Why won't schools listen to the experts about reducing workload?

It's been more than a year since the Department for Education published reports from three independent review groups addressing issues raised by the Workload Challenge survey. All three reports gave clear recommendations to help reduce teacher marking, planning and data management. But is the message getting through to leaders? To look at scho...

Continue reading
  26844 Hits

Dear Justine, it’s not just about school funding and selective education – the way you ignore teachers is the real travesty

In early March, Theresa May articulated her vision for education, ahead of announcement that £320m would be confirmed for 140 new free schools and the expansion of existing selective schools. The prime minister wrote: "Our Schools White Paper…will remove the barriers that prevent more good faith-based free schools from opening, and it will enable t...

Continue reading
  6748 Hits

Take it from an IT manager, schools are being flogged tech that they don't need

I get an average of 15 people a week phoning me up to sell me something. I'm an IT manager, so in many ways it is no surprise: from salespeople and trainers, to course organisers and seminar sellers – you name it, they have something my school couldn't function without. They often use underhand tactics to get through reception, my favourites being:...

Continue reading
  6720 Hits

A lesson in how schools are getting down with sex and relationships education

When it was announced earlier this month that sex and relationships education (SRE) was to be made compulsory in England's schools, it was met with relief from many teachers, parents and other groups who have long campaigned for the move. Young people have also been crying out for a more coherent approach to SRE; a recent survey from Barnados found...

Continue reading
  7895 Hits

Grammar schools are not the answer to improving social mobility – brilliant, well-trained teachers are

It's not often that an education policy inspires unison in the sector, but the government's proposal to re-introduce grammar schools seemed to do just that, bringing the vast majority of education professionals together to say what a terrible idea it was. "The aims are entirely honourable," says Patrick Watson, a policy analyst and communicati...

Continue reading
  7030 Hits