Opinion

Academy contracts are not fit for purpose – so how do we change them?

Academies have been given different freedoms depending on when they signed a funding agreement or what they managed to negotiate with...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Teacher references: A classic moral hazard for schools

Schools and staff waste hours on references for departing teachers that at best can be described as ambiguous. Do...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

What pupils are REALLY allowed to eat at school

Schools must follow food standards and provide free meals to all infants. But dig into those standards and you’ll...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

The feminism A-level debacle shows how biased we are about ‘best thinkers’

Women have been thinking, campaigning and contributing to politics throughout history, just as men have. It is therefore self-evident...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

It is essential to involve schools in the development of 14-16 vocational qualifications

When delivered within schools, vocational qualifications can help pupils develop work-ready, practical skills, become more confident, enhance their CV...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Year in review: a headteacher’s perspective on 2015

It’s all very different from the Michael Gove years (and they weren’t great), with layers of “extra things” now...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Year in review: A school business manager’s perspective on 2015

The pace of change has made it a tough year for schools, academies and their business managers. But it...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Moral character is built by more than sport

Research suggests that widely held beliefs about the character building nature of sport are wrong, with students who take...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Whose knowledge is it anyway

We are entering an era of knowledge-porn. But while children need certain knowledge to take part in the “cultural...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips