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24 April 2026

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Opinion

Corbyn and Rayner have the wrong ideas for schools

Tory education policies in the 2017 election didn’t hit home with voters, but Jeremy Corbyn has the wrong ideas for schools, argues George Looker The government’s election campaign has been widely criticised for failing to set out a positive vision and lacking broad appeal to voters. Now that the campaign is over (for the time […]

Schools need to address the last acceptable form of racism

Racism is treated with due seriousness in all schools. Except, that is, for racism against gypsies, Roma and travellers, says Ellie Mulcahy Gypsies, Roma and travellers are the most underrepresented minority group in UK universities. About 3 to 4 per cent of GRT people aged 18 to 30 access higher education, compared with 43 per […]

We need to ditch Progress 8

Progress 8 is an embarrassment, says Tom Sherrington, a measure far removed from any sense of what the quality of schooling should be Every time I blog about Progess 8 and the disproportionate impact a few students can have or the depressing curriculum decision-making that it drives in schools, someone will try to explain the […]

Three stars and a wish: my end-of-year report card for the DfE

I know “feedback” is a contentious issue these days – what with triple marking, and lollipop sticks, and everyone going crazy about exam mark schemes. But there’s something I still love about the simple “three stars and a wish” format I was taught in teacher training. Three good things, one thing that could be better. […]

Don’t throw the SATs out with their administrator

A lot of loud voices in the sector are calling for an end to SATs after the latest marking fiasco. Allana Gay calls for calm before we make any rash decisions These are testing times. The release of the key stage 2 SATs results, and the catalogue of errors that came with it, has prompted […]

Free schools are a cost-effective option

Amid reports that plans to expand free schools could be scrapped to fund the manifesto promise of an additional £4 billion for education, Barnaby Lenon argues that free schools are actually a cost-effective option I am chairman of governors of a free school with 420 pupils. The school is in a converted office block rented […]

Multi-academy trusts are great for career progression

Ignore the headlines: multi-academy trusts are showing great potential for maximising the talents of teachers, leaders and others, says Michael Pain There’s no doubt the academy system has received a pretty harsh press of late. If we’re not seeing headlines comparing trust leaders to the bankers who crashed the financial system, we’re being told of […]

What can school leaders do to improve career prospects for Muslim girls?

Schools can be instrumental in addressing the discrepancy in the number of Muslim girls in the world of work, says Mehwash Kauser A report published in 2015 by the Muslim Council of Britain concluded that only 29 per cent of Muslim women aged between 16 and 24 are in employment, compared with 50 per cent […]

Teaching isn’t about being on the right team

Don’t be too sure that your view of education is the only right one, says Phil Beadle. You will miss the usefulness of what other people have to say and “become blind to the truth of things” In early February 2006, I wrote an article that concluded “cod” psychological inventories such as learning styles were […]