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22 May 2026

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Opinion

‘Why a campaign group was wrong to complain about my school’s racial intake’

Religious schools have been accused of racial segregation – but is the picture accurate? Headteacher Paul Halliewell says his school was unfairly targeted. In Science we teach pupils not to make an evaluation without evidence to back it up. During research, if you only choose to use the evidence that supports your original hypothesis and […]

Our longer school day engages our students

Setting up a new school is, in equal measure, the hardest, most frustrating, most time consuming and most enjoyable thing I have ever done in my 17 years in education. In 2013, our new secondary school emerged into an education system with growing challenges, not least squeezing a stimulating and varied programme of study and […]

Leading Learning: privilege and responsibility

The opportunity to lead learning is a great privilege and responsibility. In recent years too many school and classroom leaders have got caught up in looking for quick fixes under the dual pressures of our accountability system and a genuine desire to do the best for the children in our care. A simple touch stone […]

Why pupils must feel connected to their learning

We must close the achievement gap” is a familiar phrase among today’s educators and politicians, reflecting the international focus on how students, schools, and nations perform on standardised tests. To narrow the achievement gap we must first understand the achievement gap is a symptom of a much greater challenge – the participation gap. Students can […]

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 […]