Advice to Cut Students’ Lunch Portions Defended by DfE

In a response to the Commons Education Select Committee’s report from July, the Department for Education defended advice from school management resource advisers, or SMRAs, who recommended that
one school cut pupils’ portion sizes to save funds, as well as suggesting that admin staff contracts be reduced to less than 52 weeks per year.

Eco-warriors Working to Save the Planet

‘Ideas to Save the Planet’ topped the bill at this year’s Maritime Trust Invention Expo as 600 eco-warriors aged 4-11 from 7 schools spanning Blackheath, Gillingham, Eltham, Greenwich, Woolwich and Plumstead joined forces to showcase and celebrate ingenious inventions to make our world a better place.

Creative Teaching and Learning

Google helps schools combat fake news

A new report evaluates the impact of the first year of NewsWise – a free, cross-curricular news literacy programme for 9- to 11-year-olds across the UK, developed by the Guardian Foundation, the National Literacy Trust and the PSHE Association, and funded by Google.

Creative Teaching and Learning

New Register Announced to Track Pupils Not In School

The proposal will also help authorities intervene where youngsters receive a solely religious education, or do not receive any education at all. The register will also cover pupils who are home educated.

School Leadership and Management

Jane Reed believes we are living in unprecedented turbulent times and doubts whether we are equipping current and forthcoming generations of children to meet the big challenges sufficiently. She describes a project which sought to restore the primary focus on learning, provides a set of core practices, and explores the professional development implications.

The Ten Commandments of creative leadership

After a brief encounter with a Harvard Business School book, Jude Brigley put on a (metaphorical) beard and flowing robes and wrote her own commandments of good leadership.

For the love of learning: Lessons from an international school in Hong Kong

Good GCSE results are just a byproduct of the learning journey at Island School in Hong Kong. Vicky Hill reports on this international school’s groundbreaking curriculum for Years 9, 10 and 11, which sees teachers share their passions in exciting courses on art, marine biology, drama, business and more.

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Getting Started with Social Media in the Classroom

Social media is a powerful tool for connecting communities and communicating to others. EdTech Teacher Shawn McCusker presents a wealth of ideas for harnessing that power in the classroom.

Trend - The Lion That Has Failed To Roar

Head teachers have lost a great deal of their influence and ability to positively affect the education environment over the last decade. Geoff Barton, head of the ASCL, seemed destined to turn this around. But is his softly, softly approach the right one? SLT editor Howard Sharron reports.