Opinion

Four guiding principles of a good assessment system

The confusion, debate and disagreements that have followed the move away from levels are necessary if teachers are to...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Hold a child’s hand and walk him through the curriculum

The curriculum starts off as a document: it’s then up to teachers to turn it into something that will...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

How much pay can be withheld if you go on strike?

You are not entitled to be paid for the time you spend on strike, but the amount docked will...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Developing great teaching: eight lessons from new research

Good CPD focuses on subject or topic-based pupil issues and outcomes, uses collaborative problem-solving approaches over several months and...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Bradford school stabbing: “Response must be proportional to risk”

The news that another teacher has been stabbed sent shudders up my spine. Last year, Ann Maguire became the...

Sophie Scott
Sophie Scott
Opinion

Education research: The intractable problems

One of the more curious aspects of our profession is the way in which knowledge about what makes effective...

Sophie Scott
Sophie Scott
Opinion

Measure teacher quality: not student results

An overreliance on standardised data undermines our efforts to keep schools improving. If we really want to help our...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Embracing my dyslexia makes me a better teacher

Tasks such as writing and alphabetising can be time-consuming and tricky, but children learn more helpful lessons when we...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips
Opinion

Why there is an ‘invisible’ quality to education

There is much more behind an academic grade than a child’s computational capacity or his mastery of the 3Rs...

Nicky Phillips
Nicky Phillips