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21 August 2026

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Opinion

Don’t abandon new mothers to maternity leave – let us keep working!

A family-friendly culture shift in schools would help to stem the teacher retention crisis and improve wellbeing for all teachers, says Emma Sheppard. In June this year, as I impatiently awaited the arrival of my son, I was forced to face the painful realisation that in choosing to become a mother, I had potentially sacrificed […]

Nationality data, grammar schools – what’s the real story?

If you’re looking for good assembly material, it’s worth showing pupils the greatest music video of the Nineties: Oasis’s Stand By Me. It shows a series of unconnected events over its five-minute riff. We see people stealing televisions; twin sisters pushing one another; a woman being mugged; a child being kidnapped. Or, at least, that’s […]

The birth (and death) of the school health service

Everyone in England is familiar with the concept of the National Health Service. But have you heard of the School Health Service? A forgotten aspect of the 1944 Education Act is that it laid down duties on local authorities to look after the health of pupils. School medical officers were to be responsible for ensuring […]

We’re launching a consultation on assessment in schools

Testing and assessment worry parents and teachers, although both are integral and critical to good teaching, says Rod Bristow. He explains why his company now plans to talk to “all stakeholders” to bring about positive change. Teachers understand better than anyone that good assessment is part and parcel of good teaching. But 2017 will be […]

Special-school recruitment: the crisis no one is talking about

Recruitment for special schools is way tougher than in the mainstream, but there are steps that the government and schools can take, says Marc Rowland. If you have just joined a special school, alternative provision (AP) setting or pupil referral unit (PRU), you are more likely to have a temporary teacher (or no teacher at […]

Should schools be doing PR and marketing?

Elin de Zoete gives basic steps in how to boost your school’s public image. It’s worth it, she says, as it makes all the difference when it comes to parental choice. It is not the done thing in education to talk about a competitive schools landscape. Our education institutions are keen to be seen to […]

TIMSS Results? Well, at least the kids are all right. The rest of us however….

While the news headlines have been dominated by how clever (or not) England’s children were revealed to be in this week’s international maths and science league tables, our reporter Jess Staufenberg noticed something different. She noticed that while England’s pupils may not achieve most highly, they nevertheless enjoy school more than children in many high-performing […]

More schooling won’t stop alt-right thinking

In light of Trump’s win and growing concerns about an “alt-right” agenda both in the States and here (for “alt-right” some use “neo-Nazi”), people are clamouring for education as a solution. “What this all shows is that we need more citizenship lessons in school,” some say. “If only these people were better educated they wouldn’t […]

‘Let’s make grammar schools do outreach work – and that’s just a start…’

It’s a lottery as to which primary schools encourage their pupils to consider a grammar school. That needs to change, says David Jesson. The government’s education green paper has provided the basis for an enlivened debate about the purpose of grammar schools and whether more pupils should have the chance to experience this form of […]