The recent Year 6 SATs’ reading paper caused tears from students who took it – and from some of their teachers. It was too hard, they said. The National Association of Headteachers claimed that even staff ‘had to really think’ about the answers. The Department for Education defended the paper, saying the questions had been…
It is easy to criticise and pick faults with our education system because we all have thoughts about how it should be run and how children should be taught. But praise must also be issued when the system improves. And that has happened. A quiet revolution has been taking place since the coalition Government took…
The fall-out from the exams debacle during the pandemic lockdowns continues, with news that English students face stricter grading in their exams this year than students from devolved parts of the UK. Ofqual, England’s exam regulator, has decided to return to 2019 grading levels, but Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’s regulators won’t. It means that…
The Prime Minister wants youngsters to study maths until they are 18. Rishi Sunak has identified an ‘anti maths mindset’ that is holding the country back. He is right. There is any anti maths mindset and the economy would be better off if youngsters left school fully numerate. They would be better able to understand…
The death of Caversham Primary School headteacher Ruth Perry is a tragedy of huge proportions. This is of particular poignancy if the results of the Ofsted inspection about her Reading school led to her suicide. But there has been no inquest yet and only after that inquiry will we know the full circumstances surrounding her…