EdBlogs

A report from the Education Select Committee, published in May 2017, criticised assessment in primary schools, saying its close link to school accountability is creating a "high-stakes" system that is harming teaching and learning. The group of cross-party MPs confirmed what many primary school teachers have been saying for a long time: that the ne...

I get an average of 15 people a week phoning me up to sell me something. I'm an IT manager, so in many ways it is no surprise: from salespeople and trainers, to course organisers and seminar sellers – you name it, they have something my school couldn't function without. They often use underhand tactics to get through reception, my favourites being:...

Tom Bennett (the Behaviour Tsar) recently stated that, "behaviour problems crush learning." Few would disagree. Yet many teachers see managing and controlling behaviour in the classroom as their greatest challenge - and fear. Just one disruptive child in a class can have a negative impact on a teacher's ability to teach and on other students' abili...

At the start of my NQT year, I took an assertive approach to discipline with my classes. I had high expectations for pupils and I established boundaries quickly. Although this worked to an extent, I couldn't help feeling that something was missing. I just didn't have a connection with any of my classes. I was enjoying what I was doing, but the...

In early March, Theresa May articulated her vision for education, ahead of announcement that £320m would be confirmed for 140 new free schools and the expansion of existing selective schools. The prime minister wrote: "Our Schools White Paper…will remove the barriers that prevent more good faith-based free schools from opening, and it will enable t...