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22 May 2026

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Opinion

Why the Acas Code of Practice should change

The code discriminates against non-union staff who should be entitled to have a qualified person with them at any disciplinary hearing Business secretary Vince Cable recently announced that he was signing off a “minor” amendment to the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures after a year-long consultation. In the next breath he […]

Sacking leaders over times tables defies employment law – and common sense

Let’s get something clear from the start: children should learn times tables at primary school. They should have them thoroughly memorised so that they can spend their mental energy on problem solving; there is absolutely no contradiction between memorisation and creativity. Moreover, this process is not always going to be fun and there is hard […]

Like it or not: Reception assessments are looming

There are valid reasons for concerns about reception baseline assessment. But don’t be intimidated: it’s a chance to pick a good option that works for your school Primary schools in England are about to be presented with a choice of commercial schemes to act as a baseline for the new primary accountability policy. As I […]

Things to do before you buy 3D printers

First, train your staff. Then plan your curriculum – and think about leasing. It makes it easier to budget When I started as a graphic design teacher we used Camm-2 machines, where computers helped to direct machines. By the time I left, 10 years later, I was working alongside 3D printers and laser cutters. In […]

PAC Round-Up: What happened in today’s scrutiny of Durand Academy and related businesses

Sir Greg Martin, head of Durand Academy, today faced questions from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over the work of his school, its academy trusts and connected companies. The hearing followed a National Audit Office (NAO) report released last year, that raised concerns about “related-party transactions” made between the trusts and associated private companies. Here’s […]

Governors, look at the bigger picture

The new framework for governance is missing any acknowledgement of the need for governors to engage with the complexity of issues that their schools face I was really looking forward to seeing the National Governors Association/Wellcome Trust’s new framework for governance. Previous outputs from this interesting collaboration have been great, and the new framework, based […]

What should I spend my pupil premium on?

The pupil premium is a wonderfully optimistic policy. But there are a few key ingredients that will help to boost the success of disadvantaged pupils – and it’s all underpinned by excellent leadership In the past two years I have visited about 150 special, primary and secondary schools to learn about their use of the […]

Why you should care about sibling young carers

As many as two pupils in every classroom have a sibling with special educational needs or disability and are at risk of becoming young carers. They’re more likely to have problems with progress in school – so it’s vital that you know who they are I was a sibling young carer who grew up in […]

It’s not unusual… to have conflicts

Properly managing conflicts of interest and related party transactions is an essential part of the proper management of a school At the end of 2014, the National Audit Office highlighted concerns about the high level of “related party transactions” entered into by academy trusts. While the report and much of the linked media coverage focused […]