EdBlogs

When I took my A-levels and GCSEs, I imagined them being marked by wise, Einstein lookalikes with great tufts of white hair, locked away in ivory towers. I pictured these sages ruminating over the points I had carefully laid out, raising an interested eyebrow from time to time, and often pausing to reflect on my argument. The idea of doubting ...

Teacher Katherine Birbalsingh received a standing ovation at the 2010 Conservative Party Conference, when she said: "The [education] system is broken because it keeps poor children poor." She went on to condemn a "culture of excuses, of low standards"; "the chaos of our classrooms"; and a "sea of bureaucracy". Birbalsingh has since regretted her co...

In the latest international Pisa tests, carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 22% of 15-year-olds in the UK performed at the lowest level of mathematics proficiency. In practice, this means they may be unable to carry out simple tasks, such as recognising that travelling four kilometres in 10 minutes means going...

Good governance is vital to a school's success, which means that appointing the right people to your board is essential. Governors need to be willing to take on this demanding role around their day jobs, and have the necessary skills and commitment to make it work – all for free. It's not an easy ask, so we spoke to the experts at The Key for Schoo...

The central assertion of Doug Lemov's philosophy is that 'good teachers can be made'. Lemov is author of Teach Like a Champion, a book which has rapidly earned the status of 'teaching bible' among new teachers.  Lemov is also managing director of Uncommon Schools, a chain of 42 charter schools in the United States. His influence is spreading a...