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21 August 2026

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Opinion

No more ‘divide and conquer’ in education

The decision taken by members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) to amalgamate into a single union, the National Education Union (NEU), is significant and historic. It is a recognition that times are changing, and that teacher unions are changing too. The trend towards union mergers […]

Do we really need a guide to English pronunciation?

The English Pronouncing Dictionary is the classic British guide to pronunciation of the English language. Written by Daniel Jones, it was first published by JM Dent & Sons in 1917 and is now in its 18th edition, published by Cambridge University Press. But 100 years on, does anyone really need a guide to “standard” English […]

How to build an effective education campaign

If you’re having trouble getting your campaign noticed, keep it simple, get the evidence and support – and embrace technology, suggests Elin De Zoete A single school or charity often has a difficult time getting its message across, but when groups and organisations with similar aims come together the results can be impactful. Here are […]

How did schools come to talk like business?

Headteachers and leaders of academy trusts should be paid well, says Anita Kerwin-Nye. Just don’t justify their high salaries with the language of the corporate boardroom I have written before for Schools Week about the importance of language influencing practice, particularly in inclusion. Perhaps it is now time to consider how easily we have adopted […]

Schools cannot make any more cuts

Reduced budgets have already had devastating consequences in East Sussex, says Liam Collins. “If there are more things that we can do to save, then it is the equivalent of deckchair moving on the Titanic,” he says The government’s decision to protect school funding only in flat cash terms per pupil leaves schools facing a […]

Schools need brave teachers for sex and relationships education

Sex education is now compulsory. But how should schools prepare for its introduction in 2019? One answer is good training for teachers, says Helen Corteen A collective whoop of joy rang across Brook on March 1 when education secretary Justine Greening made sex and relationships education (SRE) compulsory in all secondary schools, and relationships education […]

Why we’ll keep looking at MAT CEO pay

It’s time for our annual chief executive pay league, a story that gets people hot under the collar and frantically sharing the paper. Some people hate it. Each year a few trusts refuse to comment on individuals’ pay and over the coming months I’ll get sharp-elbowed communications officers telling me exactly what they think of […]

School leaders aren’t to blame for ‘gaming’ the system

By using the term ‘gaming’ to describe the practice of schools trying to improve their metrics, we are missing the real problem, which is the high-stakes accountability culture itself, says Brian Lightman To coin a phrase from ‘Yes Minister’, Amanda Spielman’s announcement of an Ofsted investigation into the curriculum is a ‘brave’ decision, which I welcome.  […]

The educational equivalent of the ‘brown shoe effect’

Children growing up in poorer families are less likely to get finance jobs because they don’t “present” themselves well enough at interviews. That’s the gist of a survey released this week by The Sutton Trust, a charity that aims to encourage social mobility. A press release says the survey quantifies the “brown shoe effect” – […]