Pensions in higher education: costs, constraints, and choices
Pensions expert Urrffa Rafiq sets out the key decisions that need to be made by providers looking to offer more sustainable pensions.
College pay agreement is a major achievement
Pay disputes are not the best use of anyone's time, and this year, colleges and staff have much bigger fish to fry.
The curse of expertise: Why ‘common sense’ isn’t common
Why do experienced people mistake expertise for common sense? What looks obvious to an expert may be invisible to a novice. In schools, it’s just common sense can dismiss the very knowledge someone has not yet had the opportunity to build.
Will the education white paper proposals hamper student access? (And what is going on with maintenance loans?)
The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper was published in October 2025. (For colleagues who are not policy wonks, White Papers from the Government set out plans for future legislation.)
Knowledge is never neutral: Hegelian reflections on contemporary education
Education faces a philosophical stalemate. On one side is an ‘objective obsession’ with standardised metrics.
Germany and the UK can advance an ambitious European science agenda
10 years on from the Brexit vote, leading universities in Germany and the UK today called on EU leaders to preserve the openness of Horizon Europe and ensure UK researchers can continue to strengthen Europe’s research excellence and competitiveness.
Workforce warning signs
Despite encouraging signs that teacher recruitment and retention are recovering, significant pressures remain across the school workforce, particularly for support staff.
Trust inspection and system reform: Are we asking the right questions?
As another academic year draws to a close, attention is increasingly turning towards one of the most significant developments in the future accountability landscape: the introduction of trust inspection.
Landmark work experience research report published in answer to Milburn Review
A new report by Education and Employers has found that young people who experience the highest levels of employer engagement before the age of 16 have 80% lower odds of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) compared to those who had the least experience.
Weekly Round Up - 26/06/2026
A look back at the last week in education, a peek at what's coming up, plus lots of other bits and...
Teach First awarded multi-year contract to train 1,000 new teachers annually
Teach First has been awarded a new contract from the Department of Education to deliver the next iteration of a training programme that will bring 1,000 new teachers into the profession every year.
Next steps in curriculum improvement
The most significant reform of Scotland’s curriculum in more than ten years is underway, as the first early samples of new curriculum materials have been shared with councils across the country.
ASCL falls into deficit, citing ‘severe’ pressure on leaders
School funding shortfalls, along with mounting workload and accountability, have increased demand for support, the union’s annual accounts state.
Why the inclusion bases guidance does little to ease heads’ anxiety
The DfE has now set out how it wants SEND inclusion bases to be run in a reformed mainstream school system. But Tes’ SEND and inclusion editor, John Roberts, says the guidance doesn’t allay leaders’ concerns about what comes next.
How schools survived the record-breaking heatwave
A quarter of schools closed early this week as the UK had its hottest June day on record – with leaders calling for urgent action to cool classrooms.
DfE sets out how it expects schools to run SEND inclusion bases
Guidance reveals detailed plans for support and specialist inclusion bases in schools – but heads’ leaders fear the funding falls short.
Revealed: Attendance rates plummet as temperature soars
Almost a fifth of children missed lessons this week as temperatures soared to record highs – with attendance rates plummeting even further in some areas.
Details of baseless misconduct probes to be destroyed sooner
Teachers at the centre of baseless misconduct probes will no longer have their details kept on file and “hanging over” their working lives for decades.
Struggling schools racked up £5m bank bill amid finance woes
Twenty-five struggling schools in a London borough racked up over £5 million in overdraft bills, it has emerged.