EdBlogs

I have previously drawn attention to differences in expert opinion over the usefulness of statistical significance testing, particularly in regard to randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Now it's time to look at what can go wrong with RCTs, and the questions you need to ask when judging the trustworthiness of the associated research findings. What ...

We spoke to education experts to hear their dream policies (with the proviso that they couldn't include "more funding"!). 'A fee-free route to QTS for teaching assistants' Recruitment and retention are a major headache for school leaders, and we need to encourage different routes into teaching. Many teaching assistants (TAs) are graduates and ...

A recent study found that students' minds are most likely to wander in class on Mondays and Fridays. Getting rid of weekends (which are clearly very distracting) isn't an option, but there are ways to help improve their concentration, even from a very young age. Here's how. Encourage them to eat a healthy breakfast  There is a growing bod...

I have a son who's 11 and has been doing his SATs this week. He's a bright little boy and he also has autism. He's got a sense of logic that would give Mr Spock a run for his money, combined with a social detachment which leaves him unable to understand why he needs to (in his words) "do yet another stupid maths paper, which will be exactly the sam...

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...