General
Tuesday
1st Apr 2025
Why sustainability can’t be left to individual teachers
Leaders need to champion ‘learning for sustainability’ so that it becomes a central part of the culture of a school, says this teacher
Adolescence is powerful TV - but why the tired teacher tropes?
Amid widespread praise for the hit Netflix show, this teacher questions why – yet again – teachers have to be portrayed in such a negative light
Friday
28th Mar 2025
We need action to protect children from social media’s inevitable harm
Netflix series ‘Adolescence’ is a stark reminder of the dangers the internet poses to young people. Tech companies must take responsibility, says ASCL chief Pepe Di’Iasio
Why we need a mandatory safeguarding qualification
The introduction of a standardised qualification for designated safeguarding leads would improve children’s safety and better professionalise the role, sector experts tell Ellen Peirson-Hagger
Matt Hood: Oak has its critics, but the achievements are many
Outgoing Oak National Academy CEO Matt Hood looks back on the successes and challenges the digital lesson platform has faced over the past five years
Friday
21st Mar 2025
Curriculum and assessment review: Why is marking accuracy ignored?
Despite recognising the importance of exam grades, the review’s interim report fails to acknowledge concerns about the accuracy of marking and the appeals process, warns Dennis Sherwood
Why some schools will be hit harder by planned QTS change
With the government planning a requirement for all teachers to have qualified teacher status, research shows that staff without QTS are not distributed evenly across the sector
Thursday
20th Mar 2025
More focus and fight: what Labour needs to do on education
Labour has allowed itself to get distracted by unnecessary squabbles – but the plan for a SEND White Paper could lay the foundation for important work on poverty and attendance, says Sam Freedman
Geoff Barton: How the week that ‘changed education forever’ unfolded
Five years ago this week, Covid closed schools across England and Geoff Barton, then ASCL general secretary, was at the heart of the process. He explains how it happened and what it taught us