Opinion | Schools Week

Opinion

Why we replaced our local governing bodies with committees

As Ofsted demands around accountability have tightened, shifting that responsibility to professionals takes the weight off governors’ shoulders I…

Expert Contributor

KIT THORNE

Opinion

The new Ofsted framework has the potential to transform workload

Ofsted’s new curriculum framework has the potential to transform workload and bring education back to where it should be….

Expert Contributor

NICK HUDSON

Opinion

Schools need more guidance on how to close the disadvantage gap

Many schools are looking to close the disadvantage gap in their communities, but they need more evidence about what…

Expert Contributor

MEGAN SIM

Opinion

The DfE’s repeated misuse of statistics is embarrassing

The Department for Education needs to start using statistics properly, or much of its evidence will simply be dismissed as…

Expert Contributor

HETAN SHAH

Opinion

Pupil premium: how to translate evidence into practice

Every month a school from the Education Endowment Foundation’s Research School network shares a research-based initiative it has implemented….

Expert Contributor

DANIEL JONES

Opinion

‘They’ll blame the housing crisis on PRUs soon!’

The recent debate about exclusions has become a stick with which to beat pupil referral units, says Steve Howell…

Expert Contributor

STEVE HOWELL

Opinion

Conference diary: What did we learn from four days with the Conservatives?

After four days of politics but very few policies at the Conservative Party conference, schools are still none the…

Freddie Whittaker

FREDDIE WHITTAKER

Opinion

How to support young people with literacy difficulties

Less than half of teachers feel confident teaching young people with literacy difficulties, says Karen Wespieser, who offers some…

Expert Contributor

KAREN WESPIESER

Opinion

Peer review can’t be a form of inspection – don’t confuse them!

Make sure that you don’t mix up peer review with inspection, but do ensure that both are effective, valid…

Expert Contributor

LEORA CRUDDAS

Must Read

Opinion: Curriculum review

Four steps to improve curriculum and assessment in science

The need and appetite for reform of the science curriculum are clear. Here’s how we can deliver for students,…

JL Dutaut

Les Hopper

Recruitment and retention

An impoverished work-life drives too many teachers out

The default position that teaching should be professionally (and sometimes personally) all-encompassing is a retention own-goal

John Dickens

Nansi Ellis and Haili Hughes

SEND solutions

We must reclaim our role as SEND and AP’s fixers. ASAP

New project aims to gather and broadcast the solutions to the SEND funding crisis that are lighting the way…

John Dickens

Emma Bradshaw and Tom Legge

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

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