General

The Slant classroom management policy – which demands that children sit up, listen, ask and answer questions, nod and track the teacher – has been widely adopted. But does forcing pupils to focus on their posture hinder learning, asks John Morgan

This year’s grades chaos betrayed a lack of faith in teacher assessment, writes Christian Bokhove – and that is a side effect of an accountability system that focuses on results alone

How do you unwind after a manic day in school? You might listen to music or go for a walk – but research shows that reading a book is the most effective way to relieve stress. Picking up a good book every day might even add years to your life, finds Carly Page

Friendships between female pupils are often painted as being difficult, but we misunderstand how girls themselves view friendships – and this leads us to be more hindrance than help, finds Grainne Hallahan

Many people believe that staring at our smartphone screens for hours a day is bad for us – but others say there is no proof that tech use can be harmful. The benefits of taking a digital detox are likely to depend on your point of view, discovers Carly Page

With maths questions becoming increasingly word heavy, pupils are no longer being tested purely on mathematical skills. Is that really what we want for the subject, asks Christian Bokhove

Backache, heartburn, nausea, constantly needing to go to the loo – pregnancy is hard enough when you’re not working in a school. And in the coming academic year, with Covid-19 still looming over us, pregnant teachers will suffer even greater anxiety. But fear not – faculty head and mum of two Laura May Rowlands presents her survival guide. Her key piece of advice? Share your joy with your school and own the situation

Teachers shouldn’t assume that knowledge and skills can easily be transferred between domains – but we can look at ways of linking different contexts, says Christian Bokhove

Everyone agrees that we have to teach young people to spot fake news – a need highlighted recently by the deluge of misinformation about the pandemic. But how teachers should go about doing this is hotly debated. Some believe critical-thinking skills are the answer, while others say subject knowledge is the key. Holly Korbey finds that neither approach is likely to do the job on its own, and proposes a third way...

When you ask for feedback, you have to be ready to take the rough with the smooth. Here are three things to remember when faced with unfavourable responses from your staff

Over the past 25 years, breaktimes have shrunk by over an hour for some children. But what effect does this have on their wellbeing and learning? Gemma Corby talks to an expert to find out

Workplace norms are changing. So how can schools’ employment practices change with them? John Tomsett explains how he’s making it work