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24 April 2026

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Opinion

What does Damian Hinds’ appointment as education secretary mean for schools?

The new education secretary shares some of his predecessor’s conciliatory instincts, but Tory red meat may be back on the menu, writes Jon Andrews Despite the great hype across news outlets, ministerial reshuffles barely capture the attention of anyone outside the great bubble of Westminster. This is a misconception – in education at least – […]

Is the battle for SEND inclusion won?

We’re making small steps on many fronts, explains Anita Kerwin-Nye, and may even have reached the end of the beginning in the struggle for inclusion It’s 30 years since I started work on including children with SEND, 10 since I founded the Communication Trust, three since we started Whole School SEND and 18 months since […]

School governance: 12 things you should know about 2017

There has been plenty to consider for school governors in 2017. Naureen Khalid walks us through the year’s highlights (and the lowlights!) Another year has flown by and it’s time to review 2017. As Christmas is almost upon us, I’ve looked back at twelve things which stood out for me. So, in no particular order: […]

School business leaders: 2017 year in review

Following a relative period of stability, Stephen Morales is anticipating much-needed change in 2018 From a policy perspective, 2017 could be characterised more by what hasn’t been achieved than what has. Following her appointment as secretary of state for education, Justine Greening moved to scrap a number of policies, including forced SATs resits for 11-year-olds […]

Education is a long game, so league table measures should be too

There are natural swings between year groups as talent and circumstance ebb and flow, suggests Loic Menzies, but under the current system, this skews perspectives on school success. Every year, hundreds of secondary schools’ results swing by more than 15 percentage points. Some shift by 30 percentage points. This does not necessarily mean a particular school […]

5 things to celebrate about special educational needs provision in 2017

We all know that special educational needs provision is nowhere near where we need it to be, but that’s not to say there haven’t been moments to celebrate, writes Adam Boddison It would be easy to write a review of SEND (special educational needs and/or disabilities) in 2017 by listing all of the challenges we […]

What schools really want for Christmas

Two headteachers take their cue from Dylan Thomas in describing the Christmas gifts they would like to see for schools In his poem ‘A child’s Christmas in Wales’, Dylan Thomas compares useful presents and useless ones. This year perhaps more than ever, this has resonance as Justine Greening announces the birth of 12 opportunity areas, […]

How did politics influence education in 2017?

It’s been a less eventful year for education than 2016, but according to Natalie Perera it’s the same old story: we need more money to back the policies Last year, my review of 2016 reflected on the political transformation that brought us the Brexit vote, a new prime minister and education secretary, a new chief […]

Best education research of 2017 for schools

Having scoured the international academic journals for the best research applicable to schools in England, Stuart Kime shares his top five treasures Making decisions means engaging with information, either consciously or not. As I set about finding the shining jewels of rigour in methodological research and substantive brilliance in 2017, I couldn’t help but think […]