Free schools

‘Nightmare before Christmas’: 46 free school projects scrapped and 58 special schools in limbo

News

Four things we learnt from government data this week

SEND

Committee chair criticises DfE response to SEND report

Ofsted said schools still faced the challenge of parents keeping children off school 'unnecessarily' due to Covid 'proximity'
SEND

Schools lack resources to keep pupils with SEND – Ofsted

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Equitas: ASDAN’s new digital platform putting skills at the heart of learning

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Bett UK 2026: Learning without limits

Exams

Ofqual: On-screen exams could be introduced by 2030

News

Russell Hobby to become Labour peer – but will remain as trust CEO

Academies

Success of top academy achieved ‘at too high a cost for some pupils’

SEND

Six things MPs heard about school transport this week

Schools

Income data to replace free school meals as trigger for disadvantage funding

Pupil data

DfE dodges data transparency as it plans new pupil register

Free schools

‘Nightmare before Christmas’: 46 free school projects scrapped and 58 special schools in limbo

News

Four things we learnt from government data this week

SEND

Committee chair criticises DfE response to SEND report

SEND

Schools lack resources to keep pupils with SEND – Ofsted

Sponsored post

Equitas: ASDAN’s new digital platform putting skills at the heart of learning

Sponsored post

Bett UK 2026: Learning without limits

Exams

Ofqual: On-screen exams could be introduced by 2030

News

Russell Hobby to become Labour peer – but will remain as trust CEO

Academies

Success of top academy achieved ‘at too high a cost for some pupils’

More news

Opinion

Opinion

How we tackled misinformation in our primary curriculum 

Schools need to approach difficult topics in a sensitive, age-appropriate way, writes Sam French

Freddie Whittaker
Sam French
Ofsted

Good might not be good enough under new Ofsted framework

Experience of an inspection suggests Ofsted’s system is clearer and fairer, but hard work is needed to attain ‘expected…

Freddie Whittaker
Stuart Gardner
Opinion

Big tech AI marketing rewrites the future of education 

If we passively consume and believe big tech’s vision for AI we’ll be tricked into ceding control of our…

Freddie Whittaker
Catherine Buckler
Opinion

Nigel de Gruchy, the teachers’ champion who savaged with a soundbite

The former trade union leader has died at the age of 82. One of his successors, Dr Patrick Roach,…

Freddie Whittaker
Dr Patrick Roach
Opinion

Education starts at home, so we bought 20 of them for families

Short-term lets and instability wreck a child’s likelihood of succeeding academically – we cannot ignore what goes on outside…

Freddie Whittaker
John Barneby
Opinion

Teacher recruitment is turning a corner, but headline figures mask challenges

Increased entries to teacher training should be source of pride, but government must not forget communities where recovery won’t…

Freddie Whittaker
Paddy Dempsey
The Boardroom Leader

The five ways we promote and champion school governance

When volunteers are supported and celebrated, boards become stronger – and children benefit

Freddie Whittaker
Susanna Bradbury and Rebekah Rowan-Robinson
Opinion

How schools can put mental health support at their heart

The strain posed by pupil mental health needs is increasing, but Kerry Westbrook believes her academy trust has a…

Freddie Whittaker
Kerry Westbrook

From our partners

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Equitas: ASDAN’s new digital platform putting skills at the heart of learning

As schools and colleges continue to navigate increasingly complex learning needs, the demand for flexible, skills-focused provision has never…

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ASDAN
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Bett UK 2026: Learning without limits

Education is humanity’s greatest promise and our most urgent mission.

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BETT Show
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Six tips for improving teaching and learning for vocabulary and maths

The more targeted the learning activity to a student’s ability level, the more impactful it will be.

