Pastoral

The latest news, analysis and advice on pastoral support, including pupil mental health and wellbeing, attendance and non-academic development

Monday

27th Oct 2025

AI ‘girlfriend’ apps: what teachers need to know
AI apps that simulate romantic relationships present a number of hidden dangers, says safeguarding lead Thomas Michael, who explains what schools can do to help protect students
Ani - ai girlfriend

Thursday

23rd Oct 2025

Trust leaders back 80-hour ‘enrichment guarantee’
The benchmark is one of several adopted by the government as a ‘starting point’ for its new enrichment framework for schools, leader tells 91¶¶Òõ
Girl playing flute in a music lesson

Thursday

16th Oct 2025

Facing tragedy: how a Southport school community came together
On 29 July 2024 pupils from Churchtown Primary were victims of an attack at a holiday club in Southport. Here, trust leaders reflect on how their community pulled together in the year that followed
Kate reading

Wednesday

15th Oct 2025

Sami Timimi: Why ‘invented’ SEND labels are disabling pupils
Diagnostic labels are medicalising young people for behaviours once considered ordinary and are contributing to unsustainable workload in schools, argues psychiatrist Sami Timimi
Sami Timimi

Friday

10th Oct 2025

Schools can’t ignore polarisation - we have to step up
Our young people are absorbing extreme views via social media, but schools have a unique power to combat this dangerous polarisation, says MAT chief Gulcin Sesli
Pupils looking at iphones

Thursday

9th Oct 2025

Girls facing inequalities ‘less likely to do physical activity’
Survey by Youth Sport Trust also finds disadvantaged female pupils less likely than their peers to be confident about physical activity
Girls facing multiple inequalities ‘less likely to do physical activity daily’

Wednesday

8th Oct 2025

Phillipson: ‘Generational reset’ for white working-class pupils
Warning that ‘school just isn’t working’ for white working-class children, the education secretary promises policy to address this is in the forthcoming Schools White Paper
Bridget Phillipson has indicated that the White Paper will focus on white working class pupils.
How earlier puberty is affecting pupil behaviour
Children are going through puberty earlier than ever. What does this mean for education? David Robson investigates
Abstract Clocks Collage

Tuesday

7th Oct 2025

How ‘true’ inclusion cuts exclusions
A new approach to inclusion has helped one school to reduce exclusions to zero and significantly cut suspensions. Phil Humphreys and Kiran Gill explain how
Figures either side of fence

Friday

3rd Oct 2025

Schools criticise support ‘vacuum’ as racial tensions rise
Concerned leaders tell 91¶¶Òõ the government has not equipped them to deal with debates on immigration, race and St George’s flags
St George's flag hanging in window
Exclusive

Wednesday

1st Oct 2025

Attendance: How we support early strugglers to stay at our school
Rather than sending new students struggling with attendance to alternative provision settings, this school has created a programme to ease them into secondary life – with impressive outcomes
A magnet attracting balls

Tuesday

30th Sep 2025

Why attendance rewards don’t work
Giving incentives for good attendance, like class pizza parties, might not have the positive effect schools want, finds Mark Leswell, who offers an alternative
Attendance rewards