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21 August 2026

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Opinion

We can turn the tidal wave of mental health problems

The growing sense of a crisis in schools prompted his new book, says John Tomsett. It seems that a day does not pass without a new report on the perilous state of children and young people’s mental health. Only last month a government report claimed that 110,000 children in London were suffering from significant mental […]

Easy books aren’t the route to a lifelong love of reading

Forget the pap: kids should have access to good quality books to get them to read, says Katie Ashford. In the past I have gone to great lengths to persuade reluctant readers to pick up a book and, as many teachers will know, this is never a straightforward task. Hopeful that their efforts will pay […]

Let the teens read Mills & Boon!

Kids should be exposed to all kinds of books (and that includes Mills & Boon), says Joy Ballard. As a teacher, I know that instilling hard-to-reach and reluctant young students with a love of reading is one of the most difficult aspects of our job – yet in many respects it is also the most […]

Education is suffering two types of blind spot: can you see them?

There are two types of blind spot: one in your eyes, the other in the world around you. Education is suffering from both. Every eye has a punctum caecum, a small spot at the back of the eyeball that cannot absorb light and so causes a hole in your sight. If you have two eyes, […]

How politics changed education in 2016

What would have seemed more likely at the start of the year, asks Natalie Perera. Brexit, more grammars or a new prime minister? Twelve months on and you’ve got the lot. It’s been a tumultuous year in politics. In generations to come, GCSE (or whatever the equivalent will be) students will be sitting exams and […]

Governor’s review 2016: Where does power really lie in multi-academy trusts?

This year has brought some much-needed clarity to the issue of multi-academy trust governance, says Naureen Khalid, as well as some  more predictable back-and-forth on parent governors, governor pay and mandatory training. This was the year when one of the multi-academy trusts, E-Act, took the step of renaming its local governing bodies (LGBs) somewhat more […]

The ups and downs of school finances have been exhausting to watch

It’s been a bumpy year, with school leaders left wondering who to watch for the next flurry of activity, says Matthew Clements-Wheeler. As I write this, my daughter is happily bouncing with her friends at a party in a nearby indoor trampoline park. This group of teenagers is the perfect metaphor for education policy, ministerial […]

Best education research of 2016 for schools

Stuart Kime carefully picks out his favourite pieces of research for 2016. He enjoys them all, but the publishers of academic journals and the funding streams of higher education leave him with a bitter taste. My experience of reading education research is similar to my experience of eating Quality Street: the Purple Ones are things […]

How SEND became a headline issue in 2016

There have been a few low points, but champions for pupils with SEND still emerged this year, says Anita Kerwin Nye. Many of the same variables have impacted learners with special needs in 2016 as other children: system restructure; the downplaying of lower-level and non EBacc qualifications; teacher recruitment and austerity. But for young people […]