The Ghost of Education Future With pupils learning in freezing classrooms and some schools even considering four-day weeks due to rising energy prices and soaring inflation, Helen Osgood draws comparisons with Victorian-era Britain
Teachers' pay: Time is up, time for action Time is up – after receiving no sign from the government of movement over teachers’ pay, the NASUWT has launched strike ballots. Dr Patrick Roach argues why his members must vote yes
Education matters, doesn’t it? Funding. Funding. Funding. Everywhere you look in our schools we face challenges due to a lack of sufficient funding. Surely education matters more than this? Helen Osgood describes how and why we must take the fight for more investment to our politicians...
So what now? Facing the future It is not the role of schools to solve the climate crisis, or any of the other multiple crises facing humankind. But we can choose to equip young people to face the future, say Dr Malcolm Groves and Professor John West-Burnham
Remaking the role of teaching assistant The pandemic and the cost of living crisis is making the role of the teaching assistant more crucial than ever – just at a time when funding cuts are putting their jobs at risk, says Mike Short
What is there left to cut? The cost of living crisis is hitting schools hard and senior leaders will have no choice but to make cuts to front-line education spending. Paul Whitman says the new prime minister must act and act now
A dark winter ahead as cost of living crisis bites For many families there is simply nothing left for them to cut back on, no savings they can make. Teachers are deeply worried for many of the pupils they teach, says Dr Patrick Roach
Where next for SEN Support? The SEND Review side-lines the importance of SEN Support in schools and risks driving more parents to seek Education, Health and Care Plans. Sara Alston is concerned
Why is it so difficult for teachers to remain in the profession? The work of teachers is subject to routine surveillance that has become intensive, excessive and intrusive, robbing them of autonomy and driving the retention crisis, says Dr Mary Bousted, author of Support not Surveillance
Neurodiversity and mental health in the classroom There is a growing and wide range of needs among children and young people that teachers and support staff are increasingly being expected to meet in the classroom. With a few small steps, we can make things easier for everyone, says Helen Osgood
SEND Review: What about support staff? When it comes to the often-crucial role of support staff in supporting effective SEND provision, the long-awaited SEND Review is almost silent – this cannot be right, says Leigh Powell
MATs: What’s in it for us? We must all be in or joining a multi-academy trust by 2030, but with the DfE still to present evidence for its policy, we must ask: is there a compelling case for academisation or is it blind compulsion? Paul Whiteman explains
Farewell then, the school-led system? The Schools Bill currently passing through Parliament will be the beginning of the end of any real sense of autonomy for our schools, says Dr Mary Bousted
SATs: Testing for testing’s sake This year’s SATs will be a pointless exercise, only adding pressure and stress for pupils and teachers when the burden of the pandemic is already heavy enough, says Helen Osgood
A national demonstration: Will you be there? Serious recruitment and retention issues and the cost-of-living crisis is compounding workload and wellbeing issues at the chalkface. Dr Patrick Roach calls on teachers to join a national demonstration on June 18 calling for change
The Schools Supplementary Grant is entrenching inequalities We risk entrenching educational inequalities via flaws in the distribution of the vital Schools Supplementary Grant. This could have the biggest impact on our most vulnerable students, say Warren Carratt and Susan Douglas
Who wants to be a headteacher? The profession is on its knees after two years of working on the front-line of the pandemic. And unless action is taken on workload and wellbeing, the supply of school leaders risks running dry, says Diana Ohene-Darko
Covid: So, what do we do now? With its decision to scrap all rules relating to Covid, the government once again has placed headteachers, school staff, and parents in an almost impossible position, says Chris Fabby
More than words: Please act now on teacher wellbeing The workload and wellbeing crisis in schools is not down to a lack of resilience or competence on the part of teachers and the government’s response must reflect this. Dr Patrick Roach pleads with ministers to act now
SEND: A new approach to thinking about funding One of the biggest barriers to effective SEND provision remains inadequate funding. The facts and figures have been well-documented. Please, says inclusion expert Daniel Sobel, we need a new mindset...
Pension warning: Schools urged to step in The body blow of a pay freeze during the pandemic now risks being compounded by teacher pension losses due to the lack of ‘indexation’ – but schools can act to prevent this. Helen Osgood explains
Three inspections in a week: We need more compassion There is much anger that Ofsted insisted on business as usual last term as the pandemic took hold once again. We need to see a more compassionate inspectorate this term and beyond, says Dr Sam Parrett
Reception Baseline: We must continue the fight The Reception Baseline Assessment is time-consuming, unreliable, and draining on schools’ budgets. We must continue to fight its use and protect young people from this controversial statutory assessment, says Deborah Lawson
There may be trouble ahead... Challenges for schools in 2022 What lies in store for us in 2022? Headteacher Ben Evans considers some of the challenges that await and what his priorities are for the coming year
No evidence that ‘brutal’ Ofsted regime works If Ofsted cannot show that it achieves its core purpose, what hope does the profession suffering under its tyrannical yoke have? Ofsted is still driving pointless workload and operating with no evidence that its judgements are reliable, says Dr Mary Bousted
