Cut time, not corners: five life hacks to help you survive teacher training

Teachers aren't known for having a brilliant work-life balance. They are, however, famous for getting stuff done – and a few simple life hacks can make all the difference. Here are our insider tips on keeping yourself healthy, sane and happy while handling the demands of training and teaching. Keeping fit When you're swamped with work, the idea of ...

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The London Challenge

Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, PhD student at LSE and Political Science and Director of Research, Centre for the Study of Market Reform in Education (CMRE), shares his thoughts on one of the most talked about issues in education. 'The London Challenge' a policy designed to create a "step change" in the performance of London secondary schools.  An im...

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An introduction to the economics of school choice

Spurred by perceived inefficiencies in centralised education systems, school choice has in the past decades gone from a mostly fringe academic theory to a mainstream policy option worldwide. The idea is that the expansion of choice – through, for example, open enrolment and private-school vouchers – will increase market incentives in the school sys...

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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...

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School's out, sofa's in. Teachers share their favourite education films and books

One of our NQT surgeries looked at how new teachers can spend the holidays wisely – with the overwhelming advice being to relax, recuperate and not think about work. We know that's easier said than done, however. But rather than taking on mountains of planning or crafting intricately annotated seating plans (which you'll almost definitely have...

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