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25 April 2026

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Opinion

What schools need to know about the apprenticeship levy

Don’t think that the new levy is all about big business, warns John Deaville. All schools, regardless of size, will feel its impact. Most people are – at least vaguely – aware that the apprenticeship levy, which will be introduced in April 2017, is a payroll tax to fund apprenticeship training, paid by any organisation […]

Don’t underestimate peer-to-peer support in young people’s mental health

Putting more money and resources into current mental health provision is a pointless exercise if the children who need help are rejecting the system, says Sarah Newton. The Institute for Public Policy Research recently recommended that all secondary schools have guaranteed access to at least one day a week of on-site support from a mental […]

Despite popular belief, boxing has never actually been banned in schools

Last week, Sir Michael Wilshaw sent a stern letter to headteachers who failed to stop a mass fight among pupils at their four schools. The leaders ought to have got wind of the event and intervened, he said. It wasn’t always this way though; at one point in time schools literally taught children how to […]

Why councils should check up on academies

There is an accountability gap in the new education landscape that council scrutiny committees could help to fill, just as they do in health, says Su Turner. Accountability matters and is well understood within schools between pupils, teachers and parents, as it is between staff, headteachers and governors. The same is not the case, however, […]

Why schools should engage with apprenticeships

The apprenticeship levy will be a game-changer for many young people, especially those who get little benefit from being stuck in a classroom, says Mark Dawe. But first they need to know all their available choices. The introduction of the apprenticeship levy in April next year will be a game-changer in young people’s choices. Many […]

We need to get over the taboo of talking about race

Until we make it acceptable to discuss race, the crucial conversations required to drive change will simply never happen, says Ndidi Okezie. One of the barriers a black, Asian or ethnic minority (BAME) person stepping into a leadership position faces is that they are not taking on the weight of leadership purely for themselves – […]

Beware the tightrope-walker’s error: it can get to us all

One summer day in 1974, Phillippe Petit walked on a high-wire 400 metres (1,350 feet) above New York City on a cable running between the Twin Tower buildings. He fumbled in his last moments, but lived to tell the tale having been made aware that tightrope walkers often fall in their last few steps. In […]

Should maintained schools convert to academies?

Question: Will all schools still have to become academies eventually? And if so, what should maintained schools be doing to review their options? Christine says: We know that the pace of conversions to academy status dropped off once Nicky Morgan did a U-turn on the target for all schools to convert by 2022. However, it […]