We all have policies; we monitor them, we evaluate them and every year or so we review them. Lynn Cousins suggests a different approach. read more
Colin Noble explains how achieving national healthy school status supports the new ‘whole-child’ agenda. read more
Schools should be at the centre of professional support for children and heads should champion change, argues Nick Johnson OBE. read more
EYU draws out the key points for early years education and childcare. read more
Creating an effective school read more
Carole Farrar starts a series on communicating with parents by looking at what makes effective communication. read more
Sue Moores, headteacher of a secondary school in the Isle of Man, compares the island’s educational system with that of England and concludes that she won’t be moving back here! read more
School leadership is being reviewed by the DfES. Former head Roger Smith looks at assumptions about what makes a good leader and ponders on where the review will lead. read more
Anne Clarke explores the role of the headteacher and asks: ‘Is the notion of a headteacher an out-of-date concept?’ read more
Richard Bird, former headteacher and now legal consultant to the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), suggests that heads – and those appointing them – should consider the myths they need to match. read more
Jenni Whitehead summarises the 2006 consultation paper on ‘Safer Recruitment and Vetting in the Education Service’. read more
The cashless school will bring a dramatic range of benefits for students, parents and schools. read more
A whole-school approach to food and health is fundamental to establishing good dietary habits and an understanding of the links between good nutrition and future health. In this article Anna Denny shows how shools can support children in leading a healthy lifestyle. read more
Many communities are keen to know what is happening in local schools and the profile of your school can be raised and presented in a positive light by successful use of the media. This counters a great deal of the damage done to the public view of education by more generalised central reporting, where sensationalism is the main criterion for publishing/reporting. By Linda Trapnell read more
There is always room for enhancing the curriculum through the creation and development of special events in school that pull teachers, pupils, local businesses and the wider community together, writes Rosemary Cairns read more
Headteacher David Dixon considers the inequalities of the schools admissions system, including negative effects on social cohesion and the ability of some schools to raise achievement and attainment. read more
One of our pupils is in care and has a statement of SEN. Her parents disagree with the statement’s provisions and plan to appeal to the special educational needs and disability tribunal. Which takes precedence, SENDIST or the family court? read more
When does an LEA education officer owe a duty of care to pupils? How far does this duty extend? Michael Segal looks at important new case law. read more
What duty of care does a school educational psychologist owe a pupil and, if the psychologist is negligent, what damages will the LEA be liable for? read more
Does the law help or hinder those charged with protecting such pupils?
Ingrid Sutherland cuts a path through existing, new and ‘improved’ guidance. read more
The joint DfES/DH guidance Education of Children and Young People in Public Care (May 2000) recommended that schools assign a senior member of staff as designated teacher to act as a champion for looked after children. A new guide for school governors on their role in helping schools support these children will be helpful to SENCOs in defining the designated teacher role and offering useful information and explanations about what ‘looked after’ means. read more
A new report evaluates the New Relationship with Schools (NRwS) in trial local authorities and schools. read more
In February 2006, it was announced that Secondary schools in England were to receive a guaranteed minimum increase in their core funding of 3.4% per pupil for 2006-07. read more
The DfES has issued a new version of the Governing Body Decision Planner which it first produced in 2000 as part of guidance clarifying the roles of governing bodies and heads. read more
According to the DfES: ‘Governing Bodies are and will be school leaders.’ (Governing the School of the Future, 2005). read more
Spring 2006 heralds the arrival of the National Governors’ Association (NGA) as the National Association of School Governors (NASG) and the National Governors’ Council (NGC) have merged into a single entity. read more
The government is encouraging primary schools to set up school councils. read more
Some time this term your school will be sent an email which will give a site reference and password for downloading the template of your school profile. read more
An implementation plan for the government’s reform of 14-19 education has been published. read more
Ofsted has criticised the level of support many schools are receiving from their governing bodies to help them implement the government’s programme for remodelling the school workforce. read more
Headteachers have welcomed the government’s plans to give them more powers to discipline students but say they are yet to be convinced that the move will make a great deal of difference in dealing with bad behaviour. read more
The government is hoping that the concessions it has made to critics of its education white paper will be enough to get its new Education and Inspections Bill through parliament. read more
A report by Ofsted is largely enthusiastic about the success of a selection of full service extended schools. read more
The DfES has produced an extensive toolkit to support financial management in schools. read more
Ofsted says it is ‘very pleased – but not complacent’ at the way its new style school inspections are going. read more
Governing bodies in secondary schools in England are continuing to lag behind in ensuring that their schools fulfil their statutory duties, according to the latest Ofsted annual report. read more
Criminal record checks are to be made mandatory for all newly appointed school employees as part of the tightening up of vetting procedures in the wake of the recent controversy over sex offenders being cleared to work in education. read more
The important role of governors in school improvement is acknowledged in a report by the National Audit Office. read more
Governance expert Joan Sallis expresses her reservations about the White Paper. read more
Ofsted has long stressed the importance of governors being involved in the strategic development of their school and been critical when they fail to carry out that role effectively. read more
The two national governors’ organisations have agreed to merge to create a single body to represent and support school governors. read more
Since the beginning of September, schools have no longer been required to produce an annual governors’ report or hold an annual parents’ meeting. read more
Schools in England should now be engaged in formal consultation with staff and their representatives on new draft staffing structures. read more
Both the main headteachers’ organisations have called for the powers of independent appeals panels on exclusions to be reduced in submissions to the government’s leadership group on behaviour and discipline. read more
The government has given further encouragement to schools to set out on the path to providing extended services with the publication of a ‘prospectus’ on extended schools.
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Fundraising for school activities is nothing new. Only now with the pressures of workforce reform and initiatives such as extended schools and specialist status, many schools are reviewing the way they have to raise funds. read more
In our governing bodies we blithely talk about ‘team-building’. And in our more serious moments we may even think about ‘group effectiveness’ and ‘the quality of our decision making’. read more
Detailed guidance on fire safety in school building design has been published, in draft form, by the DfES. read more
The Secondary Heads Association has called for improved contracts for headteachers to make it more expensive and more difficult for governing bodies and LEAs to sack them. read more
Whether you’re writing your first G&T policy or need to update your current one, what do you need to include? G&T Update editor Jane West explains read more