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14 November 2026

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Opinion

How can we encourage effective collaboration in the classroom?

Helping students work well together is just as important as the end result, explain Ruth Johnson and Ayesha Ahmed In a world facing complex challenges, from climate change to Brexit, teamwork and problem-solving are ever more important skills for young people to develop. But with zero-sum social-media rows too often the norm in public debate, […]

A nerd’s guide to today’s key stage 4 data

NFER’s chief social scientist picks apart today’s Progress 8 results… Today’s release of provisional GCSE data makes very interesting reading. On the whole, the government may be pleased as most of the headline accountability measures show small improvements at the national level compared to last year. We’ve dug into the results a little, to see […]

Did free schools really get the best progress scores?

Free schools came top as the best-performing “type” of school in this year’s Progress 8 tables, but were their scores really good enough to assert that with confidence? Becky Allen explains… Today appeared to be a good day for free schools, with mainstream free schools achieving a Progress 8 score of +0.24 across the sector. […]

Schools need more guidance on how to close the disadvantage gap

Many schools are looking to close the disadvantage gap in their communities, but they need more evidence about what actually works, say researchers Megan Sim and Julie Belanger Children are affected by socio-economic disadvantage from an early age. We see differences between disadvantaged children and their peers not only in early educational outcomes such as reading […]

What is the role of local governing bodies in MATs?

There can be confusion about the roles of the various governing bodies in academy trusts. Sam Henson is on a mission to clear it up. Governance determines who has the power, who makes the decisions, how other players make their voice heard and how account is rendered. In a multi-academy trust, the board of trustees […]

The new Ofsted framework has the potential to transform workload

Ofsted’s new curriculum framework has the potential to transform workload and bring education back to where it should be. Exam grades and test results are hugely important – they are a mark of knowledge and achievement that young people can use as the collateral to win university places, secure apprenticeships and get great jobs. Yet […]

Why we replaced our local governing bodies with committees

As Ofsted demands around accountability have tightened, shifting that responsibility to professionals takes the weight off governors’ shoulders I don’t care whether I’m called a school governor or an academy ambassador. Having experienced both set ups, it’s clear to me that all that matters is ensuring that our young people are getting the best possible […]

The DfE’s repeated misuse of statistics is embarrassing

The Department for Education needs to start using statistics properly, or much of its evidence will simply be dismissed as untrustworthy, says Hetan Shah “I am writing to raise with you serious concerns about the DfE’s presentation and use of statistics”, starts the letter from Sir David Norgrove, chair of the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA), to […]

‘They’ll blame the housing crisis on PRUs soon!’

The recent debate about exclusions has become a stick with which to beat pupil referral units, says Steve Howell Almost everyone in education can quote some statistics about pupils excluded from school: • 60 per cent of the prison population were permanently excluded • Less than 1 per cent go on to get five “good” […]