Wednesday
How to help students with SEND settle in September
From classroom placement to engaging with families, two Sendcos share practical ways to make the start of secondary school more welcoming for students with special educational needs and disabilities
4 ways to ensure GCSE English promotes reading for pleasure
The common practice of studying texts through small extracts has been blamed for a decline in reading for pleasure. Zofia Niemtus asks the experts what secondary English teaching can do to inspire a love of books
Tuesday
New RSHE guidance: what schools need to know
The DfE has published revised relationships, sex and health education guidance, and Oak National Academy has announced new lessons to go along with it
The barriers that still block female leaders - and how to remove them
A former school leader who has investigated the difficulties that women face in rising to headship reveals her key findings, and how the sector needs to evolve to support women’s career progression
Monday
‘Reprehensible’ rise in assaults and abuse against teachers
Suspensions and permanent exclusions as a result of physical assaults on adults have increased sharply, DfE data shows
How The Beatles help me to teach Shakespeare
Communicating not just how but why GCSE students should engage in textual analysis had always been a challenge for Sarah Ledger, until a book on The Beatles offered a new model
My Week As...data, intelligence and impact manager at Halliard Trust
In our ‘My Week As’ series, a senior sector leader reveals what a typical week looks like in their role. Here, we talk to Becky Hill, data manager at an 11-school trust in Cheshire
The unexpected music genre unlocking students’ skills
United Learning’s head of music and performing arts explains how an opera project has taken students out of their comfort zone – with ‘remarkable’ impact
Friday
SEND inspections will change after DfE reforms
Ofsted chief inspector defends area SEND inspections, which he says have helped to push the government towards reforms
Why we teach mobile phone safety in KS1
With even the youngest primary learners increasingly likely to have their own mobile phones, teaching online safety can’t start too soon, explains Daniela Grasso
Schools aren’t financially sustainable, say governors
Half of schools and trusts are considering restructuring staff because of funding pressures, National Governance Association research shows
We’re lurching towards a crisis over EHCPs - this is how to avoid it
Scrapping education, health and care plans is an incendiary suggestion, warns ASCL chief Pepe Di’Iasio, who outlines what government must now do to build confidence in its plans to reform SEND support
