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25 April 2026

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Opinion

Forget the 11-plus. Is a world without selection at 18 possible?

In a warm marquee tent on Wednesday, I was one of four people debating a motion: “Academic selection is wrong at 11, and it is still wrong at 18.” Having spent the past two years debating the considerable evidence against grammar schools, my arguments on the first part of the debate were sound. But I’ve […]

5 ways schools can support high-mobility learners

Schools could do considerably more to support in-year admissions and high-mobility learners, explains Rob Webster The lives of many vulnerable children and young people are defined by turbulence and instability. For those living in care, the much-needed but taken-for-granted steadiness and normality their peers experience is in short supply. Announcing last week’s annual Stability Index, […]

Without more money, the EHCP dream will become a nightmare

How much does it cost to educate a child? Schools are allocated roughly £5,000 per pupil, depending on location. But is it enough? And, specifically, where is the limit if it isn’t enough? This question particularly matters when thinking about special-needs funding. The new system involves an education, health and care plan (EHCP). Introduced several […]

No school should be forced to rely on Amazon wishlists

Most schools are now too poor to buy all the necessary learning resources, which Patrick Hayes believes is a shocking state of affairs Schools are increasingly being forced to use Amazon wishlists to persuade parents to stump up the cash for much-needed classroom resources, as was reported in last week’s Schools Week. The news comes […]

Governors are the unsung heroes of the school system

Unpaid volunteers, school governors are now often giving up as many 20 full days a year to make sure children get the best chances, writes Emma Knights Governors do not volunteer for plaudits or public acclaim. For them, their reward is helping ensure that children in their community get a good education. However it is […]

Banning the hijab in schools is a liberal act

Banning the hijab is actually a liberal act, suggests Dr Alka Sehgal Cuthbert I consider myself a liberal. For instance, I publically supported Ofsted when it backed the head of a primary school in east London who wanted to ban the hijab. On the other hand, I can’t support the Danish government’s decision to join […]

How to close the vocabulary gap in the classroom

Building children’s vocabularies opens doors to harder, more rewarding curriculums and lifelong learning, writes Alex Quigley, but it needs careful focus We know that talk is a well-established solution for developing children’s vocabulary. The daily lives of the “word rich” are characterised by lots of talk around the dinner table, alongside debate and discussion in […]

Schools need more protection against vexatious complaints

There may not be many of them, but one or two unreasonable parents can make running a school very tough indeed, writes Russell Holland As an education lawyer, I see it as my job to help schools get on with the most important job,  teaching children, by making legal issues as simple as possible to […]

The OECD’s PISA gender reporting reinforces unhelpful stereotypes

The OECD’s analysis of the gender gaps in education simply regurgitates centuries of educational bias, and it’s wrong, writes Markus Meier The PISA studies are received by the scientific community and the general public alike as a kind of educational verdict, distributing bragging and blaming rights. There has been a lot of criticism, sure, but […]