Skip to content
5 June 2026

Become a member today for unlimited access to Schools Week

Enjoy expert journalism on schools policy with fewer ads and exclusive benefits
subscribe

Opinion

How schools can support young people with a disfigurement

Schools have trained teachers to combat bullying based on race, gender and creed. We must do the same with disfigurement, says Alexis Camble Most teachers have at some point spent an evening worrying about whether they handled a situation in the classroom quite as well as they could. As a former teacher myself, I know […]

Speed-read: Nick Gibb’s ‘Grammar School’ response to MPs

The government response to the education committee’s grammar schools report is out – editor Laura McInerney gives it the speed-read treatment.  Over the 2016/17 academic year, the schools community was subject to a consultation on bringing back new grammar schools. In response, the parliamentary education committee investigated and published a series of recommendations. Today, the […]

Hijabs are none of Ofsted’s business

Schools should be safe spaces – allowing outside authority figures to probe young girls’ choice of religious expression is precisely the wrong approach to take, argues Zubeda Limbada Last week, Amanda Spielman recommended that Ofsted inspectors in England should question Muslim primary school girls who wear a headscarf. She wants to tackle situations in which […]

Schools need to wake up to relational bullying

Relational bullying can be difficult to spot but it’s actually the most pernicious kind, explains Kayleigh Chester When we talk about bullying we often think about physical and verbal behaviours: stealing lunch money, a shove in the corridor between classes, the name-calling on the school bus. Cyberbullying is frequently discussed too, and has become a […]

Should we grade soft skills, Japan-style?

Will Millard recently visited Japan, where schools assess pupils’ curiosity and confidence. Can it help the UK, he asks I recently had the pleasure of visiting schools in and around Tokyo for a week, speaking to teachers and educationalists about assessment for LKMco and Pearson’s forthcoming report, ‘Testing the water’. It is no secret that […]

How can we better prepare students for university?

The narrow A-level curriculum is leaving more and more new undergraduates unable to cope with the rigours of university, says Mary Curnock Cook Earlier this autumn, over 330,000 young people made the leap from school or college to higher education. Many of them will have been ill-prepared for this transition, which involves a fundamental change […]

Don’t jump to conclusions on teacher peer observation

A recent study on the effects of peer observation found it made no difference, but there may be a reason for that, argues one of the researchers In a recent Schools Week article it was reported that a recent trial in which teachers observed their peers did not raise pupil attainment. I was part of […]

WISE 2017 – Learning to embrace technology in the classroom

Former headteacher and author Tom Sherrington meets former principal and author Eric Sheninger at the World Innovation Summit for Education 2017, in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the power of technology to enhance education. Meeting Eric last week was a breath of fresh air.  He is more demanding when it comes to the impact that technology […]

£600 maths premium ≠ more maths A-levels

The government’s policy to pay schools to get more pupils studying maths is misguided, argues Luke Sibieta – why not raise sixth-form funding instead? In Wednesday’s Budget, the Chancellor announced various measures aimed at expanding the teaching of maths in schools and colleges. One of the most eye-catching announcements was a commitment to pay “a […]