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8 May 2026

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Opinion

Let’s give young carers the pupil premium

The UK’s 160,000 young carers do not do as well as their peers at school. Giving them the pupil premium is one way to lower their barriers to learning At the most recent party conference events, politicians were asked about the addition of young carers to the pupil premium. Minister for schools David Laws said […]

Is a new model of school collaboration emerging?

Collaboration is a new buzzword in education, but there are many ways it can happen. Expert Alison Talbot describes how one option in particular may be coming to the fore. At the beginning of the school term, a number of exciting collaborations and partnerships coming to fruition, with many free schools, university technical colleges and […]

Schools Week editorials

Edition six editorial Ofsted ditches inspector who copied reports After presenting Ofsted with irrefutable evidence of recycled reports from inspections less than six months ago, they have sacked the inspector. Additional [contracted] inspectors have been caught doing this before and have been sacked. But what is truly shocking about this latest copy-and-paste story is Ofsted knew he […]

We make it simple: how the government’s new 16-19 league tables are calculated

The 16-19 accountability measures are changing. As the government releases its (very dense) guide setting out how the new measures will work, Schools Week’s Philip Nye, a former National Audit Office auditor, takes on the gruelling task of guiding you through the key features What’s changing? The new accountability measures will give a significant refresh […]

How to raise confidence and aspirations in girls

Last week we reported that many fewer girls are studying vocational subjects than boys. Mentors benefit everyone, but maybe they can play a particularly important role in developing confidence in girls Don’t you think feminism is going too far? I mean, shouldn’t everybody have equal opportunities, regardless of who they are? What about the boys?” […]

Real language skills need to deal with the unexpected

Unlike in many other subjects, the new modern foreign languages GCSE is retaining a listening and speaking component. This will keep students interested and help develop these crucial language skills Ofqual says that the ability to speak the language is a key aspect of a modern foreign language GCSE. No one could argue with that […]

Parents look beyond Ofsted’s result when choosing childcare

Ofsted is consulting on a single inspection framework covering all education institutions but Sue Cowley argues they are not in a position to say how early years settings should be run. Instead, they should focus on being a good regulator As someone who volunteers in an early years setting and works with schools, I am […]

Stereotypes run deep. Let’s change them

Changing the perception that engineering is a job for the boys will take time, team effort and sustained commitment Figures compiled by the Women’s Engineering Society tell a shocking story about gender stereotyping in the UK. Only 7 per cent of the engineering workforce is female. Only 3.4 per cent of engineering and manufacturing apprentices […]

How unsustainable workloads are destroying the quality of teaching

Many teachers blame poor mental health on the stress on increasing workloads. The approaching general election makes it a prime time to lobby for change . Teachers do not enter the profession expecting to work 9 to 5, but workloads are spiralling out of control. Struggling to maintain a healthy work-life balance is a big […]