Opinion | Schools Week

Opinion

Ofsted’s evidence is so unfounded that their case for retaining grades collapses

Ofsted’s defence of its four-point grading scheme in its recent paper (Retaining the current grading system in education, April…

John Dickens

FRANK COFFIELD

Opinion

Suspensions among pupils back up during second year of pandemic

Which types of school are more likely to off-roll students?

It seems impossible that nearly 50,000 pupils disappeared from schools last year for no apparent reason. But this is…

Expert Contributor

SHONA GALT

Opinion

Who needs coding when it’s pupil safety that matters?

Schools would be better using their limited edtech resources to help pupils to stay safe and develop as informed…

Expert Contributor

LAURA LARKE

Opinion

What does a ‘high quality’ ITE curriculum look like?

Successful ITE curricula are co-designed and co-taught across a partnership, says Jan Rowe Ofsted’s recent attempt to confirm what…

Expert Contributor

JAN ROWE

Opinion

Suspensions among pupils back up during second year of pandemic but exclusions still falling

Too many children are disappearing from school rolls

There are still too many unexplained exits from schools, at a level that cannot be in the best interests…

Expert Contributor

JO HUTCHINSON

Opinion

SATs are the fairest way to judge pupil progress

Teachers and pupils should not have any reason to be stressed about SATs, and it is up to headteachers…

Expert Contributor

CASSIE YOUNG

Opinion

The DfE revealed further details of its senior mental health lead training plans.

Keeping schools mentally healthy: sometimes young people just need to talk

Sometimes young people just want to talk, says Lisa Fathers, who explains how the devolved administration in Greater Manchester…

Expert Contributor

LISA FATHERS

Opinion

A plan to centralise school reserves and funding at REAch2 is to be paused for ACAS talks

If schools want more money from government, they must use funds efficiently

The government’s scheme for providing financial advice to schools is helping them redirect more resources to the frontline, argues…

Expert Contributor

LORD THEODORE AGNEW

Opinion

A study will look at the Covid legacy for Year 11 pupils.

PRUs shouldn’t just be part of the flowchart

England is recreating the old grammar and secondary modern system, only this time, based on behaviour not attainment, says…

Expert Contributor

JULES DAULBY

Must Read

Opinion

Why digital transformation must be a priority for schools in 2026

AI tools to improve teaching, workloads, admin and pupil results are all here – the challenge is to implement…

Freddie Whittaker

Chris Thackray

Opinion

First 16-year-old voters are already political, but they need schools’ support

Teenagers who will vote in 2029 are forming views without the structure or understanding schools should provide

Freddie Whittaker

Katie Carr

Opinion

Forget the buzzword bingo, here’s how schools can get belonging right

Children show us belonging is simple. If we see them, hear them, know them and accept them for who…

Freddie Whittaker

Anthony Benedict

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

University clearing: How teachers can support students

All the important details school staff need to help youngsters through clearing this year

John Dickens

5mo

Sam Sykes

5mo

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

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