumption that grammar schools are “superior” to their non-selective, secondary modern neighbours. A […]

For richer, for poorer – should MATs have a joint bank account?

What are the pros and cons of pooling funds across a multi academy trust? Mat Smith takes a look… Lord Agnew, the under-secretary of state for the school system, stated that one of the greatest freedoms a multi academy trust has is the ability to pool its schools’ funds into a central pot. His stance […]

Children need to see more ethnically diverse school leaders

Few school leaders and senior managers are from non-white backgrounds. How long will education have to wait for that to change, asks David Hermitt The long-standing issue of a teaching workforce that reflects the children it serves has surfaced again. This time, we have the personal commitment of the education secretary that he will take […]

Cognitive load theory: what does the research say?

As teachers we may have hunches about why pupils learn certain elements particularly effectively, but often it’s difficult to narrow down the cause. So how do we find what has worked well? Understanding cognitive load theory (CLT) helps to decipher exactly that. CLT is all about how humans process information from the limited working memory […]

The real ‘graduate schools’ for teachers already exist

Universities and their postgraduate courses for teachers tend to outlive the whims of ministers and secretaries of state, says Rachel Lofthouse – all the time adapting and modifying their provision. Last week Schools Week reported on the launch of Ambition Institute, a new charity formed from the merger between the Institute for Teaching (IfT) and […]

Ten things schools can do to address the climate crisis

With a debate raging about whether pupils are taught enough about climate change at school, Fiona Carnie offers some simple suggestions of steps schools can take to address the issues for themselves “There is no Planet B” is a regular refrain heard on the now weekly school climate strikes across the globe. At the last […]