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Falling through the gaps: Focus on school exclusion long overdue

5 June 2019

The renewed focus on issues of school exclusion and off-rolling is welcome. The time has come for schools and policy-makers to reflect on why the exclusions system seems to be going off the rails. Anna Feuchtwang explains

Our GCSE system and its devastating collateral damage

9 May 2019

Our GCSE system, with its comparable outcomes basis, undervalues the achievements of too many students. This must end, says Geoff Barton

Diary of a headteacher: Practising ‘tension-free’ leadership

9 May 2019

Is the job of headteacher a stressful one? There is certainly a lot of pressure, but what can we do to protect our wellbeing and ease some of the many stresses and strains we face day-to-day...

Behaviour: We must say no to ‘no excuses’

8 May 2019

The ‘no excuses’, zero tolerance approach to behaviour and discipline is shown to be a failed model and should now be thrown out by schools – for good – says Matt Ward

The ed-tech strategy: A great leap backwards?

8 May 2019

The government has finally launched its long-promised strategy for the future of educational technology. Bob Harrison looks at the ‘critical welcome’ it has received...

Diary of an NQT: Taking the time to observe others

8 May 2019

Having finally found some time to observe some of her colleagues' lessons, our NQT diarist recommends that all new teachers choose a focus and head out into the school to see other teachers' practice

STEM careers: A question of equity

8 May 2019

Statistics show that girls continue to turn away from STEM career paths – and it begins with the rejection of A level options, with physics being a prime example, says Charles Tracy

Mental health support: ‘You literally have to be suicidal’

8 May 2019

With mental health support services at breaking point, chronic underfunding and an exam factory culture are driving a mental health crisis in schools, says Kevin Courtney

At the chalkface: ‘Go on sir, tell us a story!’

8 May 2019

Story-telling is just about the most important thing you can ever do in English. It cuts across class, language, culture and even literacy. Children always want to hear (or tell) a good story. They think they’re not really working. Well, they’re so wrong.

Knife crime duty ‘ill-thought-out’

7 May 2019

The government’s rush to appear tough on knife crime has led to a flawed proposal that will heap yet more responsibility onto schools, says Deborah Lawson

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Diary of a headteacher: A funny day for an anniversary

7 May 2019

Intent on celebrating her school's one-year MAT anniversary, our headteacher diarist sends an all-school email – sparking rumours of Ofsted inspection...

Picture perfect? Rejecting fake perfection

30 April 2019

Social media and in particular Instagram has led to an obsession with perfection that Karen Sullivan fears is damaging our young people. She looks at how we might tackle this in the classroom

The ESFA's conflicting duties raise important questions

4 April 2019

Delivering government policy while also regulating the academies system, the Education Skills and Funding Agency faces an impossible conflict of interests, says Jon Richards

Gangs: A national emergency

3 April 2019

A vital safety net is lost when a child is excluded or off-rolled – and the likelihood of their involvement in gangs and knife crime increases, says Anne Longfield

The stress of the exams system

3 April 2019

The summer term places huge stress on exam officers with serious consequences – for them, for the students sitting exams, and for the system as a whole, says Andrew Harland

RSE: We have come a long way

3 April 2019

There are still challenges ahead, but the RSE and health education guidance is a step in the right direction to helping children grow up healthier and happier, says Anna Feuchtwang

Diary of a headteacher: Where are all the female leaders?

3 April 2019

When our headteacher diarist is presumed to be a primary leader because she is a woman, she reflects on why secondary school leadership is still failing to close the gender gap...

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Diary of a headteacher: Getting your hands dirty

3 April 2019

With plenty of plans for his schools, our headteacher diarist is frustrated when circumstances force him to take on more teaching duties than he'd like

At the chalkface: Why can’t we all have some?

3 April 2019

They should have been scrapped in 1945. The Labour government had the chance, but bottled it. They couldn’t take on the English ruling class. No-one can

Diary of an NQT: Thinking about key stage 3

3 April 2019

Away from the pressure of examinations, teaching key stage 3 is liberating and allows our NQT diarist to push the boundaries of her teaching

Support staff are in crisis

20 March 2019

Support staff are the glue that holds a school together and yet are facing over-work, under-pay and redundancies as government funding cuts bite, says Dr Mary Bousted

At the chalkface: Certainties are toxic

20 March 2019

At first I took them on. Have you even read it? Why should we do what God says? When is obedience a good idea? Certainties are toxic. Complexities aren’t. We need doubt, we need humour. You burn books and you will end up burning people.

Progress 8: Is it time to tinker?

13 March 2019

There has been some debate about the inherent unfairness of Progress 8 towards schools with higher proportions of disadvantaged and SEN pupils. Dr Lesley Duff looks at the evidence...

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There are many ways to build character

13 March 2019

In proposing his Five Foundations for Building Character, the education secretary has set out his definition of character and resilience – but young people build these traits in many others ways that deserve recognition too, says Deborah Lawson

At the chalkface: Talking proper

13 March 2019

For girls it was marginally worse. Those with pushy parents went to something called a Lucy Clayton Finishing School. There they got finished. They practised enunciating “how now brown cow” with a telephone directory on their heads...