Opinion

EBacc and primary testing pushing arts out of the curriculum

New findings from The National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD) Survey Report 2015-16 published this week...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

‘How the new SEND statement replacements work’

A new special educational needs (SEN) system has been in place for more than a year. But have the...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

‘Can I fail Ofsted if a child I teach goes to fight in Syria?’

Despite Ofsted’s changes to the framework, we are already doing what we can – and how is this new...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Let’s give Ofsted’s short inspections two cheers (for now)

The lighter-touch regime is a welcome move, but why is the chief inspector still obsessing over pupils being well...

Colin Richards
Colin Richards
Opinion

Would you teach differently if there was a gun at your head?

Do our current teaching methods always achieve the goals we hope for – and if not, why not? It’s...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

‘Schools Week hasn’t done the maths on commas’

It isn’t unreasonable to expect an 11-year-old to use a comma as a thousands separator – this is a...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

‘Talking down the job of a headteacher stops people doing it’

Being a headteacher is a tough job: but it is also a brilliant one. Let’s talk up the positives...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Top tips for dealing with criticism as an education leader

Education leaders in the limelight often attract criticism and negative attention. How do they stand it? And what techniques...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

‘How you can make teachers stop worrying about research – and learn to love it instead’

Teachers who use research to inform their teaching can often be evangelical about its benefits, but not all staff...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips