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24 April 2026

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Opinion

The Hoodinerney model or ‘How to fix the school system’

Five years ago Laura McInerney and Matt Hood developed a model for how the schools system might work more coherently. Few people listened. Some parts were echoed in David Blunkett’s review of school management, but, otherwise, it failed. ‘Never mind, the system will work out,’ they thought. Five years on, and it’s still not okay. […]

Pupil referral units are amazing places to work

Exclusions are in the national eye at the moment, but the narrative around pupil referral units is all too negative, says Kiran Gill Conversations about exclusions are all the rage among politicians, but they tend to focus on three groups: parents, pupils and the headteachers accused of pushing vulnerable students out of their schools. So […]

Permanent exclusion is the punishment of last resort, but it’s sometimes necessary

Even with an inclusive approach and a clear behaviour policy, permanent exclusion is sometimes necessary to protect staff or students, says Jacqueline Valin Pupil exclusions are finally on the political radar, and it’s heartening to see the issue being publicly examined. With permanent and fixed-term exclusion rates on the rise, the question of when, or […]

Are zero tolerance behaviour policies legal?

With the parliamentary education committee considering exclusions at present, barrister Russell Holland explains schools’ legal liabilities The education select committee has been reviewing exclusions and recently heard evidence about the way zero tolerance behavior policies potentially reduce inclusion. Its hearings even raised the question of whether zero tolerance policies are legal, especially given the fact […]

Stop siphoning off children into alternative provision

Val Gillies spent three years researching in-school alternative provision. We asked her what the best examples looked like To be honest, I’m more than a little hesitant about endorsing any in-school alternative provision. I think it’s an indictment of the current system that segregated education is now considered normal and necessary. What ever happened to […]

Teachers: don’t give up in March – you can make it over ‘the wall’!

In marathon races, mile 20 is known as “the wall”, the point when the energy in your muscles runs out and continuing on requires overcoming every psychological instinct to stop. For schools, March is “the wall”. It’s the month when teachers’ good intentions for their class are in tatters and when, if things are going […]

What knowledge do school governors need?

Much has been written about the skills needed on an effective governing board or trust board, but very little attention has focused on the knowledge required when you undertake such an important role. Let’s focus on three areas: risk, finances and regulation. These three are matters for all governing boards, but become particularly important in […]

5 cost-free ways to improve school governance

A few things Damian Hinds could do to improve education governance that would cost him nothing, as suggested by Martin Matthews Every time we get a new secretary of state for education we begin another round of competition: the various educational interests vying for attention, each trying to shove their pet issue higher up the […]

School leaders: tips for successful difficult conversations

Tough conversations with colleagues and subordinates are an unfortunate but necessary aspect of leadership. Sonia Gill, an expert in such talk, explains how to make the best of them If you’re like some of the school leaders I’ve met, you’ll find difficult conversations tend to come at you from every angle many times a day. […]