General

The Scottish government made musical instrument tuition free this academic year – but how much of a difference has it actually made? Emma Seith finds out

Scottish education likes to think of itself as progressive – but, as the great Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff said, we need to ‘slow down and think about where we run’, writes Henry Hepburn

It is human connection that powers education – not a clinically prescribed way of teaching, writes Jon Severs

The iQTS scheme will enter a pilot phase next year and could allow many more talented graduates to achieve a UK-backed teaching qualification – but there are issues lurking underneath that could limit its impact, finds James O’Malley

Michael Tidd reads between the lines of Ofsted’s latest inspection blog to find some comfort for schools about what inspectors want when delving into a school’s curriculum

Geoff Barton wonders why so little has changed for education settings on Covid measures despite the clear concern the Omicron variant is causing the government

Earlier this year, a Scottish council caused controversy when it proposed creating an ‘executive head’ role to run up to eight schools. While the authority claims the plan is a sensible response to recruitment difficulties, critics warn Henry Hepburn that the pupils will suffer

Education Scotland’s ‘sensible and practical decision’ to delay the return of full inspections gives teachers hope that they will have a better relationship with government agencies in the future, writes Henry Hepburn

‘Parental engagement’ is a such a complex and slippery concept that neither teachers nor parents have any chance of living up to expectations, writes Jon Severs

Dame Joan McVittie explains what Ofsted’s latest missive on its inspection timetable might mean for school leaders trying to work out when they may next face an inspection

Changes to the Welsh education system bring a lot of positives – but teachers cannot keep on adding more jobs to their workload in these difficult times, explains NAHT Cymru director Laura Doel