The Staffroom - opinion

Chance to step back revealed a hard lesson in student soft skills

Time to reflect is often the first thing educators lose, but my fellowship research upended assumptions about my T...

Jessica Hill
Claire Wood
Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship reform may save money now but cost growth later

Ministers’ proposals risk undermining leadership development, training infrastructure and employer engagement. A tiered co-investment model offers a smarter way...

Jessica Hill
Mark Bremner
Adult education

Adult education is also about strengthening our democracy

Adult education has been reduced to an economic tool, but its real power lies in rebuilding connection, confidence and...

Jessica Hill
Dipa Ganguli
Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship reform risks solving the wrong problems

Ministers want faster routes into work for young people, but defunding leadership apprenticeships and tinkering with clearing systems won’t...

Jessica Hill
James Farr
Inclusion

SEND reform will reshape colleges, but workload shock is coming

New individual support plans could finally embed inclusion in mainstream education, but they also shift legal responsibility and risk...

Jessica Hill
Richard Freeth
Inclusion

SEND reforms spell diet EHCPs and red herring funding

Replacing EHCPs with a three-tier system could end the Gladiators-style Gauntlet parents face, unless ministers fix the diagnosis...

Jessica Hill
Chris Quickfall
Inclusion

SEND reform must mean better support, not fewer rights

The government’s new SEND reforms offer a rare chance to fix a system that forces families to fight for...

Jessica Hill
David Hughes
Apprenticeships, Inclusion

As SEND needs rise, apprenticeships face an inclusion reality check

New ILR data shows a sharp rise in apprentices requiring additional learning support, leaving providers at risk of being...

Jessica Hill
Mark Abrahams
Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships were never just for the young – history proves it

As ministers rethink apprenticeship funding, they risk forgetting a simple truth: apprenticeships were designed for mastery, not youth unemployment...

Jessica Hill
Rob May