“government [needs to spend] less time thinking about how schools should be run day to day and more about how they manage the system as a whole” A rare and exclusive interview with Lucy Heller this morning. School improvement, Covid, trusts and more. www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

Update: Heads' leaders say it is ‘incredible’ that schools have only just been informed of the delay to Sats results, after the DfE told Tes it had been aware of issues with Pearson’s system since May

This is hugely concerning, Pearson has a lot of questions to answer. Appalling that primary pupils and staff have been let down.

The Tes team has worked very quickly to update all our payscales tables - example below. All the tables here: www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

The Tes team has worked very quickly to update all our payscales tables - example below. All the tables here: www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

There is a lot of politics, and a lot of practical nuance, in this pay deal. Did Bridget Phillipson get more from the treasury than many expected? Definitely. But is this a good deal for the sector? It depends who you ask. (1/5)

Big exclusive from @cerysturner.bsky.social - two-year pay plan, not fully funded - schools' ability to make up the difference will depend heavily on their context.

Big exclusive from @cerysturner.bsky.social - two-year pay plan, not fully funded - schools' ability to make up the difference will depend heavily on their context.

A small study, but part of a wider body of evidence warning that we need to be clear on the objective of any ban - and whether is is the best way to achieve that objective.

The DfE could lose more than £300m as funding is diverted to the government’s defence budget, with the prime minister warning that the country has to be prepared for a possible war

“Kids were vomiting left, right and centre, but I didn’t have anyone available to oversee these health and safety concerns because everyone was so wrapped up in the inspection. It’s very clear that this was not right" Ofsted under heavy fire from heads, see below.

What does the Mbacc tell us about @andyburnham.bsky.social's vision for education? @jasminenorden.bsky.social breaks down the education intervention from his time as mayor of Manchester www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

"If I were a school leader, my burning questions this morning would be: can we afford this? What will our base teach? How will we be held accountable for what is delivered?" @johngroberts.bsky.social with a superb analysis of new inclusion base guidance www.tes.com/magazine/new...

➡️The fall of Finland: what happened to the world’s ‘best’ schools? Did SEND reform, a shift in focus or even complacency cause a drop in global rankings? Excellent piece with multiple lessons for other countries. www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

27 degrees will be on the cool side in the next five days... The article goes on to cite research that behaviour gets worse above 25 degrees.

27 degrees will be on the cool side in the next five days... The article goes on to cite research that behaviour gets worse above 25 degrees.

A reminder of this from last month: @ascl-uk.bsky.social and @neunion.bsky.social calling for a temperature limit for school operations as we head into this heatwave. The temps this week look unbearable in classrooms, even if most saying PE kit all week. www.tes.com/magazine/new...

If we want learners to thrive, teachers need to give them less freedom in the classroom, according to evidence gathered by science writer David Epstein

➡️ 5 questions schools need answered on the social media ban Having phone pouches does not mean that the social media ban will not be a concern for schools... Excellent piece looking at legal grey areas from @jasminenorden.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

‘Sometimes total autonomy is not a gift - it can be an anxiety-inducing trap’: head Hannah Carter reveals the important lesson she has learned about how much freedom she gives to her leadership team

Excl: One in ten schools’ rejected government offers of “enhanced support” through attendance and behaviour hubs. @ascl-uk.bsky.social says schools may not be confident the support available is suitable, while the DfE is “not concerned”. @tesmagazine.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/new...

➡️ Why limits are good for learning - and too much freedom isn’t Really pleased to bring you an excerpt of @davidepstein.bsky.social's new excellent book in @tesmagazine.bsky.social that has so much in it for teachers and will make you think hard about learning! www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

"A Whitehall source suggested school funding may be reduced in line with the reduction in pension contributions... 'Yes, contributions are coming down - but I’d point out government has always adjusted funding in line with contributions.'" www.tes.com/magazine/new...

Calls for schools to increase free play time may not be the answer to youth inactivity that some believe it could be, argues Anna Willcox in the latest of our ‘What if...’ series

This is very good from @stephenkb.bsky.social - more contradictions in schools policy, for example bounding into AI tutors and more Also, in identifying 'bad' tech in this way, it does infer that what is left is 'good' tech www.ft.com/content/4541...

