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21 August 2026

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Opinion

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 […]

Grammar schools aren’t from the 1950s, they’re from the Middle Ages

It is very trendy to say that reviving grammar schools would be a return to the 1950s. However, grammar schools are actually a medieval concept. A consequence of the Norman Conquest in 1066 was the growth of merchant trade in England. Slavery was banned, buildings were thrown up, and trading boomed. But the population was […]

Progress 8 is fairer, but some flaws need fixing

David Blow explains why your Progress 8 scores may have been lower than you had predicted. The move to Progress 8 has undoubtedly been fairer than the previous measure of five A*-C GCSEs, especially for schools with lower prior (key stage 2) attainment, who were likely to have lower outcome attainment (at key stage 4). […]

Some school leaders are taking us for fools – we need to stand up to them

The high-stakes accountability system is no excuse. Schools are funded by public money and it’s time to reclaim their moral purpose, says Emma Knights. Tight budgets and policy changes are making it tough for many in schools at the moment, whether you are a teacher, a school leader, a governor or a trustee. So, it’s […]

So it’s goodbye to the Education for All bill… or is it?

New laws forcing more schools to become academies will not happen in this academic year. That’s about the only certainty in a week of seemingly abandoned plans. It’s official. The Education for All bill is no more. Or so almost everyone was proclaiming last week when a throwaway line in a statement from Justine Greening […]

How to be an LGBT+ ally in schools

Posters on walls in schools don’t cut it – it’s how teachers and school leaders deal with specific incidents that really makes a difference, says Annette Pryce. Here’s a story: it’s about a teenage girl who was 14 when she came out at school as a lesbian. After months of verbal abuse and no support, […]