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4 August 2026

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Opinion

How do we improve diversity in the media without tokenism?

Every summer, Schools Week publishes a count of how many women vs men – and how many BAME contributors – have been represented in the publication’s expert articles, front pages and profile interviews over the school year. Here Cath Murray considers why representation is important, explains how Schools Week has worked to improve it, and presents this […]

Politicians, like pupils, need high expectations

Schools are the most hopeful places in the world. Over the past week I hope you’ve had a chance to see at least one prize evening, or school play, or end-of-year assembly, or any of the other celebrations that reflect the joy of children making their way into the world, and the hard work of […]

New relationships and sex education guidance is here – but does it do the job?

Teachers are crying out for clarity on what they can teach in relationships and sex education classes, but does draft guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) give it? Lucy Emmerson, director of the Sex Education Forum, looks at the detail. We’ve waited nearly 20 years and finally the revamped government guidance on relationships and […]

A ‘marginal gains’ approach to teacher recruitment is not enough

Short-term tinkering after a decade of disruption will not reverse dwindling numbers, warns David Spendlove. The government needs to think hard about why the profession is becoming less appealing The recently published School Workforce in England data for 2017 showed a continuation in the downward trend, with 5,300 (1.2 per cent) fewer teachers than the […]

5 things schools should know about early-years education

Children get profound, long-lasting benefits from their earliest exposure to teaching, from academic and non-cognitive development to better health and careers later in life. Research also shows that their teachers’ professional development is key, says Alison Peacock Early years education is perhaps one of the most contentious areas of pedagogical practice. Of late it has […]

The Daily Mile is no magic bullet

The low-cost, straightforward and high-profile Daily Mile initiative is drawing wide support, says Andy Daly-Smith, but there is limited evidence thus far for its effectiveness. Schools should focus on fundamental movement skills, fitness, positive behaviour and passion. The newly published second chapter of the Government’s childhood obesity plan argues that all schools should adopt an […]

Can Damian Hinds do the maths on teacher pay?

Over the past few weeks, the education secretary Damian Hinds has been trying to solve a complicated maths problem. He’s likely to come under public pressure from the independent School Teachers’ Review Body, which is expected to recommend a substantial pay rise of about 3 per cent. If he refuses, Hinds will face an autumn […]

Contextualised university admissions: how to make them fairer

Now we have consensus that more diverse admissions benefit both students and universities, Sam Butters writes, it’s time to increase transparency via shared terminology and better use of data We know that parents’ income, the quality of school attended and a myriad of other background factors continue to affect educational outcomes for young people, including […]

Ofsted DOES care about the early years

There is much more to Ofsted’s engagement with the early years sector than the chief inspector’s visits to individual providers, argues Gill Jones At Ofsted, we know it’s imperative that young children get off to a good start when they begin primary school. Once they’re behind, it’s very difficult for them to catch up later. […]