In addition to all the below..by design a bunch of 18 year olds are suddenly out of the family home in some form of work or tertiary education, and we keep shunting the 'here's a bunch of painful lessons you learn as you get older' further into people's lives, when they are more catastrophic.

Seems an apt time to put this out again - nothing has really changed in the research consensus since I wrote this. Also, if the 'harmful' bits are banned, does that make phones 'safe' for schools...? www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

➡️ How to create a better reader (hint: hard texts matter) "Practice is important, but what you’re practising makes a big difference" www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

Fewer assessments, rather than shorter exams, the answer to reducing the burden? Tes analysis shows most schools already avoid the longest GCSE assessments. @ascl-uk.bsky.social says fewer papers, not “tinkering”, is the better solution. @tesmagazine.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/new...

"It’s important that I tell my children how much I love my work because they will need to understand why that work takes time away from them. I also want to show them that work can be a passion and not just an income." @samgibbs.bsky.social with our June 'How I Lead' www.tes.com/magazine/lea...

GEMS Education is set to open a new international school in Zanzibar – part of a wider plan for rapid global growth, GEMS School Management chief executive Robert Tarn tells @dan-worth.bsky.social

A fantastic reaction to this piece today

This is such an important article. For years, school leaders have been saying they’ve had to offset funding gaps in health & care provision for SEND pupils from the school budget. For years, it’s been clear this is unsustainable. What’s the incentive to be inclusive if it risks financial disaster?

Schools frequently say that higher levels of SEND and FSM cause bigger financial pressures - a new analysis from @jabedahmed.bsky.social provides evidence for that: deficits in financially struggling trusts are almost 75 per cent bigger in those serving those cohorts www.tes.com/magazine/new...

This is great. I recently completed an assessment for my daughter and found myself wondering why I was filljng in a form that locates deficits in her and not the system she has been in.

This is such a beautiful piece on what it means to be “different” and how we should be locating the problem in the environment and the system, not in the child

A fantastic reaction to this piece today

"A child isn’t born with SEND. They aren’t born knowing that they don’t fit," says the writer. "This is something they learn; something that they’re taught." This piece is one of the most beautiful mediations on SEND I have read. www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

A government minister has admitted that 'overly complex grammar' may be being taught at the expense of reading enjoyment

"Boys were telling female members of staff to 'get back to where they belong'" 👉The manosphere’s influence is growing - can teachers fight back? A difficult but important read from David Robson this morning. www.tes.com/magazine/ana...

By the summer term of Year 7, students are far less likely to say they enjoy maths than when they were in Year 6, writes David Thomas, but schools can take steps to tackle this trend

Exclusive: Headteacher Andrew O’Neill will remain as the DfE’s school policy adviser after being seconded for a second year

How the teaching unions fell out of love with Labour... and what that may mean for schools Superb analysis here from @cerysturner.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/new...

This on ADHD is so applicable across the Send reforms generally. There is a sweet spot and we too often miss it by over complicating are looking for too-easy scapegoats (like, as Gaia says, phones)

This outcome means the government does not have to deal with the very tricky political fallout of TF not getting the contract. It's clear long-term retention will need to improve under their programme. Big exclusive from @cerysturner.bsky.social

"With regards to phones and social media, the evidence of causality for ADHD specifically remains limited. Attention development, from the early years into adult life, is so complex. We should be wary of pinpointing a single cause." Fascinating interview in Tes today from @jonsevers.bsky.social ⬇️

This is a excellent piece on ADHD. Being a teacher, researcher and having #ADHD ...it is one of the best pieces I've read in a long time 👏👏👏👏👏👏🙏

ADHD has been oversimplified, misreported and misunderstood, argues professor Gaia Scerif. “It’s a spectrum,” she argues, and the environment a person is in can often determine whether support is actually even needed. A must read interview this morning. www.tes.com/magazine/tea...

Having worked historically in perinatal mental health & more recently coached in education, I've been surprised that reflective supervision/wellbeing coaching isn't standard for those with safeguarding/pastoral/Sendco responsibilities, given the potential for emotional burnout & vicarious trauma

Designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) are at risk of becoming “desensitised, overwhelmed and burning out” due to a lack of protected time for supervision, leaders have warned. www.tes.com/magazine/new...