Leadership and Policy

Lockdown teaching and learning: A quick guide for families

Feeling daunted by the return to remote teaching? In this two-part series Sara Davidson and Sean Harris look at some of the basic research-informed principles that can help teachers and parents to navigate learning at home. In part two they offer advice for parents/carers

PFI: Challenging overly expensive contracts

As an academy trust CEO, Andrew Chubb successfully challenged aspects of his school’s PFI contract, leading to substantial savings. He looks here at why PFI often proves unfairly expensive for schools – and what can be done about it

Lockdown teaching and learning: A quick guide for teaching staff

Feeling daunted by the return to remote teaching? In this two-part series Sara Davidson and Sean Harris look at some of the basic research-informed principles that can help teachers and parents to navigate learning at home. In part one they offer advice tailored for educators

Wellbeing at Christmas: Time to focus on you

This Christmas holiday may be the first time that many teachers and school leaders have chance to take a breath and step back from the chaos and stress of Covid-19. Sophie Howells says that now is the time to prioritise your wellbeing – and offers some ideas

How to collect staff feedback on workload and wellbeing

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve, it is important to check in on your staff to see how remote learning and Covid restrictions are affecting their workload and wellbeing. Katherine Fowler shares some practical tips on how to talk to your staff and gather feedback, so that you can help ...

Christmas performances and how to salvage them

Pre-recorded films, live streamed performances or other ideas and approaches – how is your school or class approaching the traditional end-of-term spectacular? Ben Case looks at the options

Black Lives Matter: How schools must respond

What implications should the Black Lives Matter movement have for what and how we teach in our primary and secondary schools? Matt Bromley considers the key questions we must be asking of our curriculum in light of events around the world this year

Effective CPD: A guide to professional learning networks

This article tackles five questions to help you evaluate whether your school is making the most out of professional learning networks. Michelle Barker also shares recommendations for leaders on how to establish, grow and sustain networks that work

The revised Headteachers' Standards: An overview

The Headteachers’ Standards have recently been updated. National Leader of Education Helen Frostick reflects on the revisions and how the standards apply to leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic

What should remote education look like in your school?

What is remote learning? What isn’t it? And how are schools approaching it? Tom Middlehurst takes a practical look at what school leaders and teachers can and should be doing to fulfil their legal and moral obligations this term and beyond

What school leaders can learn from Stoic philosophy

From being values-driven and promoting mental fortitude to embracing uncertainty and being patient, primary headteacher Jim Mepham puts forward his case for how Stoic philosophy can transform the leadership of your school

Student wellbeing: Maslow before you Bloom

The idea of ‘Maslow before you Bloom’ is once again gaining traction in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. SENCO Sanjo Jeffrey says this approach is crucial to supporting academic outcomes this year and beyond

School improvement: The patchwork quilt approach?

Best practice cannot become a patchwork quilt – stitched together from ideas, approaches and interventions seen elsewhere. We must always remember that context matters above all else, says Jonathan Cordiner

Closing the Covid-19 gap for EAL pupils

Headteacher Update has previously outlined the risks presented by Covid-19 to learning and progress for specific pupils with English as an additional language. Continuing this focus, Emily Curran now offers some practical socially distanced strategies to support EAL pupils during the pandemic

RSE and parental consultation: Getting it right

Parental engagement and consultation is a vital component of effective relationships and sex education. Leah Jewett offers her advice to primary schools on RSE delivery and parental engagement

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Headteacher Update is the only magazine delivered directly to every primary school headteacher in the UK. It is published six times a year, at the beginning of each term and half-term, to keep headteachers up-to-date with everything going on in primary education.

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