education policy | Schools Week

Why the government’s computer science strategy is completely wrong

Gerald Haigh is not surprised that a government committee reckons millions of adults lack basic knowledge about computers. And he suspects things won’t get better until a 2014 curriculum change is looked at again A recent report from the science and technology select committee says that millions of UK adults lack the basic digital skills required […]

Are we turning students into wimps?

Schools have stayed silent while risk-taking opportunities for pupils have been eroded – resulting in youngsters being “mollycoddled into cottonwool kids”, said author Claire Fox. The first session of the popular Battle of Ideas kicked off on Friday morning with panellist Fox, director of the Institute of Ideas, arguing that schools were sapping the morale […]

Teachers’ strike disrupts a third of schools but only 12 per cent closed

About a third of schools in England were fully or partially closed as a result of a walkout of teachers today, the government has revealed. The Department for Education has confirmed that 11.9 per cent of schools were closed and 21.4 per cent were only partially open, based on data for about 94 per cent of schools […]

Where are we now with special needs?

Schools in England are half way through the implementation of the biggest special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms in a generation. The start of the process saw every school implement three immediate reforms to the way SEND is addressed: SEN information reports, SEN support, and education, health and care plans (EHCPs). Malcolm Reeve looks […]

SEND reforms: Past, Present and Future

The Children and Families Act came into effect in September 2014, with a revised special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice and a programme of implementation until April 2018. But half way through the reform, it has divided opinion to such an extent that two parallel Westminster reviews are underway. So what’s happened […]

What is the NUT strike about and will it make a difference?

NUT members in England will take national strike action on Tuesday. Any strike by teachers grabs news headlines and often divides opinion, within and beyond the profession. So why are NUT members going on strike and will it make any difference? asks Howard Stevenson Any industrial action in the UK must be based on a legal ‘trade […]

EBacc: MPs prepare to debate petition on exclusion of arts subjects

MPs will debate a decision to exclude expressive arts subjects from the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) this afternoon, after more than 100,000 people signed a petition calling for a change in the rules. The debate on the EBacc will take place in Parliament’s Westminster Hall from 4.30pm, and campaigners from groups supportive of the petition have already […]

Education reform: How to take back control of schools from government

“The power of the Crown has increased, is increasing and ought to be diminished.” John Dunning, motion in Parliament, 1780. For those working in education, it won’t have taken the act of self-immolation of June 23 to notice a growing feeling of powerlessness and mute rage in the face of an over-centralised, over-mighty state that […]

Is Prevent turning teachers into spies?

A government programme aimed at stopping youngsters being drawn into terrorism is creating a climate of “suspicion and mistrust”, claimed headteacher Terry James. The second session of the Battle of Ideas asked whether the government’s anti-radicalisation programme Prevent was “turning teachers into spies”. James, head of Queen’s school in Hertfordshire, said he agreed with Labour MP Andy […]