UK
The latest news, analysis and thought leadership for UK schools
Wednesday
26th Aug 2026
Why 2026 GCSE results matching pre-pandemic outcomes is impressive - and frustrating
Schools worked wonders to help this cohort of students overcome pandemic disruption, and this year’s results prove why battling barriers to success is worth the fight, says MAT CEO Becks Boomer-Clark
Why attendance policies aren’t working for students with long-term health conditions
A research project is attempting to understand the difficulties children with conditions such as diabetes, asthma and epilepsy experience at school. Dr Simon Pini details its findings so far
Call for schools to ban packed lunches
Schools already have to follow healthier food standards from September, but ‘more draconian’ rules are needed, says Dame Prue Leith
Tuesday
25th Aug 2026
School leaders should focus on impact, not action, this September
With a new school year, it’s tempting to make changes – but they need to have a clear purpose to track and tweak, argues Professor Michael Green
Most primary teachers against labelling pupils as Neet risks
Views gauged on idea that primary schools would identify pupils considered at risk of being Neet after they leave secondary school
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Monday
24th Aug 2026
DfE awards £300K contract for school AI benchmarks
Consultancy firm will develop national standards setting out how teachers should use AI and technology safely and effectively
Ofsted to lead review on preventing drift to Neet
Inspection evidence from schools will help inform strategies for keeping 16- to 18-year-olds in education, training or employment
What an abandoned plan for a robot TA means for AI in schools
A scheme to deploy a humanoid robot to schools in a US city has been paused after a public backlash. But will AI-powered robots eventually replace human teachers?
6 simple adjustments to help teachers who are neurodivergent to thrive
As a new school year looms, Sendco Nikki Cunningham-Smith suggests ways to make work more inclusive for all staff
Friday
21st Aug 2026
AI may repel students from taking GCSE computing, exam board boss warns
As results day data shows falling entries, Cambridge OCR managing director Myles McGinley says the subject is ‘more important than ever’ as AI takes off
Insanity of GCSE resits policy revealed once again
Another year of most resit students falling short of the required grade 4 in English language and maths proves we need a change, argues ASCL chief Pepe Di’Iasio
How a short-term behaviour intervention can bring long-term benefits
Interventions don’t need to be long to deliver results, explains Clare Dash, whose doctoral research is exploring how a one-week residential is improving pupil behaviour and wellbeing