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24 April 2026

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Opinion

Why we need more men to become primary teachers

On International Men’s Day, Ryan Stevens argues that we should be doing more to recruit more men into primary teaching As a 24-year-old Primary NQT, there is one thing that separates me from the vast majority of my colleagues: I’m a man. As of the last academic year, 85% of teachers working in primary and […]

There’s no right or wrong in the free schools debate

Neither side is completely right or wrong in the free schools debate, explains Natalie Perera, but what is clear is that there is no quick fix to improving outcomes Free schools have been politically divisive since their establishment in 2010. To their supporters, they are a helpful disruption to the schools market, improving competition, choice […]

Youth inspectors – a radical proposal to shake up Ofsted

Students and teachers alike know the lie behind their schools’ “Ofsted lessons”, says Isreal Genius, who wants to implement peer inspections As the focus on grades increases and school budgets decrease, we have all experienced the phenomenon of schools shifting their focus from learning to passing. In this instance, I’m not talking about GCSEs or […]

 WISE 2017: Teacher cultures and professional learning – the ‘secret sauce’

Former headteacher and author Tom Sherrington delves into day two at the World Innovation Summit for Education 2017, in Doha, Qatar. Alongside the theme of technological innovation, delegates at the WISE conference in Qatar have been exploring innovative ideas about teacher development and leadership. As KIPP Schools’ highly quotable Mike Feinberg said during our panel […]

School business leaders are on the front line

It’s foolish not to include business managers in all aspects of school planning, argues Paul Whiteman Like many of our school business leader members, I take exception to school business leadership being described as a ‘back office’ function. It’s irritating and misleading in so many ways. SBLs aren’t typically getting their hands dirty in the […]

Free Schools in England: What EPI’s report is actually telling us…

  The Education Policy Institute has published a new report, Free Schools in England, but what does it tell us that we don’t already know? Editor Laura McInerney takes a look at the details.   It is now seven and a half years since the Coalition swept to power with Michael Gove at the helm as education […]

WISE 2017: The future is refreshingly human

Former headteacher and author Tom Sherrington steps into a Schools Week reporter’s shoes, to explore the World Innovation Summit for Education 2017, in Doha, Qatar. Day One at the WISE Summit in Doha has been eye-opening and refreshing. Attending a global innovation event, you have to be prepared for the buzzword bingo and, for sure, […]

Why design T-levels when we already have an equivalent?

Why is the government spending so much on T-levels when a world-class programme that combines academic and vocational study already exists, asks Paul Luxmoore I don’t really understand T-levels. This is either because I’m a bit dumb and slow, or because, as the executive head of a predominantly secondary MAT, I’ve been led to believe […]

What qualities will future teachers need?

As facts become more easily accessible, the role of the teacher is changing. Teachers of the future will need both more authority… and less authority, argues Andy Hargreaves Many of us think a lot about the future, what it will be like to live in a world of robots, a world where there’s more technology, […]