The great outdoors Tom Donohoe has been organising residential trips at his school for 20 years. He describes how they have evolved and offers some advice on making them an unforgettable experience
Ofsted – a satisfactory performance? Sir Michael Wilshaw has come in with all guns blazing. He has already announced the intention to introduce no-notice inspections, now he’s moving on to good teaching in outstanding schools. Suzanne O’Connell takes a look
It’s good to talk A meeting of neuroscientists and educators marked the launch of a national forum aiming to bring the two professions closer together to further research and improve the education of SEN children. Pete Henshaw was there
London: leading the way The London Leadership Strategy – born out of the London Challenge – is working to spread best practice across the capital and beyond. Dorothy Lepkowska explains
Research-engaged schools Dr Raphael Wilkins reflects on the benefits for schools of being ‘research-engaged’ and argues that headteachers must embrace research and collaboration as part of school and staff development
Improving progress through Assessment for Learning Dr Joanna Goodman reflects on the role of Assessment for Learning
Connecting with the continent The British Council offers a host of international education programmes for UK schools. Sarah Stead tells us about the projects her school has got involved with, and the benefits they have seen for both teachers and pupils
Supporting autistic students A recent survey from the National Autistic Society revealed some of the problems pupils with autism encounter in education. Here we look at the best ways of helping autistic pupils get the most from their school life
Asbestos: A hidden killer Eleven years ago, Michael Lees lost his wife, a teacher, to the asbestos-related disease mesothelioma. He is fighting for special guidance and regulations to govern asbestos management in schools. Here he presents his case
A guide to the new Ofsted Framework With the new Ofsted Inspection Framework due to come into effect from January 2012, we take a look at what's in and what's out.
Government-funded, privately provided With government-funded, privately provided schools a growing feature of education systems around the world, the CfBT Education Trust has carried out research into what works and why. Oli de Botton explains
Choosing the right path These are times of great fluidity for primary schools. For some heads, change represents opportunity; for others it is a cause of unease and confusion. Anne Evans, chief executive of leadership charity HTI, discusses the choices available to heads
A project to be proud of In the March edition of Headteacher Update, Tom Donohoe described his school’s attempt to raise money for a new music, dance and drama room. Here, he tells us what they did next and talks us through the highs and lows of the project
Who wants the excluded children? If more and more schools do take on academy status and competition gets sharper, where will this leave the minority who hinder rather than help league tables? Headteacher Update examines the current policy for dealing with excluded pupils
Targeting truancy Every headteacher will have had to deal with unauthorised absence for one reason or another. Val Cameron, head of Park Lane Primary School in Peterborough, tells us of her experiences and how she has dealt with the issue
Unlocking literacy It seems literacy is never far from the headlines. We look at the latest research from the National Literacy Trust and ask how schools can get more children reading for pleasure
Cloud computing: Look beyond the silver lining Cloud computing may save money but choose the wrong cloud service provider and the school could find itself in breach of the Data Protection Act. Paula Williamson and Harvey Davies look at the possible pitfalls
Take teaching outside Outdoor play and learning is regarded as more and more important for well-rounded, happy children. Here Elizabeth Hudson, from environmental charity BTCV, discusses the work they do and looks at ways primary schools can get involved
The true value of teaching assistants Professor Peter Blatchford, Dr Anthony Russell and Rob Webster – researchers on the Deployment and Impact of Support Staff in Schools (DISS) project – discuss their work into the impact TAs have on pupil outcomes and teacher workloads
A solution for vulnerable families? The coalition’s Education Business Plan sets out its intention to ‘develop a new approach to turning around the lives of chaotic and dysfunctional families’. Headteacher Update looks at what this pledge entails
An inspirational year When Tom Donohoe, headteacher of Anton Junior School in Hampshire, came up with the idea of raising funds for a new music, dance and drama room, people said he was mad. Eighteen months on and they have smashed their target of £150,000.
A chance to be creative with primary science? In 2010 science was released. It lost its SATs status and schools got the chance to be creative. But have primary science teachers got the confidence and knowledge to make the most of it? Headteacher Update considers the dilemma for the third core subject
Reaching all parents Getting parents involved has always been a priority at Easington Colliery Primary School. Headteacher Harry Weightman recently took this a step further by publishing pupil information online via their parent portal.
Reading the signals The government recently unveiled proposals for a ‘reading MOT’. Former headteacher Ruth Miskin discusses techniques for improving literacy rates and examines how to prevent children slipping through the reading net
Are lesson observations raising standards? The government is calling for headteachers to observe more lessons as a way of driving up standards. Former headteacher Chris Quigley looks at the current techniques in place and asks if we are monitoring the right things
