School strikes: Answering headteacher's legal questions Many school leaders are supportive of the industrial action being taken by the NEU but are still required to open and run their schools where possible. As such, legal expert Jane Hallas answers some key questions
School admissions and exceptional SEND cases Sometimes schools are compelled to admit pupils with exceptional SEND that they cannot meet because the local authority insists on the placement. Nabil Dance outlines how schools can respond in these difficult and often sensitive circumstances 1 comment
School admissions and the law: Insights and advice What are some of the basic principles in school admissions law? Nabil Dance outlines some examples of the requirements that apply to primary schools and offers some insights, guidance and tips
School funding: What does the Autumn Statement mean in 2023 and beyond? An additional £2bn is to be added to the core school budgets in each of the next two years – but what does this mean for your financial planning now? Specialist Julia Harnden offers her analysis to help you prepare for 2023 and beyond
Top 10 tips for... Energy saving in your school Schools can play their part in responding to the climate emergency while also reducing their energy costs at a time of rising prices. Suzanne Gibbon from the Let’s Go Zero campaign offers 10 energy-saving tips and examples from schools
Preparing governors for Ofsted inspection Governors have a key role to play during Ofsted inspection. Tiffnie Harris discusses 10 ways we can ensure governors are well prepared for when the inspectors come calling...
School policy compliance: Getting it right for your school How do you prepare school policies that comply with the law? Nabil Dance provides some tips to set you on the right path
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
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
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
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
How governors can support staff wellbeing How can your school’s governors help to support the wellbeing of your staff? Neil Collins offers some pointer
School governors: A culture of no surprises Ahead of the inaugural National School Governors’ Awareness Day, Steve Barker suggests ways in which this volunteer army can work more closely with school leaders to create a culture of ‘no surprises’
No going back: Choosing the right MAT for your school Once your school has joined a multi-academy trust there is rarely any going back. As such, we must choose the right MAT for our ethos and community. Paul K Ainsworth offers some advice to primary heads and governors when taking this important decision
Developing your school's long-term strategic plan It is crucial that your long-term strategic plan helps you to sustain your school. Ciara Lamb outlines what to consider when deciding on your priorities and how to create a robust plan
Anti-racism & diversity: Curriculum, policy and practice Decolonising the primary curriculum, embedding diversity, and becoming an anti-racist school is a challenging and at times difficult process. Headteacher Laura McPhee describes how her school reviewed and reformed its curriculum, policy and practice
How has Covid changed our traditional primary school events? Celebration assemblies, award-giving, parents’ evenings, sports days and more – following a year of disruption and restriction, how have schools adapted their events calendar? Suzanne O’Connell finds out
Assurance: It’s not sexy, but it’s important From boilers to putrefied rat remains, from magic buckets to burglar alarms – assurance is not well understood in education and the consequences can be catastrophic. MAT chief executive Mark Wilson explains
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
Why you should renegotiate your school’s contracts now How will the Covid-19 pandemic affect your purchasing power? Procurement consultant Naomi Clews says it makes sense to revisit your existing contracts now to secure best value for money for your school
Complaints & investigations: Why they arise and what to do Every school leader will have to handle complaints and oversee subsequent investigations. Expert Dave Verma offers some advice on handling the initial complaint and conducting a professional investigation...
Planning your school's digital strategy post-Covid With the future still uncertain, digital plans for schools have taken on a new significance and we must ensure that ed-tech can be used effectively both in-school and remotely. Al Kingsley offers some advice and reflections
An annual checklist for your school’s governing body What should the annual to-do list look like for an effective governing body? Al Kingsley considers some of the key roles and responsibilities and how they should be carried out
School improvement: Peer review & collaboration Peer reviews have been described as a driving force for school improvement. Laura McPhee considers which approaches can lead to maximum impact
Saving money on your school's rateable value What is your school’s rateable value? Are you overpaying? Mark Paterson looks at how schools might be able to make substantial savings
