Authors

Bernard Trafford
All articles by Bernard Trafford
‘Student self-esteem is being sacrificed on the altar of ministers’ obsession with standards’
It’s time to end the victimisation of the minority who simply finds maths and English exams too hard, writes one leading headteacher
31 August 2016
‘School leaders may not need to be certified. But they must have a chance to reflect and critique themselves’
We must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater on the issue of professional development for future heads, writes one leading headteacher
23 July 2016
For all his Clint Eastwood gun-slinging, Sir Michael Wilshaw had walked the walk as a headteacher
The new education secretary needs to understand that the profession will only be prepared to take criticism from Ofsted if the chief inspector has been on the receiving end
14 July 2016
‘As we recall the Somme, I fear the policymakers of my generation are wilfully blind to the lessons that should be learned from it’
The centenary of one of the most costly battles of all time in a European war should cause us to pause, reflect and consider what lessons we are teaching the young, this headteacher believes
1 July 2016
‘Politicians urge schools to promote compassion. What decency or compassion has there been in the EU debate?’
Schools have a moral purpose to encourage children to be honest: not to lie, exaggerate or distort. But the Brexit debate has shown that not all adults live by these values, one headteacher argues
24 June 2016
‘Give schools a break. They’re doing their best: less blame and a lot more support would help’
Schools are trying their hardest to cure in miniature the sicknesses of society – including sexual bullying – but require far more support, says one leading headteacher
19 June 2016