2001 will also reveal the fate of the first teachers who have applied to cross the pay threshold. Sarah Cassidy “January will be a bad month for schools with heads forced to decide whether to cover up staff shortages or admit crisis. A flu epidemic at the start of the year would be disastrous.”

Clare Dean “Ministers have yet to sort out how they are going to get primaries to start teaching languages, given the shortages of staff. Next year is the European Year of Languages, so there is no escape.”

Geraldine Hackett “Secondary schools face a busy year as the Government uses the curriculum as a weapon in the battle against underachievement and social exclusion. The literacy and numeracy strategies roll out in secondaries in September.”

Julie Henry “Ministers ca expect a fight with governors over proposals to remove responsibilities for staff appointments, which many see as crucial to their strategic role.”

Karen Thornton “Speculation as to who will emerge as the long-term successor to Chris Woodhead will continue. Schools can expect a more conciliatory approach from Mike Tomlinson in his year as chief inspector.

2001 could prove a crucial year for the General Teaching Council, which takes charge of disciplining teachers from March. With teachers due to start paying a fee to the council, pressure will be on the GTC to prove its worth.”

Warwick Mansell “2001 may be the year in which public pressure forces the Welsh Assembly to start flexing its muscles and say exactly where Gordon Brown’s pound;90m for schools should go.”

Biddy Passmore “Changes to the curriculum will bring a huge demand for new books and resources. With increasing pressure on their time, teachers will be looking for books with more text and background information and fewer activities.” Mary Cruickshank.