Authors

Alex Quigley

Alex Quigley, who is head of content and engagement at the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), was an English teacher for 15 years.

Alex joined education research charity the EEF in 2018 and is the author of books including the Closing the Gap trilogy, Why Learning Fails (And What To Do About It) and Literacy Essentials for Every Teacher.

All articles by Alex Quigley

Why haven’t we closed the reading gap yet?

Despite national gains in reading, pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds still make less progress than their peers, says Alex Quigley. So, what can be done to help?

General

14 May 2026

Do banded books make for poorer readers?

Schemes that match books to primary pupils’ skill level could be holding children back and making them less engaged in their reading, writes Alex Quigley

Primary

25 February 2026

Why we need to rethink secondary reading assessment

Opportunities for teacher-led diagnostic assessments are being missed amid overreliance on reading ages and standardised reading tests, suggests Alex Quigley

Secondary

4 December 2025

Inclusion ‘by design’: why it matters and how to do it

With the new Ofsted framework taking a broad view of inclusion, it’s even more important to make teaching inclusive ‘by design’ and not by accident, suggests Alex Quigley

General

9 October 2025

What’s next for English assessment?

In the age of AI, the days of relying on coursework as a component of A-level assessment may be numbered, writes Alex Quigley. But what are the alternatives?

General

1 July 2025

Why you could be getting whole-class feedback wrong

Whole-class feedback has the potential to be a workload saviour, says Alex Quigley, but does it always help learning?

General

12 June 2025