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26 April 2026

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Opinion

Year in review: a governor’s perspective on 2015

Governors have been in the headlines this year. Compulsory training, paid chairs and vice-chairs, and no more stakeholders have all been mooted. But what will work – and why? School governance now attracts the interest it deserves with both education secretary Nicky Morgan and Ofsted bringing aspects of it to the fore. There has been an increased […]

The key to SEND success is to integrate students

I am passionate about the provision for SEND students, and the opportunity to share my enthusiasm at SSAT National Conference was one I am very glad to have taken up. I met some fantastic fellow practitioners, with whom I have already established contact for the future – it is always a privilege to share good […]

It is essential to involve schools in the development of 14-16 vocational qualifications

When delivered within schools, vocational qualifications can help pupils develop work-ready, practical skills, become more confident, enhance their CV and engage in a form of learning that interests them. With the flexibility to be woven into the core curriculum, vocational qualifications can complement their academic counterparts, giving real-world context to core subjects and enabling pupils […]

Year in review: a headteacher’s perspective on 2015

It’s all very different from the Michael Gove years (and they weren’t great), with layers of “extra things” now applied without much thought You can tell it’s Christmas because I’ve sorted my end-of-year quiz for my last year 11 class. Working with teenagers every day is the best thing about this job. But the system […]

Year in review: A school business manager’s perspective on 2015

The pace of change has made it a tough year for schools, academies and their business managers. But it is also the year that school business management came of age Policy changes in the wake of the general election, cost pressures from increased national insurance and pension costs, and the fragmented landscape of academy, maintained, multi-academy […]

Teaching is more than delivering the curriculum

Children do not become educated through the learning of facts; they need to absorb and own the value of what they are taught Sorting out my books, yet again, I came across the 2009 Nuffield report on education and training for 14 to 19-year-olds, Education for All. I had a very small hand its production, […]

Have yourself a mellow little Christmas – by not taking marking home

The Christmas break is not a time to catch up on school tasks; leave them all at the school gates and give yourself some free time to relax The one thing that all teachers would agree on is that having to take your holidays to fit with the academic year can be a curse. The […]

Reality bites: What school crises should teach Gibb

When Michael Merrick, a teacher at Cardinal Newman, shared pictures of his flood-devastated school, it was a sharp reminder of the day my own classroom was destroyed by a roof collapse. Standing in the doorway, watching as debris floated by and pupil work melted into the newly-formed lagoon, my heart sank along with it. It’s […]