Opinion | Schools Week

Opinion: Policy

How the Liberal Democrats will tackle persistent absence

The approach will be defined by a combination of high standards and a warm heart

JL Dutaut

Callum Robertson

Opinion: Edtech

Get ready. The digital humans are coming

New developments in the way students can interact with AI give renewed urgency to efforts to prepare and safeguard…

JL Dutaut

Federico Pugliese

Opinion: Curriculum

We want to signpost the best curriculum models. But how?

Oak National Academy is gathering teachers’ views on how best to support them to navigate the busy marketplace of…

JL Dutaut

Matt Hood

Opinion: Accountability

Ofsted and DfE must open their eyes to the realities of ‘disadvantage’

The inspectorate’s data-blind approach treats disadvantage as a homogenous category and hampers efforts to close attainment gaps

JL Dutaut

Meena Kumari Wood and Julie Price-Grimshaw

The Knowledge

How can schools in poor areas attract more teachers?

New research by the National Institute of Teaching shows a mismatch between what schools offer candidates and what teachers…

JL Dutaut

Professor Sin Wang Chong

Opinion: Workforce

History’s repetitions offer hope over pay and conditions

As the acrimonious cycle of pay dispute restarts, teachers should draw inspiration from the events of 50 years ago

JL Dutaut

David Scott

Opinion: Attendance

Home visits are part of a strong attendance policy

We must have the difficult conversation about parents who don’t play by the rules if we’re going to change…

JL Dutaut

David Scales

Opinion: Accountability

We need better measures of disadvantage to better target funding

New research reveals a bigger in-group attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils than exists between them and their peers

JL Dutaut

Crispin Chatterton and Jon Andrews

Opinion: Solutions

Recognising and mitigating early signs of mental health issues

Despite variations in how mental health issues manifest from child to child, the value of early discovery can’t be…

JL Dutaut

Kayleigh Frost

Must Read

Opinion: Accountability

Ofsted have wasted an opportunity for fundamental reform

The new framework is rushed and doesn’t deliver the change the sector needs. Bridget Phillipson must step in

JL Dutaut

16h

Daniel Kebede

16h

Labour’s first year

Six priorities for Bridget Phillipson’s second year at the helm

Labour has broadened the definition of success for schools. Here’s how it can now ensure everyone works towards this…

JL Dutaut

Liz Robinson

Letters to the editor

Letters to the editor, 5 September 2025

Schools Week’s legendary cartoonist hangs up his pen, perceptions of behaviour diverge, and a data disaster looms

JL Dutaut

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

Sam Sykes

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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