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23 May 2026

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Opinion

Can the council force an academy named on an EHCP to meet a pupil’s need?

Can a local authority enforce a school named on an Education, Health and Care Plan to meet a pupil’s need, if that school is within a multi-academy trust and schools in MATs have no legal status? Antony says: In answering this question, it is important to consider the key principles in respect of naming a placement, […]

Teacher top-ups: a solution to under-performance in Northern schools?

Ofsted’s annual report for 2014/15 highlighted an educational gap, not only between primary and secondary, but also between the north and south of England. Duncan Sim offers some concrete proposals to address the discrepancies in both funding and attainment. The north-south divide starts young. This is, at any rate, what the statistics about the relative performance of secondary […]

What makes a great middle leader?

Middle leadership is under-researched, but there are steps heads of department can take to make their departments run efficiently, write Sam Baars and Andy Buck This summer, teachers around the country will be preparing to step into new roles. Many will be taking their first step into management as Heads of Department, a role that is often overlooked […]

Safeguarding compliance – has the education recruitment sector been lucky so far?

The education sector spends millions, even billions (if you read some reports) per year on supply teachers and support staff. As this demand for teachers continues to grow, thousands of agency staff, often complete strangers are being sent into UK schools on a daily basis, writes David Boon. So it would stand to reason that […]

Nick Gibb is wrong about modern foreign languages

Boosting foreign language GCSE entries is not the way to improve our country’s language skills – but there is a better way, insists David Harbourne The Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, wants 90% of 16-year-olds to take a foreign language GCSE. In a recent House of Commons debate on the EBacc, he said this is necessary […]

What to make of ‘British values’ in the aftermath of Brexit?

More than 37 headteachers and representatives of professional associations have signed an open letter to Justine Greening calling for a renewed commitment to the teaching of PSHE, Citizenship and Religion in post-Brexit Britain. The letter to the Secretary of State for Education, dated Wednesday 27th July, points out that values education such as PSHE, Citizenship and Religion […]

Academy trust expenses claims: The dos and don’ts

It was hard not to be shocked by the Dispatches/Observer investigation into academy trust expenses and perks. The Department for Education (DfE) states that academy trusts are independent charitable companies. They are also classified by the Office for National Statistics as central government public sector bodies. While academies are responsible for their own financial management, they […]

How to secure the right business partner for your school

Schools and businesses are increasingly being encouraged to establish partnerships.  Yet with so many different organisations to work with, it can be difficult for school leaders to know where to start. Philip Avery shares his insights and advice on what works – and just as importantly what doesn’t. I have spoken to many school leaders […]