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Cambridge Insight
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From lesson plans to financial plans: Helping teachers prepare for the Autumn budget and beyond

Specialist Financial Adviser, William Adams, from Wesleyan Financial Services explains why financial planning will be key to preparing for…

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Wesleyan
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IncludEd Conference: Get Inclusion Ready

As we all clamber to make sense of the new Ofsted framework, it can be hard to know where…

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The Difference
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Helping every learner use AI responsibly

AI didn’t wait to be invited into the classroom. It burst in mid-lesson. Across UK schools, pupils are already…

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Pearson
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Retire Early, Live Fully: What Teachers Need to Consider First

Specialist Financial Adviser, William Adams, from Wesleyan Financial Services discusses what teachers should be considering when it comes to…

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Wesleyan
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AI Safety: From DfE Guidance to Classroom Confidence

Darren Coxon, edtech consultant and AI education specialist, working with The National College, explores the DfE’s expectations for AI…

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The National College

The Leader: Expert guidance. Best practice

The Boardroom Leader

The five ways we promote and champion school governance

When volunteers are supported and celebrated, boards become stronger – and children benefit

Freddie Whittaker
Susanna Bradbury and Rebekah Rowan-Robinson
The Boardroom Leader

Why mergers succeed, and what we can learn from those that don’t

Trusts that bear the battle scars of past mergers show us that a match of values is more important…

John Dickens
Samira Sadeghi
The Legal Leader

Can schools ban parents from sports days?

After a London school made headlines for banning parents from sporting events, two legal experts explore what the law…

John Dickens
Theresa Kerr and Andrea Squires
The Legal Leader

Why a small funding rule update is another leash on academy freedoms

Guidance on novel, contentious and repercussive (NCR) transactions point to a requirement to ask the Department for Education first,…

Freddie Whittaker
Philip Wood
The Legal Leader

The accountability implications of ‘the Hillsborough Law’

New legislation making its way through parliament will place new ethical responsibilities on schools and trusts

JL Dutaut
Esther Maxwell and Kamal Chauhan
The Research Leader

Our national wellbeing problems require local solutions

The 3,000 young voices represented in our new report add surprising local context to national concerns about youth mental…

JL Dutaut
Vivienne Avery
The Research Leader

Do we really know how to attract and retain teachers?

A new Ambition Institute report sheds light on how teachers and non-teachers decide whether the profession is (still) for…

JL Dutaut
Dr Sam Sims
The Research Leader

‘Dreadful parents’: What do teachers really think?

Our data shows teachers don’t see parents as a key cause of worsening behaviour – but it doesn’t let…

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Readers’ responses

Letters to the editor

This week’s best responses from our readers

Another way for school readiness, why phone bans ARE the brave choice and enrichment’s GCSE blinkers problem

Freddie Whittaker
Various
Letters to the editor

This week’s best responses from our readers

How to really drive efficiencies in schools, and what next after Ofsted legal action failure

Freddie Whittaker
Various
Letters to the editor

This week’s best responses from our readers

Why we’re getting parents dreadfully wrong, why RISE needs to raise its game, and why Ofsted can only take…

JL Dutaut
Various
Letters to the editor

This week’s best responses from our readers

The wrong kind reading test at the wrong time, the true sign of cultural decline, and cognitive dissonance over…

JL Dutaut
Various
Letters to the editor

This week’s best responses from our readers

Missing! A piece of the admissions puzzle. A ministerial responsibility. Support for familes. And clarity from Ofsted.

JL Dutaut
Various
Letters to the editor

This week’s best responses from our readers

A monstrous admission, a deafening silence, a dangerous manifesto and a turn of the tables

JL Dutaut
Various
Letters to the editor

This week’s best responses from our readers

Primary testing, the demise of a Schools Week standard, farming for engagement, chunking EHCPs, and a conspiracy flushed out

JL Dutaut
Various
Letters to the editor

This week’s best responses from our readers

Schools Week’s legendary cartoonist hangs up his pen, perceptions of behaviour diverge, and a data disaster looms

JL Dutaut
Various
More letters

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