Opinion | Schools Week

News, Opinion

Should inspections be ‘no-notice’ for inspectors as well as schools?

Following the Conservatives’ election victory, no-notice inspections of schools are likely to be trialed in England. Colin Richards believes this…

Freddie Whittaker

COLIN RICHARDS

Opinion

School business leaders are transforming schools and the system

Despite the backdrop of continued political uncertainty and a government in relative paralysis, 2019 has been an exciting year…

JL Dutaut

STEPHEN MORALES

Opinion

Ofqual's director for standards Cath Jadhav will move to Pearson to become the exam board's responsible officer

History repeats for school governors in 2019 funding crisis

Education has gone as far back to basics as it possibly can, writes Martin Matthews. If only politicians found…

JL Dutaut

MARTIN MATTHEWS

Opinion

Ofsted must do more to acknowledge staff who go the extra mile

Schools with more pupils from deprived backgrounds are still less likely to be judged ‘good’. Ofsted must do more…

Freddie Whittaker

STEPHEN TIERNEY

Opinion: SEND

An Ofsted report found gaps in SEND support in mainstream schools.

The SEND funding crisis can’t be hidden any longer

This year, the funding crisis affecting children with SEND and their families finally got the political attention it needs….

JL Dutaut

JULIE MCCULLOCH

Opinion

As 2020 dawns, primary schools face a perfect storm

Primaries, their teachers and pupils face an unprecedented crisis if things don’t change in 2020, says Robert Campbell. And…

JL Dutaut

ROBERT CAMPBELL

Opinion

Do schools understand what it’s like to be poor at Christmas?

A recent House of Commons Briefing Paper suggests that on current trends, by 2021/22, the share of children in…

JL Dutaut

LOIC MENZIES

Opinion: SEND

The SEND system desperately needs transformation in 2020

The new government needs to make the education of young people with SEND a top priority throughout the next…

JL Dutaut

CHRIS ROSSITER

Opinion

Secondary schools 2019. Great Expectations or Bleak House?

The dictionary of secondary schooling has seen a few new additions in 2019. Helena Marsh catalogues them, and makes…

JL Dutaut

HELENA MARSH

Must Read

Opinion: Edtech

AI bias poses serious risks for learners with SEND

The promise of personalised learning masks very real risks that demand careful attention from educators and policymakers

JL Dutaut

Michael Finlay

Opinion: Curriculum

What teachers want from a reformed English GCSE

The dialogue surrounding curriculum reform in England, particularly within GCSE English, remains as essential as ever. Recent insights from…

JL Dutaut

Leandri Dannhauser

Opinion: Teaching Commission

Here’s how we can finally begin to fix the teacher supply crisis

If we’re going to hang on to more of them, then teachers need a better deal than summer respite…

JL Dutaut

Baroness Mary Bousted

ITT

Degree apprenticeships are key to increasing and diversifying recruitment

Work to deliver the new qualification should continue at pace to meet recruitment challenges by making teaching more accessible,…

JL Dutaut

Melanie Renowden

ITT

ITT: Which is the odd one out?

The deeply flawed ITT reforms are a threat to sustainable teacher supply for purely ideological purposes, writes David Spendlove

JL Dutaut

David Spendlove

EXAMS

Exams

How sitting an exam re-affirmed my respect for our students

I still believe exams to be the best way of testing academic knowledge and understanding but they’re no bagatelle,…

JL Dutaut

James Handscombe

Exams

The number of penalties handed out to students caught cheating has risen for a second year

The stereotype that could be feeding exam anxiety

The ‘snowflake’ stereotype is damaging and unjustified, but a more pervasive idea may be perpetuating exam anxiety, says Stephen…

JL Dutaut

Stephen Caldwell

Have something to say?

We’re always keen to hear from new voices. If you’ve got an opinion you want to share with the education community why not job

Comment on articles and content

Get in touch

Send your pitch to our commissioning editor.