Parental complaints: How to respond and resolve problems What is the best approach to handling written complaints from parents? What are the common mistakes that primary schools make during the complaints procedure? Nabil Dance provides a concise analysis and some practical tips on how we can respond effectively
Four ideas to ensure high school attendance School attendance is a priority for all schools. No matter what your context, it is vital that you do not leave attendance to chance. Paul K Ainsworth considers four ideas to try and ensure high attendance
Trauma-informed leadership: A framework for everyday practice Many teachers are familiar with the tenets of trauma-informed practice, but what do these look like from a whole-school leadership perspective? Dr Pooky Knightsmith outlines five principles
Emergencies in school: Preparing for the unknown All education settings are required to have emergency plans in place. These are designed to help you respond effectively to unforeseen incidents and a range of materials have been published to assist you with this. Suzanne O’Connell takes a look
The power of coaching leadership styles Adopting a coaching leadership style in your school can yield a range of benefits for you and your team. Frances Robertson explains
Searching, screening and confiscation: Dos and don’ts How can schools safely approach searching, screening and confiscation? Safeguarding expert Elizabeth Rose looks at what to do and what to avoid
Safeguarding & the quality of education: A case study of Ofsted inspection From updated statutory safeguarding guidance to a focus on prior learning and the quality of education, what lessons can we draw from a recent primary school inspection? Here are some notes from an anonymous headteacher
Cost of living crisis: Conversations with colleagues The cost of living crisis is biting hard. Pupils, families, and school staff are all suffering. In two articles, Sean Harris considers how to support both pupils and school staff. He concludes here with a focus on how we might respond with colleagues who are struggling
How to create a whole-school culture of mental health How can senior mental health leads build a team and deliver a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing provision? Dr Pooky Knightsmith offers general principles of practice as well as 26 specific suggestions 1 comment
Making school uniforms affordable: A case study The introduction of a new uniform at Race Leys Junior School could have presented a financial burden to parents. Head of school Sue-Ellen Lamb explains what they did to ensure this wasn’t the case
School-to-school improvement: Peer review with a purpose Following the nine principles of effective school-to-school peer review, two south London primary schools have embarked on a new collaboration focused on behaviour. Laura McPhee reports
Welcoming and supporting Ukrainian refugees in your school Of the more than 126,500 Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in the UK since the war began, a third are children. How can schools welcome and support them? Sheila Hopkins advises and signposts to resources to help
Cost of living crisis: Conversations with pupils The cost of living crisis is biting hard. Pupils, families, and school staff are all suffering. In two articles, Sean Harris considers how to support both pupils and school staff. He begins by focusing on how we might respond with our pupils and their families
Closing the Digital Divide: What can schools do? A recent SecEd and Stone Group webinar discussed what schools can do, practically and realistically, to support those families on the wrong side of the digital divide. Panellists Bukky Yusuf and Fiona Aubrey-Smith pick up the conversation...
A school policy checklist Statutory, non-statutory, school-specific – how many official policies does your school have, and how do you keep on top of them, ensuring they are reviewed and updated as required? Craig McKee advises
The changing shape of performance management Decoupling performance and pay does not mean a less robust appraisal system, in fact it can mean quite the opposite. Pay specialist Louise Hatswell advises
Working together on school attendance Attendance still isn’t back on track for many schools and new guidance is kicking in this term, putting this issue firmly at the top of the agenda. Suzanne O'Connell asks what school leaders and attendance leads should be focused on this year.
How governors can support whole-school wellbeing Mental health and wellbeing must be at heart of school governance, but how? In an article adapted from her contribution to a new book on effective governance, Dr Pooky Knightsmith offers some pointers and ideas
School leadership: Starting afresh in 2022/23? With summer over and batteries hopefully recharged after a gruelling two years, how are schools and their leaders approaching the academic year ahead? Suzanne O’Connell spoke to four headteachers to find out
Keeping Children Safe in Education: Key changes and actions for schools The updated Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory safeguarding guidance has come into force. Elizabeth Rose looks at what has changed and what we should be doing about it in schools
Governors & trustees: Overcoming the barriers to recruitment Governor recruitment seems to be getting tougher and tougher. Al Kingsley considers why governance is a great role, the barriers that exist to recruitment, and how we might start to overcome them
Inclusion: How does your school ‘feel’? The real sign of greatness is not exam results or other measurable outcomes, but how your school makes people feel, what your values are, and how they are woven into everything you do. Daniel Sobel reflects
'The feeling in the classroom is calm and purposeful' More schools are signing up to transform their classrooms into therapeutic teaching spaces. Shahana Knight looks at the approaches she has helped implement at St Charles Primary School
Working relationships: Dealing with difference If we want to build better relationships with colleagues, it ultimately starts with us. But dealing with differences and building workplace relationships is not always easy. Leonie Hurrell advises
Teaching with moral purpose What is the purpose of education? As retirement approaches headteacher Jim Mepham is more convinced than ever that we want children who know things, can apply this knowledge, but who also understand themselves, others, and the world around them
